Today we had a discussion on Ebonics. We discussed what Ebonics means and how it relates to Education today. The term Ebonics is easily identified to the African American culture. With that being said should a African American be judged on the way he or she talk? One aspect to this question we as a group look at is the education of that individual. If he/she is well educated and carry the same credentials of another individual of a different race, should that African American be discriminated because of the way he/she talk?
These questions are what we are faced with not only in Education, but also in America. Discrimination against African Americans and many other races still exist today. Even though an individual may be very intelligent, they still may be looked or judge a certain way. It comes to should a person change who they are, in order to fit in to what society perceives what " we should be".
My point of view is that a person must find that balance of who they are as a individual and still be able to be themselves within a society. Is it a tough to find that balance? Yes but it is a balance that is necessary in the world today.
Hi Rashad,
ReplyDeleteThe issue of Ebonics is a very important one. I was greatly relieved that I’ve been handling it the way we discussed in class.
On the secondary level, I feel it’s important to correct a student if their content is mistaken (like making a factual error about a date or an author) but not for how they’re saying it. If teachers want to make sure a student never talks in class again, all they have to do is pick apart the student’s words. It would be humiliating and aggravating at the same time. Besides, I read a long time ago that Ebonics is a grammar system, like any other, with its own rules.
I, likewise, agree with what Stephen said, that written English is a different situation. There’s time to check and double check. Sometimes, like on journal entries, standard English doesn’t matter. Other times, like on resumes or cover letters, standard English could make the difference in being hired or accepted. But the students have time to review it and don’t feel their identity being attacked, like if they were interrupted and corrected in class in front of everyone.
We all speak differently at different times. Most people don’t talk to their grandma the same way they talk to friends while out for drinks. We use different language writing a public speech than writing on facebook.
Language is a very personal part of us and is directly tied into how we think and process the world. Your PE students probably also speak boldly with body language in their athletics, but in English class, mainly the oral and written will do. ;-)
Writing and speaking are two completely different things. Even a great speaker uses "improper grammar." You will never hear anybody say, "at what are you looking?" or "with whom are you going?," but in formal writing, these are examples of "proper" English that is commonly missed.
ReplyDeleteOne must learn how to formally speak in order to have some sort of brighter future. This is not to say that one must abandon ebonics, but I think in formal speaking, there is nothing wrong with "polishing" one's grammar, because any sort of formal speech should be (in order to achieve the best result for the purpose of the speech) spoken in a manner that best suits the audience. Not that there is a problem with ebonics.
In the classroom, however, I think the student should use the language most comfortable in informal speaking. There is no sense embarrassing a student because of the dialect. When addressing foreign students with thick accents, and my high school had much of this, there was never any concern about trying to polish the accents, and I do not think that this is a priority. Ebonics is fine in the classroom, but the best individual can adapt to different crowds.