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I Dont Want To Write for ThemAn At-Risk Latino Youths Out-of-School Literacy PracticesMary Amanda Stewart, 2011Literacy Research Association 61st Annual ConferenceJacksonville, FLMary.Stewart@unt.eduStewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. 1Problem: The DisconnectStudies show Latino youth possess many skillsReading, writing, digital literacies MultilingualismTransnationalism: Adept at border crossings Political knowledge and activismMany of the skills they have acquired due to immigration are needed in society today, yet rare in mainstream populations. (Surez-Orozco, Surez-Orozco, & Todorova, 2008)

Reading many textsWriting for different audiences and purposesLanguage brokeringCross racial, class, age, ethnic, cultural spaces dur to their language brokering2Stewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. Problem: The DisconnectLatinos drop out of school more than any other ethnic group. (Gndara, P. 2010)

By 2021, 1 of every 4 students in the US will be Latino, largely due to Mexican immigration. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010)

Studies show most of their out-of-school literacy practices are misunderstood, unrecognized, or devalued in the classroom. (de la Piedra, 2010; Godina, 2004; Rubinstein-vila, 2007)

1/5 to of Mex-Am will drop out2nd generation mexicans: educational attainment worse than any other immigrant group of US, Canada, England by far3Stewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. Research QuestionsWhat is the range and form of the participants out-of-school literacy practices?

How does the participant view the relationship between his out-of-school literacy practices and in-school tasks?Theoretical FrameworkSociocultural Theory (Lewis, Enciso, & Moje, 2007)

Assumption #1: Each literacy practice is social in nature as it affects and is affected by other beings who also exist in fluid cultural spaces.Theoretical FrameworkFunds of Knowledge (Moll, 1992)

Assumption #2: Students, their families, and their communities possess rich knowledge and skills that can be used in the academic environment to further learning.

There is value in understanding youths out-of-school literacy practices for the classroom.

Theoretical FrameworkNew Literacy Studies (Gee, 1990; Street, 1995)

Assumption #3: Literacy is political, social, cultural and plural in nature. Re-envision what counts as literacyLiteracy Practices- The multiple forms one uses to make and represent meaning such as dress, body, written, audio, and oral discoursesMethodologySingle-case studyParticipant19-years-oldSelf-proclaimed Chicano, 2nd-generation of Mexican originEnglish-only schooling (L1: Spanish)Transient due to migrant work in agricultureCrime: juvy, alternative school, jailDropped out of high schoolLived in Mexico 1 yearReturned to another state to finish high school

MethodologyThree forms of data collected from June-November 2010Four semi-structured interviewsArtifactsPoetry journalSocial networking sitesObservations of language brokeringChurchHome for recovering drug addictsMethodologyAnalyzed data using constant-comparative method Recursively compared each incident or artifact against others to identify similarities and differences, determine its code, and redefine the properties of the individual code (Corbin & Strauss, 2008)Code for forms of out-of-school literacy practicesFive axial codes that are the most saturatedFindingsFive most saturated codesPoetry WritingLanguage BrokeringBook ReadingTechnologyActivismPoetry Writing: Im an Open Poet.Poetrys place: Out-of-schoolIf they tell me to write a poem for a school assignment, Ill pull one of these out just cause I dont want to write for them.Framework for how he perceives all of his out-of-school literacy practicesWrites to express anger and frustration: Its a way to relive it [anger]. Like some people eat out of anger, some people do stupid things out of anger, I write. Its a positive way to not get hurt or nothing.

Pablos poem with teachers visible comments

[Again, good,but this is in Narrative format. It could work better in poetic verse.]

Rewritten poem in Pablos poetry journal showing dismissal of teachers comments

Haiku in Pablos notebook. Cited from memory in an interview.Language Brokering: Im the Translator for the World.Childhood experiencesMotherSchoolCurrent situationSpanish-speaking auntEnglish-speaking uncleWhen he [my uncle] wants to speak to someone in Spanish, Im his voice in Spanish. Language BrokeringTranslating sermonsLive, simultaneously on AM radio stationChosen among many bilingualsSophisticated vocabularyTranslating in jailHere in jail in [state], if theres like a Mexican who cant speak no English and all the officers speak English, Ill be like he said this, this, and this. And I translate what he said to the cop.Book Reading: I Just Walk around School Reading Shakespeare.Began reading for pleasure in juvenile detentionReads for religious purposes: English and SpanishReads Shakespeare and Neruda to influence his own writingWhat he got from reading Shakespeare: The ways love was expressed. The way Shakespeare compared a summers day to his lover. Or maybe just a comparison of the words of love.Technology: As Soon as I Get out of the Shower, Ill Have Like Four Texts Waiting.TextingGamingInstant MessagingSocial Networking

Lack of access out-of-school due to punishments and financial situation

Digital SpacesMySpace Homepage

i still love to cook, right poems, and play sports but the newist hobbi is band, choir, and JROTC im a JR. at [West Side] hi skool its kool so far so ohh ya and im 17 so good buy and God bless u. ..

Digital SpacesFacebook Message Board

eii ke onda weii te acuerdas demi?"

(The traditional Spanish spelling is Qu onda, huey? Te acuerdas de m? What's up, man? Do you remember me?)

Activism: We Have a Voice.Chicanos are protesting for the paisanos. We are their voice that cant be heard.Silent ProtestsSpring 2010: Laws in ArizonaSeptember 16, 2010: Mexican Independence DayDefiance toward getting in troublePersonally affected by laws So I want to get a rally going and help out cause my mama's still working the fields and she's 47. And that's not right.I showed them [peers] what they're doing just being normal students. Then I showed them how me, a Mexican-American, showed them what we can do. We have a voice that needs to be heard for the voices that can't be heard. So many illegals take beatings. So many illegal women get raped cause what are they gonna do? Call the cops and they get deported when they're just trying to fend for themselves and fend for their families? Most Mexican dads cross the border, work really hard, bust their butts off so they can send money to their family so they can live. SummaryOut-of-SchoolProlific writer, poetReader of diverse genresGifted translatorBilingual, biliterateUser of technologyLover of languageActivistTransnational

In-SchoolEnglish learner as childMigrant childhoodPovertyStruggling studentCriminal behaviorHigh school drop out

Pablo learned to keep his out-of-school literacy practices out of school.Recommendations for TeachingPre-K-12 education: Dual language bilingual education, culturally relevant curriculumLast chance 9-12: Inquiry-based curriculum that allows the use of out-of-school literacy practices:Read to investigate relevant topics (immigration)Write for different audiences in English and SpanishTechnology: Social networking for publicationActivism: Research in community

25Stewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. The Rest of the StoryPablo dropped out of high school again, only weeks away from having the credits he needed to graduate.He lives in another city with a relative at a drug rehabilitation house. He does not work or go to school.

Stewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. 26We have a voice that needs to be heard for the voices that cant be heard.

- Pablo, a young poet and activistIn tying the conference theme to this study, I want to suggest that we need to widen the circle of what counts as literacy for marginalized youth such as Pablo. In order for youth like him to have the opportunity to succeed, we must expand our definition of literacy, unider the literacy practices all students possess, and imagine ways to harness all literacies for academic growth. Pablo attend school in 3 different border states, off and on for 16 years yet his beautiful, strong, bilingual, passionate voice was never heard in-school. We as literacy researchers, however, have a voice that can be heard, and I think we should heed Pablos words.Stewart, M. A. (2011). "I don't want to write for them": An at-risk Latino youth's out-of-school literacy practices. 27