Literate Stirrings

Although Harold is only in the fifth grade, he has been put through a lot more than any other average ten year old. His father left the family when he was five and his mother is definitely not a positive, strong role-model within his life. She speaks "slowly with little rise and fall to her voice" (119) and claims "Junior is like me. He"ll sit in the background, like I do, until someone gets him out" (119). Harold's mother seems to have given up on life and her parental responsibilities because of the stress she faces as a single parent. In a way, Harold lost both of his parents when his father left, leaving him without much parental guidance and little direction in life. Harold's mother has no time for her children because she works all hours of the day trying to bring home just enough money to support the family. She admits, at one point, money was so tight that Harold had to go live with his older sister and husband. Harold "had to sleep on the couch and got in the way [ ]" (119). Being tossed from home to home while being thought of as a burden, causes children to feel unwanted, unloved, and lonely. Some cry out for help through disruptive behavior while others become depressed and withdrawn. In Harold's case, he has irregular body movements and keeps to himself most of the time. His eyes twitch and he fidgets around for no apparent reason. These characteristics most likely are his reaction to his unfortunate living situation at home and internal feelings of depression. What he needed most from his mother and teachers was support and encouragement., which may have inspired him to thrive to learn more, however instead, his teachers make judgments about his ability, thus affecting the curriculum he receives for the rest of his elementary school years. .
             Teachers who label their students are unfair because "those judgments, accurate or not, affect the curriculum they receive, their place in school, the way they"re defined institutionally" (128).