Heath Article Addendum

After class discussions and much thought, I have found out that my last blog was wrong. The passage was not about why children should go to school. Nor was it about what school has to offer the children.
Heath really wanted to compare the forms and functions of oral language with those of written language produced and used by members of social groups within a complex society. In Trackton, the people never really read anything alone. Things are always read out loud and then discussed. This is great for a person’s daily life when they are in a group setting, but what happens when he is alone. Will he be able to read and think for himself on the piece of literature?
When children in Trackton start school, will they be able to just read something to themselves. Since they are use to reading things out loud, they will not really know how to read something silently and answer questions. This will cause stress on the student because he is not use to it. The student will also not be able to think critically on his own. Since he is so use to hearing other people’s opinions and thoughts, will he be able to form his own opinion on anything.
This approach harms a child’s growth in literacy. If they always hear something read aloud, they will never be able to do it on their own or it will be difficult. To help out the children, the adults need to start having the children read stuff to themselves. This will help them get ready for school and create critical reading skills they will need for the rest of their lives. Once this happens, the children of Trackton will be more prepared for school and life.