Delpit
I guess I'm going for my own topic. I feel that teaching ebonics is counterproductive. One of the purposes of school is to prepare children for the world. We can't go around preparing kids for a perfect world. We don't live in one. We can only give them the proper tools to survive and possible triumph in the real world. The best tool that can be given to a child who isn't a member of the "culture of power" is the ability to feel comfortable in that culture. That doesn't mean assimilating. It just means giving them the ability to move freely in another culture. I don’t think that minorities segregating themselves with language is going to help them become a majority. I understand that not everybody wants to become part of the majority, but I want to be part of the majority. I want a say in what happens in my house/town/country. If you don’t have a voice, you don’t have any power.
posted by Meghan K @ 10:07 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I like your point that being comfortable with the language of power does not mean assimilating. This is where the balance of maintaining cultural differences but learning the language of power becomes crucial. Delpit's story of the Alaskan community's "heritage language" and formal Enlgish is a good example of trying to achieve that balance.
I agree with the point that school is to prepare people for the world; and in our world, ebonics isn't considered a language of power. It is unfortunate that there is only one language of power and that some people lack in that area. I agree that teaching ebonics would be counterproductive because, as unfair as it seems, ebonics is not what will get you into that culture of power.
I totally agree with everything you said. Emphasizing a language that may be a part of your culture is fine and dandy, but teaching the language that is associated the "culture of power" is what is going to prepare those students for real life. School is all about education and learning new systems that will help these people become more balanced individuals. If teaching is focused on a grammar of language such as ebonics, those students are missing out on a lot of potential knowledge and preparation.
I totally agree with that, especially that you have to be able to feel comfortable in the culture you live in, to be able to fully take part in it.
I agree. There are many people out there that think it is ok to keep within their own culture and never make an effort learn English. This just puts a handicap on them. When we are looking for input from those select groups involving, education, healthcare, etc...nothing comes back. Usually somebody is whining about it latter as well, which is a whole different story.
"We can't go around preparing kids for a perfect world. We don't live in one. We can only give them the proper tools to survive and possible triumph in the real world."
I, like everyone else here it seems, agree. I think that the point of getting an education is to provide yourself with the tool you need to compete. If life were perfect it wouldn't involve competition.
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