I don't really have a preference as to what grade I teach, as long as it is within the 7-12 range. For the purposes of this post, however, lets say I want to teach seniors.
I feel that the most important aspect of this topic is simply awareness. I will most likely teach in a rural setting. Having grown up in a rural area, I know that people who live in such places are oftentimes quite narrow-minded when it comes to topics like race. I can remember clearly the talk that went around about the issue discussed in the Pullum article. People in my hometown where up in arms about "poor English being considered a different language." I agreed (yeah, I know) as most young people would be prone to do when their surroundings are wrought with such attitudes. My goal as an English teacher in such an area would be to have an in-depth conversation with my students about such a topic. When the majority of the community has racist tendencies, it is difficult for a teenager to have their own thoughts on a topic to do with such. I will never tolerate racism in my classroom, as I will make clear to my students from day one. Thus, I feel that I could help them look take a different perspective on the matter. If I could create a racism-free, factual conversation about AAVE, I feel that my students would gain awareness as to why there may be a need for certain teenagers to be allowed to speak in such a dialect.
I was never taught about dialects in my English classes in high-school; I was only taught Standard English and that Standard English is the only way. As a teacher, I will encourage my students to explore different dialects and to attempt to understand why people speak the way they do. I will, however, make it clear to my students that Standard English is necessary to know for formal settings. I hope to maintain a dialogue with my students about how dialects are perceived and I hope that they understand that a way of speaking/writing is not wrong because it is different.
One of the main goals I have in my classroom is that it is a hate-free environment. I want to create a safe space to talk about such huge issues as racism, homophobia, etc. I will tolerate many types of misbehavior to a certain extent, but I will maintain a zero-tolerance policy on hate. I feel that if I can do that, my classroom will be a place where students can gain perspective, awareness, and learn a little something about themselves.
Hey Sally,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you talked about creating a safe place for your students in the classroom. We have been talking a lot about how to address language, but we can also use language as a useful tool to talk about deeper issues (like racism). What are some ideas for getting into these conversations without embarrassing students who speak different dialects?
I was not educated about different dialects of English in high school either so I can honestly say I feel in the category of assumptions made that African Americans just spoke broken English which I have since learned is not the case. I share your desire of wanting my students to be accepting and open to diversity and I think that in turns helps create the "safe" environment in your classroom. I have never thought of using language to create a hate-free environment which I would also want in my class.
ReplyDeleteI love your goal for a "hate-free" classroom environment. Like you, I grew up in a school with very little diversity where dialects were not discussed. In this environment, I agree that discussion and awareness are the most important goals for our students.
ReplyDeleteSally - one of the things I like about this is your open embrace of a sort of values driven education. I think this is an ideal that is easily set aside in the current moment, and in the process we just end up being the mouthpiece of other people's values (which we do a little bit of anyway, of course). So hold onto those ideals, that's all!
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