We all seem to feel strongly about this issue, and it seems to me that
our biggest weapon is the truth about language, our biggest enemy
ignorance (and those who would harness it for political gain.)  We
should certainly take political action as the need arises and provide
support for others in that quest.  I'm also wondering how much
Knowledge about Language we should include in our Scope and Sequence
recommendations.  It seems to me that we need to add language about
nurturing, valuing, respecting, exploring language in all its forms. If
we believe we have home languages which are given lip service as "OK",
but need to be left at the door, I think we are giving very mixed
messages.  >
   If a child is given an assignment to write within dialect, doesn't that
bring the nature of the dialect (and its differences from SE and its
communicative power) to the forefront?
   I'm reminded of some of the things Peter Elbow was saying at our recent
4 C's conference.  People are afraid to "talk" their writing because it
seems to ask them to "write wrong," this despite the fact that reading
it out loud often solves many problems. His rule, and one I use for my
own writing, is that he won't write (as final) something he couldn't
say. It took us a long time to build a place for freewriting in the
curriculum because people have the idea that allowing this kind of
"error" would be wrong, even though it is and was presented as an
exercise or a way to find a few things that might help in the overall
project. When I oversee teachers in my own program, I have to work hard
sometimesw to keep them from 'correcting' journals. I think some of the
same sort of psychology might be at work with informal writing.
   Writing within dialect (for a first person narrator, perhaps, or for
speech within fiction, poetry, plays)is an enormous tool for language
awareness, and I have always found it a wonderful way to engage a
class, who may know more than I do about what sounds right and what
doesn't.
   When we study poetry, I always present dual language poems in Spanish
and English, ask my Spanish speaking students to volunteer to read the
Spanish version, ask someone to read the English, and then ask about
the translation. Sometimes I have to find a word or two in the left and
right versions and ask if they are equivalent. I have always told
myself I was inviting students further into the classroom, but I think
I accomplish more than that by appreciating their expertise. You can
ask the same kind of question about Black dialect.  After a Langston
Hughes poem: has the dialect changed much since the poem was written? 
Would you say it that way today?
   I know we have been spending much energy on the right name for this
public language. (One of the difficulties of trying to work toward
consensus.) But I think what might suprise people the most about our
project will be its emphasis on grammar as rhetorical tool and our
appreciation for the power of language in all its forms (as resouorce.)
The other major principal, I think, would be that knowledge is more
important than behavior. If we deepen and widen what people know, then
they can manage their way through a complex world. They may also be
more respectful and appreciative of others.
   We should definitely add language awareness to our scope and sequence.
I'm not sure exactly how.

Craig

 Stahlke, Herbert F.W. wrote:
>
>>If this is to be more than a political gesture, it
>>seems to me that there will have to be some pressure on the White House
>>and on Congress to fund what Bush is trying to formulate as a
>>requirement.
>>
> And what about America's native Spanish speaking community, six hundred
> years old and something like 80 million strong? Are they now also
> suppose to "integrate" and learn English like real Americans?
>
> I'd be cautious about this kind of thing.
>
> If people find that they want and need it, then that's fine, but being
> told that you should do this or that because if you don't you'll be
> regarded as a threat by the Alpha group, well, count me out.
>
> Omar
>
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