Teach
I think this article is great for those preparing to teach. For myself, the article helped to clear up many conflicting ideas and methods I have heard about teaching to students who may have a different way of speaking English. I would like to some day be a high school English teacher, and I have always thought it best to teach proper English (the language of power) in school. Where else are students going to learn it? As far as I know, the main role of education is to prepare and equip students with the tools they need to function in the real world. The real world mostly consists of working or trying to find work. This is why it is especially necessary to teach the “language of power” to those who did not grow up speaking it. Otherwise, as a teacher, I would not be adequately performing my job of teaching students about the tools they need in order to function in the working world.
posted by Josh @ 2:05 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
Preparing students to enter into a larger world seems very important to me. Do you view your (future) position as an educator as a kind of obligation to the students to prepare them for that particular culture of power so that they can interact with it, or do you see learning the language of power more as an option which students should have the choice to decline, given a desire NOT to engage in the system of power that is in place already. Is it even possible to live in the world and not interact with those forces? As an educator, is it most important to you to give them the opportunity to learn Standard English or to give them the opportunity to choose to learn it? :)
I agree that students should develop the tools needed for the "real world." I disagree with the idea that education should be focused solely on job skills. Some of the gems of my education will serve no monetary purpose.
I agree that students should be taught the “language of power” in school so they may be more successful when looking for jobs and working. I’m curious as to how you would teach the “language of power.” Would you use skills, process, a combination, or another method? Would the method you use depend upon the background of the students in your class? Would you also address the students’ own dialect or focus solely on the “language of power?” You mentioned other methods/conflicting ideas of teaching English. How were they different from what Delpit mentioned, and what made you agree with Delpit?
I totally agree that learning the "language of power" is a necessity when living in this society. It is also true that finding a job is crucial to survivial and success. I think that some children may not realize the value of this language and therefore do not think that it should be optional. It puts children at a disadvantage in many ways to be illiterate in the "language of power".
The language of Power does need to be taught in the classroom, and it is a neccessary item to know when living in society. Language is power and if you understand that power and understand the concepts then your changes of "making it" and succeeding are greater.
I agree that the article is good for those entering the education field. I also think that if the changes the article would like to make are to take place, it would be a good idea to get other folks outside of education on board too.
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