On Sep 2, 2006, at 3:44 PM, Johanna Rubba wrote:
If the children aren't Ebonics speakers, but come from other working-class or rural dialect-speaking areas, the situation is similar. Stigmatizing a child's natural speech is not only scientifically incorrect, it is obviously unfair and psychologically harmful.
I read the excerpt from "Code-Switching" and it is a wonderful insight.
Having completed all course-work for a Bachelor's in Education for elementary education recently (at the tender age of 53), I abandoned my starry-eyed vision of becoming a public school teacher. I had 3 wonderful reading teachers who helped me see that I am NOT an elementary school teacher! Too grumpy and opinionated. HOWEVER!, the other factor was the lack of creativity allowed teachers. Louisiana has adopted a state-wide curriculum that could be taught on television with an aide to keep order. EVER STINKING CLASS is practically scripted to the minute. I have no idea how teachers teach under those constraints. Equally, in my reading classes, there was no talk of grammar instruction to the children.
When I tell you all that children don't know what a noun is, how to use a comma, what a subject is, (as Stacy Bracher pointed out in his post:
I teach at Sylvan Learning Center, and the academic writing program is filled with high school students who cannot tell you where a comma goes in a compound sentence or how to make a verb agree with its subject. In fact, when asked to do this, I have heard many reply, "What is a subject?" Why are these students not learning this in school? I take into account the margin of students who have behavioral problems or learning disabilities, but I have also been told, "I've never heard of that," or "I haven't had grammar since elementary school." )
I'M NOT KIDDING!!!
Stacy, at least you're running into children who had some grammar.
Children need direct instruction. Using code-switching and anything else that is meaningful is so desperately needed. But the students studying to be teachers need to be taught this stuff so that they can squeeze it in to a jam-packed day. AND we need to have teachers that know how to speak standard english.
Sorry to be so frustrated. It seems hopeless.