When I was in high school, I had a hard time feeling confident enough to share my thoughts and opinions in front of an entire class. There were a few students that spoke in front of the class all of the time, but there were others who seemed so terrified of doing so that I don't think I ever heard their voice. Considering myself somewhere in the middle, with probably an average self esteem level for a high school aged human, I can't imagine how much more difficult and intimidating it would be to participate in class when you have to consciously change the way that you talk as well.
The concept of dialect switching was probably what struck me most in the Pullum article. I began to wonder how someone who speaks in one dialect changes to another depending on who they are talking with. Trying to think of times that I do this, they are pretty few and far between. I know that I use swear words much more in conversations with friends than I do in the workplace or in classes. However, I have never really recognized any difficulty in making this switch. I wonder if this is because I haven't used swear words all of my life, I assimilated them into my vernacular over time, and never in a school or work environment. It is as though I trained myself automatically by incorporating swear words only in (what I consider) appropriate environments. This example is much different than the idea of an AAVE speaker switching their dialect.
Someone who speaks AAVE has probably been doing so since they could talk, or at least for long enough that it is what feels natural. It is a part of their identity in the same way that I consider the way I talk to be a part of mine. At the high school age identity is a concept that many people struggle with. I think it is unfair to uproot students by disallowing them from speaking the way that is most natural to them simply because it differs from standard English. Speaking AAVE is not equivalent to speaking a foreign language in class that fellow students and the instructor cannot understand. I am going to assume that in a community like Oakland, even students or instructors that don't speak AAVE can understand it just fine, so I can't buy the 'speaking english in an English class' argument.
As far as preparing students for a future that will be less welcoming towards the way they speak, I don't really know how to argue against that as it is a profound point, except to say that I think a students' future could be in more jeopardy if they are inhibited and discouraged when they are in high school instead of being encouraged to explore who they are without constraining the basic ways they communicate. I don't know how easy it is for speakers of AAVE to dialect switch, how conscious they have to be of it or if it comes naturally. I do know that it is 100 percent unnatural for me to try to speak AAVE, and if I was mandated to speak it in school, I probably would have done poorly and more importantly I would have become discouraged and disengaged in school. I think it is important for instructors to understand this and to try to relate to the way a student speaks if it is different than their own, as the student will probably have to make these efforts throughout their entire life. Teaching students what you think is important is a big step in preparing them for the future, and at such a vital point in a person's life, the present needs to be thought about carefully in order for there to be a future to worry about.
Hey Emma,
ReplyDeleteThe first part of your entry about speaking in class was very interesting to me. I was always pretty shy in class, but thankfully have had teachers who have understood that and have still valued what I had to say, even if it was in writing. How much do you think we should push our students to speak in class and ask them to step out of their comfort zone?
Hi Emma,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the way you put a human face on this whole conversation. At the end of the day, it's about the students, right? Not only do we have to think about their achievement in and beyond the classroom, but we have to think about the way they're feeling and the sense of self they're developing in high school. Our English classes can either enhance and encourage them or make them seriously question themselves, which is something you wrote about really nicely. How can we keep that in mind when we're confined to a curriculum and standards handed down from administrators? It really does seem like an opportunity for the teachers to get creative and make sure the learning environment is an inviting one in which students want to express themselves. A challenging opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless. Thanks for sharing!
I like that you put yourself in role reversal and thought if you had been mandated to speak AAVE how hard it would have been. I have never thought about it that way and that gives me a much greater appreciation for the idea of teaching them standard English. I agree that our ultimate focus should be the students and I would not want to harbor fear by oppressing their native tongue. I really like the last line about the present directly affecting the future!
ReplyDeleteNice entry - I can't add much to the comments you've already received, but I like the way you think about this, and especially the role reversal Kelsey comments on. You've got a sharp eye and an interesting way of putting things - these are qualities of a poet, of course!
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