Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Students Who Teach Us
This chapter was really eye opening. I know throughout my studies I have read instances where people in some black communities have a disadvantage when it comes to computers and literacy. After reading the story about David I was able to connect the problem. I often think about how can we help people like him. How can we make it so that he can survive in college. He seemed to be very gifted when it came to computers, but when the academia part of english hit he was at a lost. It's unfortunate he had to get kicked out because of that. It seems like there should have been someone to step in and help him in the language he was comfortable with. It's the same with black english. Many students in lower income black communities lack english skills in the academic world. How do we bridge the gap? How can these students learn to cross over and be successful outside of their world. It's very frustrating for me to read and hear about. I know people like this and they think they aren't smart enough to go to college when I know they are.
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6 comments:
I was wondering why the author - considering her use of some visual changes in her standard text - did not make David's "voice" a larger, bolder font. The typeface of her voice was larger than his. It bugs me.
That aside, what is your opinion of Standard English? Does it have a place or function? How can it be compromised with?
Maybe we should rephrase the question "does standard English have a place or function?" - because certainly it does - standardization is one (and this might take both benign and more problematic forms) - maybe a form of the questions are "Why does standard english have place?" or "How does standard english function?"
I tend to think that the constant state/threat of the compromise is that standard english isn't stable, but arbitrary.
I guess, Jason, my question was more directed personally towards Robyn - in terms of allowing her to answer whether or not it has a place "for her" or a function "for her" - rephrasing my question the way you do, continues the assumption that it is "Standard" when, it seems, that the move is to get beyond that thinking. I hope that clarifies my intent in terms of asking it in a way that seems to ignore it's existence as "standard."
The term "standardized English" really upsets me. The term itself implies that everyone else that does not speak like the dominate culture, which is White, is wrong. I struggled with this concept throughout school. Teachers would say, "that is not proper English" or would even ostracize me in front of the class if I pronounced a word incorrectly or used the wrong verb-form or tense.
People have to remember that culture plays a major role in academics. You know what, we should talk about this in class because I am not going to keep raving and ranting about this topic on the blog. This topic is an essay in itself for me.
Actually, I don't really think that Standardized English automatically denotes "White" as Whites have to learn how to use it - never are they born knowing how to use it. Further, I fail to see how "White" remains the dominant culture - especially in California. Times are definitely changing and it seems we are all quite fortunate to occupy a diverse area. Finally, conceding to the idea that ANY ethnicity is "dominant" only gives a false sense of power to that ethnicity.
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