An Aspect of Assimilation in Schools

Something that I wish more researchers, educators, and scholars would study and write about is the socialization and assimilation process that students go through during their “education”. For all students, this is a very difficult time and process. Recently I have spent a bit of time reading and analyzing how many African-American students manage this [...]

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More of my story….

Literacy Autobiography
 
          One of the most shocking realizations that I have come to in the last year is that I have no recollection of ever being read to as a child by my parents or siblings. I imagine that I was likely read to here and there, but it was apparently so infrequent that I [...]

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Dissin’ “the Standard”: Ebonics as Guerrilla Warfare at Capital High

Something that I wish more researchers, educators, and scholars would study and write about is the socialization and assimilation process that students go through during their “education”. For all students, this is a very difficult time and process. Recently I’ve spent a bit of time reading and analyzing how African-American students manage this period of [...]

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Why Can’t We?

          For years I’ve heard people say, “you guys use the N word, why can’t we?”. This same theme happens with other people of color. For instance, Latinos don’t like it when people other than Latinos use terms that are traditionally derogatory towards them. Being that I work with middle and high school students, I [...]

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Do I see a hint of internalized oppression?

I’ve already provided my take on the concept or socially constructed idea of “Standard” English (in the post below this one), but I feel it very necessary to comment on the clear-cut statements Rachel L. Jones makes.  First of all, let me assert that Jones is a very capable communicator and she represents a group [...]

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Standard English? Whose standard?

          Over the past few years I’ve realized that I don’t support the notion of Standard English. I mean, I don’t like using the term; I think it’s an inaccurate term, especially for me as an African-American. A few years ago I did a cursory examination of when this idea became socially acceptible and it seemed to [...]

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Students of color acquiring dominate discourses

           
I can’t get away from the Lisa Delpit article I just read called, The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse. In this context, a discourse is considered an identity kit; in other words, ways of saying–writing–doing–valuing–believing. In this article Delpit contends:
 
          “Acquiring the ability to function in a dominant discourse need not mean that one reject one’s home [...]

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Ebonics, African-American English, or broken English/slang, what is it?

With respect to the African-American English controversy, many African-Americans and Whites see this dialect as an impediment to economic success in American society; some call it “broken English”; others claim that it is a language deficit to learning “standard” English; and others see it as slang or a form of African-American slave talk.
On the contrary, [...]

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