Week 10-Language and Power

Delpit's article focused on the "culture of power" and the debate over skills vs. process when it comes to writing and teaching. Delpit speaks about the differences between a teacher showing power in the classroom vs. not showing power and how that can have a major effect on students. I like how Delpit gave examples of white middle-class parents being a little bit more lenient with directions to their kids, "isn't it time for your bath?", vs. black parents who are more direct with their children, "get in that bathtub!". If teachers don't know how to show power in a classroom, some students will not respond well and therefore be set up for failure. Delpit states that teachers should also find ways to incorporate different languages in the classroom and allow students to use the language they are most comfortable with at home, but to also teach them about the power behind standard English.

Young examined the disconnect between the black culture and literacy and talks about the dilemma of being a black male in school and how using standard English, or White English vernacular (WEV), can seem feminine or homosexual. He explains that many young black males protect their masculinity by choosing not to accept standard English. Like Delpit, he talks about ways that teachers incorporate their BEV in the classroom but emphasizes that they set them up for failure by not teaching them WEV and when it is appropriate to use both.

I've been learning about how to accept BEV, also known as AAVE (African American Vernacular English) in the classroom when I am a teacher, as well as how to teach my students about when it is important to use VS. when standard English should be used. The ultimate goal in making sure they learn standard English is exactly what these articles talk about-power. I actually have been affected in how I am perceived by people because of my language uses. In school I went to all MPS and the way I spoke came off to my predominantly black classmates as white. Things that I pronounced correctly would be laughed at by some. Not that I was bullied, but if I wanted to avoid that, I would have to change my language a bit to fit in. With that being said, I feel like I can relate to African Americans who change their language in certain situations. I, however, do not judge people for their language, unless they are using the wrong language at the wrong time (i.e. using "slang" at an interview or with someone of power). The point in both articles, I think, is to show that standard English shows a form of power in society, but that all other languages should not simply be dismissed. Students should learn about the power they can have if they choose when to use standard English VS. their own language that they've known since they were very young. It is part of their culture and teachers cannot and should not see it as unimportant or of having no value (I talk about this in my paper!).