Reading the two chapters about cultural or home language made me think of the students in my current Title I school. We have a diverse population with many different ethnicities but primarily African-American and Hispanic. While I have always understood the struggles of our Hispanic students who are learning a completely different language than their native tongue, I had not thought about the cultural or native language of our African-American population as described in the chapters by Dowdy and Delpit. When Lisa Delpit described the shock and horror of listening to her daughter’s newly acquired ghetto language after years of formal education in predominantly white schools, it became a more personal issue and a reflection of her own childrearing. Often, the need for children and even adults to identify with their peers, the ones that look most like them, is greater than the need to impress upon others their true intelligence or competency. After years of civil rights awareness and change, our public view of aptitude is moving away from how we look but is very focused with how we sound in the public arena. The lack of Standard English is seen by many as evidence of incompetence and cognitive deficiency to the point that a qualified and skilled consultant could not be utilized in her profession because of her Southern rural language. Both Dowdy and Delpit realize the need for Standard English in professional and public situations, they also understand the need and value of identifying with the home language of the students in our classrooms. By using the curriculum to connect with our students’ cultural lives and interests, we can create more engaged and motivated learners who learn to distinguish between “proper language” that will help them be successful members of society while maintaining their cultural ties with friends and family using home language that provides a sense of belonging and comfort.
These chapters illustrate the value of home language and the importance it plays in our students’ identify and feelings of acceptance. The video about Michelle Obama’s personal experience with language as a youth illustrates the importance of using proper English in schools and the workplace. When she claims to be told how she “sounds like a white girl” as a child, her response of getting the A clearly pointed out that she was proud of her education and success as a respected citizen in our society. In order to overcome negative stereotypes but hold on to cultural and racial identities needed for survival, people must be able to resolve this conflict by understanding the value of both informal and formal language. I think that as educators, we have a responsibility to assure our students are exposed to formal English that is used to assess their competency but value their identity by using their culture in the classroom. I think that language can be viewed like behavior – we act certain ways in different environments and situations, therefore we speak in certain ways in different environments and situations.
Michelle Carlson
Comments (6)
Your ending statement about acting certain ways in different environments just like we speak in certain ways in different environments sums it up nicely. You're right, when we express ourselves, the way we do it depends on the situation. I know that I express myself differently depending on who I am talking to, whether it is my parents, my closest friends, my principal or the custodian who always greets me with, "Hey, how you?" Exploring the student's culture within the classroom shows that we value it. Something as simple as giving the students a choice in reading material seems to liven them up. My Hispanic students love to read books like, Look What Came From Mexico or books with Spanish words such as Borreguita and the Coyote.
Posted by Carol Holt | June 6, 2011 8:16 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 20:16
In your post you stated a simple and true fact that I had somehow overlooked. “Often, the need for children and even adults to identify with their peers, the ones that look most like them, is greater than the need to impress upon others their true intelligence or competency.” This is so true and I believe if most of us think back to our teenage years we will remember. What our friends thought of us mattered most. A student who has a teacher that expects proper English and friends who speak much differently is placed in a tough situation. One would constantly have deep feelings and questions about society’s belief of “right” and your own culture. What a torn feeling a person would have; not only in their youth but throughout their entire life.
Posted by Stacy Durham | June 6, 2011 9:14 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 21:14
Michelle,
While reading your post, I totally thought back to my teenage years and how much bearing I put on how others viewed me. You're right in that kids like Delpit's daughter don't think about the future or the repercussions as parents do who have already experienced certain pitfalls in life. They are only thinking about what their peers will say. Given that, we need to not only teach the curriculum but teach character education such as confidence building strategies, etc. When a student feels confident in who they are and how they speak, regardless of what their peers say, they are on their way to becoming the next Michelle Obama!
Posted by Carrie Brown | June 6, 2011 10:17 PM
Posted on June 6, 2011 22:17
Michelle, Your post makes me think about my friends and their three year old son. They have provided a very language rich environment at home and pride themselves on all the new vocabulary Ben so quickly/easily acquires. However, they have recently expressed frustration about him learning words from other children at daycare they don’t approve of nor want him saying. They have also shared embarrassing stories of Ben asking inappropriate question rather loudly in public places. Obviously at three years old Ben is in the beginning stages of language development. One would hate to constantly over-correct him to the point where he would become fearful to express himself. However, isn’t the beginning crucial and important? Home is where we experience our first language instruction. It is usually a non-threatening environment where we feel free to make mistakes and try new skills. Developing public language might not come as naturally in our classrooms of students feel we are overly critical. Michelle Obama provides an excellent example of someone who at an early age mastered both public and private language and has used it to her advantage.
Posted by Ruth Ann Timmons | June 7, 2011 10:38 PM
Posted on June 7, 2011 22:38
What a great title for your post, Michelle! I agree with you that, indeed, language is more that just words. You point out in your post that how we sound and behave are also linguistic "acts" that are dependent upon our current environment and setting. I think that perhaps the task for the "21st century teacher" is to help children learn to easily navigate the different environments that require different ways of being.
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 9, 2011 10:02 AM
Posted on June 9, 2011 10:02
I agree that our language can be viewed as our behavior. I know it is important for our students to feel comfortable and to feel free to be themselves, but at the same time we are there to educate them. Language is a discipline that students need to learn in order to be successful in the world. I feel there is a time and place for everything,language included. All populations of students need to be taught correct English. Students should feel free to express themselves through language, however they need to understand that a more formal English may be required of them at some point. It's not about forcing someone to be something their not, but ensure they have the best education possible. It doesn't matter if it's English they are learning or Spanish or French or whatever the language it should be taught correctly and used correctly.
Posted by Karin Scott | June 10, 2011 4:42 PM
Posted on June 10, 2011 16:42