Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Summer 2011)

Language has proven to be an obstacle for many students in America. Whether native-born or migrant, students bring a range of dialects and languages to the classroom. As teachers, we can choose to ignore their voices and attempt to force them to learn our language, or we can take a more inviting approach and choose to hear their voices first.

I am sure we all have witnessed the curt correction of incorrect grammar in the classroom. Did this approach prove to be effective or did it cause the child to shutdown? Whether curt or tactful, it may have made the child feel that the content of what he or she had to say was not important if it could not be delivered in the “correct” manner. Perhaps these students fear that they will be “viewed as defective” just as their language is “viewed as defective”. (Delpit) How will they ever become comfortable in our world if we never seek to enter into theirs? By simply listening to them without the goal of correction, we may learn just how much they truly know. After all, words should be a bridge not a barrier.

While I believe that students should be taught standard English, I do feel that they should have opportunities to use their own languages and dialects to share. In order for students to truly learn, they need to feel safe. If they feel respected, they might “be willing to adopt our language form as one to be added to their own”. (Delpit)

In my classroom, I try to stress the importance of being able to use correct grammar. At the same time, I talk about the fact that our language may take on a different form depending upon our audience. For instance, our speech around our friends may be different from that which we use with our parents or teachers. Just as we play various roles, we have alternate ways of expressing ourselves while in those roles. In alignment with this view, Baker states that she begins “by building upon a firm respect for each student’s home language”. In this way, it appears that language diversity is celebrated rather than criticized. Instead of viewing the “white way” as the “right way”, perhaps we should view them as simply different ways. (Dowdy) After all, we all have to admit that using a different dialect may add emphasis when needed.

With all the aforementioned in mind, we must remember that learning a new language takes time. We did not learn to talk in just a few months. It took years to learn the basics of the English language, and for this very reason, we must be patient with all students who enter our classrooms. They will get there with time, patience, and a safe and inviting learning environment.

Holly Lawson