[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family. (p.33)
After doing the reading and discussing this quote in class, my mind was opened up to the differences of language in not only students, but people around the world. I think that Lisa is very right when she says that the linguistic form a student brings is connected with their community and personal identity. Just because someone speaks differently then you does not mean that they are any less intelligent than you. I also believe, that if someone speaks linguistically different, that that is a part of them. They grew up speaking in a certain way, therefore it is their identity and no one should try to change another person's identity. Lisa was also correct when saying that by telling a student that the way they speak is wrong is suggesting that there is something wrong with themselves, their family, their neighbors, friends, and etc. That can take away so much of who a student is by making them think that they are stupid and so are the people that are most important to them. I think that in a classroom, it is important to be knowledgeable about this issue. Knowing this, as a teacher, you can risk the respect that a student or even parent feels for you. If a student is speaking differently then other students, but is still learning and comprehending the material, is it really necessary to try and change the way that they speak?
No comments:
Post a Comment