"Fordham presents an analysis of the tension felt by some students between group identity and academic success...doing well in school is equated with "selling out" or becoming non-black" (259)
In chapter 17, Janie Ward talks about the difficulty that African Americans have in succeeding in school. I see this every day in my placement, students are conditioned to be "white" by basically saying that their tendencies (i.e. the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, etc) are wrong. This I think is the reason why they think that being smart or succeeding academically is "selling out". Teachers at my school are constantly telling students that the things that they say, Ebonics or slang, are wrong, but they aren't told why. If you don't explain to them that it isn't wrong, it just isn't appropriate for some situations then they are led to believe that society thinks that their way of life is wrong. It would be so easy in English classes especially to show students that their language isn't wrong, it is just a different way of speaking then what is necessary for school or jobs. You could do tons of different things to show the difference between informal and formal English. I think that by just correcting them constantly and telling them what they are saying is wrong is not the right approach. If you were to trying to teach ELL kids or someone trying to learn English for the first time you wouldn't tell them that everything that they say in their native language is wrong. So why do we do it with the kids that speak Ebonics? It just doesn't make sense to me.
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5 years ago
3 comments:
I agree! So many of us are ignorant to the concept of equality--even though it is a part of the very foundation of our country and written into its first official declaration. Our country has come a long way in some ways, but not far at all in others. It is troubling that we as a society attack a way of speaking as wrong when it is in fact a very real scientifically tested dialect (Ebonics) that is logical. How can this new generation of educators change the way we handle this pattern embedded into our culture that being white is somehow right, when in fact, it is absurd? How can educators encourage all students to feel confident about their own culture, and not made to feel that it is wrong?
I believe school systems should provide more anti-oppressive education. Many African Americans feel they "sell out" by doing well in school. A good teacher would find a way to overcome this and maximize potential of all students by making them see the value of doing well in education. A good teacher would embrace their tendencies that many teachers label as wrong. For instance, if students like rap music then let them integrate rap music into a project. The tendencies that many feel as wrong as part of student’s identity and no one has the right to change it. I think teachers should explain contents when their tendencies are not viewed as appropriate. For instance, using Ebonics in a job interview is not appropriate and explain to students why. Explaining why is critical or else how will students understand why Ebonics may not always be appropriate. Give students the tools to do well in school in life by teaching them to value who they are, but prepare them to do well after school. Explain how using Ebonics may is appropriate at with friends, but not at work. Show them that speaking Ebonics is not wrong, but they should speak differently at jobs to make themselves should educated. If they make themselves sound educated and have a good education, the sky is the limit.
There has been a push by some teachers to clarify the difference between standard English and Ebonics for students. Standard English is what it takes to be successful. You can "turn it on & off", become fluent in both languages (standard & ebonics) and be able to switch back and forth. I, personally, don't think that talking standard English is selling out. It is doing what it takes to get ahead. Maybe this is all coming out the wrong way, I'm not tryinbg to sound negative. But, there are a lot of other cultures that do what it takes to succeed. Non- English speakers struggle to learn the language to get ahead. Ebonics is a dialect, not a completely different language. If the speech needs to be altered a bit to move forward in life, I don't think it is as difficult to change as it would be for a non english speaker.
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