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CHAPTER 7

Settings for Development: Home and School

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Josiah’s parents migrated from Honduras to Las Vegas when he was a baby. Leaving their close, extended family was painful, but they knew their son would not have a future in their dangerous town.

At first, life wass going well. Manuel joined the Culinary Workers’ Union. Maria got a housekeeping job at Caesar’s Palace. They sent money to relatives and made a down payment on a condo in the best school district in the city. Liberated from the horrifying conditions in her country, where parents had to confine their children to the house to keep them safe, Maria was thrilled to relax and lavish love on her child. Lavishing love was easy, because Maria was blessed to have such a sunny, talented boy. At age 5, Josiah could repair household appliances. He put together puzzles that would stump children twice his age. He was picking up English beautifully, even though his parents, who only spoke Spanish, could not help him with school.

Then, when Josiah was 7, Manuel was laid off. He started to drink. He came home late to regularly yell at his wife. Maria fell into a depression, agonizing over whether to break her family apart. When she finally had that difficult conversation: “Dad and I will be living separately,” Josiah cried for months. This painful talk couldn’t have been more poorly planned. The next day, Josiah was tested for the gifted program at school.

Josiah’s block design performance was off the charts. But growing up in a Spanish-speaking family was a handicap. Josiah’s full-scale score didn’t make the cut off, because his vocabulary skills were still below the mean.

It’s three years later and Maria’s becoming the loving mother she used to be. Josiah is returning to his old, delightful self. Maria sings the praises of the fourth-grade teacher—for understanding her son’s gifts and having the know-how to implement the Common Core State Standards. She appreciates the fact that due to the new state custody laws, Josiah can spend as much time as he wants at his father’s house. (Actually, she hates to admit it, but Manuel is a good dad!) The thorn in Maria’s side is Grandma—or, to be exact, Josiah’s attitude toward Grandma. Having her mother in the house is a godsend. Josiah doesn’t have to stay home alone when Maria works double shifts to keep the family above the poverty line. But Josiah now feels ashamed to bring friends home to see that “Old World” lady. He wants to be a regular American boy. The downside of seeing your baby blossom beautifully in this country is watching your heritage fade.

How do children such as Josiah react after their parents get divorced? Given that we must succeed in the world, how important are the lessons we learn from our parents as opposed to our peers? What was that test Josiah took, and what strategies can teachers use to make every child eager to learn. What are the U.S. Common Core State Standards all about? Now, we tackle these questions, and others, as I focus on the settings within which children develop: home and school.

While my discussion applies to all children, in every home and school, in this chapter, I’ll pay special attention to children such as Josiah, whose families differ from the traditional two-parent, middle-class, European American norm. So let’s begin our exploration of home and school by scanning the tapestry of families in the twenty-first-century United States.

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