RES 5530: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Spring 2009)

Topsy-turvy. This was an interesting read indeed. I have considered this information several times as an adult but never would have thought to put it into words. I am actually someone who is incredibly aware of my words and tone. I have considered the importance of tone and perception by others since I was in high school. I do believe that all too often teachers and other professionals pay little attention to how others perceive them.

For example, in a classroom setting, a teacher might say, “Randy, I’m serious.” In reality, this is probably not a great idea. This could be easily shown in tone of voice and body language. Actually speaking these words shows the student that you are hesitating. It is almost as if saying “I’m warning you but not doing anything.” I feel that students can definitely sense weakness in a teacher’s tones and words. This is why we should all carefully consider our words and even body language.

Then, I thought the last two readings were somewhat related. They discussed the role of politics in language. With the first reading discussing national public policy and language, the author seemed to present information on the legislation and steps towards encouraging educators to accept student’s languages and dialects. Then, the second reading focused on the supremacy of Standard English in the minds of teachers.

The most interesting idea for me was that the correctness of Standard English is promoted in the classroom. This reminded me of my first observation while student-teaching. There was a section of the observation titled “Proper Use of Standard English.” When I received the compliment “displays excellent use of Standard English and proper grammar,” I sat and thought about the importance placed on Standard English. I do agree that teachers should have the ability to speak Standard English and be able to set an example of this for students. However, I could not help but consider the idea behind this on a formal observation. I suppose it is important to possess the ability and set an example, yet be able to accept other dialects and encourage students to keep their own cultural and linguistic identities. There is a fine line between the two opposing sides, and, for me, there is more gray than black or white in this situation. Perhaps someone else could shed new light on the controversy.

Brittany Guy