Language In and Outside of the Classroom

The readings for the week of January 21st really got me thinking about English within school settings, especially Siegel's article on whether Creoles and dialects should be kept in or out of the classroom. If I had been asked about this topic before the readings and discussion my opionion may have been that Standard English is the most beneficial form of English for students of all backgrounds to learn. However, after reading and thinking about the topics discussed in class and the articles for this week, I can see why thinking of Standard English as an additional acceptable form of English rather than the only acceptable form of English is an important concept to consider.

There were a few factors that contributed to my deeper consideration of the topic. The first was thinking about the way in which people communicate given their context. For example, if a child whose dominant vernacular is AAVE were to speak Standard English to his or her friends in a social setting, he or she might be seen as pretentious. There is a vernacular for every context. When teachers teach students about Standard English, they tend to imply that Standard English is the most correct form of English. My question is, who decided that Standard English was the most acceptable form? Why can't we accept that there is a time and place for all vernaculars of English? Obama's address at the Congressional Black Caucus was also eye-opening. I had never considered that politicians (or other influential people) might change their vernacular given the context of whom they are speaking to.

Another interesting thought that came from the article was how, as White Canadians, we don't question certain features of British English or consider these features incorrect, yet we consider certain characteristics of AAVE to be incorrect when we hear them. Even language has racial undertones embedded within it. There is also a hierarchy within White English. In our discussion groups, Andrea raised the point that she might even question her own English or grammar if she heard a British person saying something differently than her. Who makes the rules?

Lastly, and something I've been thinking about a lot lately, is why incorrect grammar and spelling bother me so much. (By the way, I will definitely be thinking about the "is because rule in the future!) My mother is an editor and columnist at a small newspaper, and my father is a lawyer. Both jobs require an excellent understanding and knowledge of the English language, which is likely one of the reasons I am so concerned about English myself. I mentioned my thoughts in class, but I think future generations are in danger of learning oversimplified versions of subject matter. If students are being taught math, science and other difficult subject matter, it is important that they learn at the very least the most common and important mechanincs of the English language.

It is our duty as teachers to instill in future generations of students that to/too/two are not interchangable, that they're/their/there do not have the same meaning, and that apostrophes do not belong in plurals! We don't want this to happen to our children: