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Am I racist?
- Thread starter MakiSupaStar
- Start date
English is English, no matter what school or neighborhood it's spoke or taught in. Yes, there are dialects to a lot of languages, even English. However, there is only one English and, when it's taught correctly, it needs to be learned correctly. Dialects come later but the foundation must be laid first.
Well, yes, that's what we Brits say....
I agree, however, I speak in the dialect I'm raised in. Also, I know the difference between a bonnet and a hood.
I believe you did the right thing. I imagined myself in the same situation, and I would have done just the same. I'm studying to be an elementary (called primary here in NZ) teacher, and we get the whole "aks" thing here too. Someone pointed out that it is a sign of a lack of education, I think that's correct, but it doesn't pertain to any particular race. Over here I've heard it used particularly by Maori, but also Pakeha (white), Indian etc etc. All of them from lower socio-economic groups.
I don't believe slang is the "destruction" of the English language. You won't find "aks" in any academic writing. I also believe people can speak how they want in their own environment, it just requires the intelligence to know when you should speak a certain way. I don't talk the same way with my mates as I do when I'm talking to, for examples sake, a teacher. That being said, if one of my mates said "aks", it would grind my gears.
I don't believe slang is the "destruction" of the English language. You won't find "aks" in any academic writing. I also believe people can speak how they want in their own environment, it just requires the intelligence to know when you should speak a certain way. I don't talk the same way with my mates as I do when I'm talking to, for examples sake, a teacher. That being said, if one of my mates said "aks", it would grind my gears.
I really like that tread so far. I don't think you are a racist for that, but kids nowaday are fast to use that word when they are mad at someone.
But the part that I like about this tread is what is talked about the prononciation in english. I live in Quebec Canada and we are like ... the only one speaking French in our country. So we see that problem a lot, we deformed the language a lot and one day we may lost it. And since it is harder to learn than English more people talk English more and more often.
But the part that I like about this tread is what is talked about the prononciation in english. I live in Quebec Canada and we are like ... the only one speaking French in our country. So we see that problem a lot, we deformed the language a lot and one day we may lost it. And since it is harder to learn than English more people talk English more and more often.
But that's not the way it works. People learn to speak first at home, and if that's a dialect, it is their foundation.
There's no question that essentially teaching English as a second language in the classroom is another challenging layer from the teachers point of view, but, that's reality for a lot of people.
You could probably say the same for the girl referenced in the OP, right ?
Even if I didn't know Maki, I wouldn't consider that racist!
I think based on "out-of-school" language, sometimes students' dialects need to be recognized and treated as a second language...and not made fun of, but I'd still want to correct it.
I remember my dad making sure I said "ask" properly at a young age, and having other people say I "talk white." It's terrible that it's something teachers have to work against, but it's there. My dad would say the same thing to younger Black execs who wanted to succeed in the corporate world.
I think based on "out-of-school" language, sometimes students' dialects need to be recognized and treated as a second language...and not made fun of, but I'd still want to correct it.
I remember my dad making sure I said "ask" properly at a young age, and having other people say I "talk white." It's terrible that it's something teachers have to work against, but it's there. My dad would say the same thing to younger Black execs who wanted to succeed in the corporate world.
It may sound wrong, but I'm almost with the mother on this. Clearly, she could have communicated her thoughts with much more tact than she did but I agree with the core idea. Both of my parents speak pretty much "perfect" English. They're not grammar nazis or anything, but they value proper spoken communication and that's how they taught me and my brother. Now, I'm pretty much the same as my parents in that regard but my brother speaks in a completely different manner than any of us. He's got the whole "urban" thing going. None of us like it, but at this point we only hope that he decides to make a conscious effort to change it.
teleharmonium said:
You could but she still needs to be corrected if she's to learn actual American English, (not the Queens English.)
That's correction, not racism.
There is certainly more than one variation on English
You could but she still needs to be corrected if she's to learn actual American English, (not the Queens English.)
I certainly agree with that. Correcting someone's mispronunciation is hardly racist!
Not racist, Maki. And the poor grammar displayed by so many in this thread, particularly those who complain about it, is a nice bonus. The laziness as far as proofreading too.
N bomb and uneducated swine? Nah, that's not racist. Could she have used less tact? That's also a very important part of communication IMO.
Let's say the kid sees the light and then offers the same critique to a friend based on the fine example mom gave her...
You could but she still needs to be corrected if she's to learn actual American English, (not the Queens English.)
I agree with that... it goes back to saying she shouldn't use that term in that situation and explaining why, rather than rejecting it altogether as if it was coming from low intelligence or some sort of speech impediment. Once you understand the reason she uses that word, and the reality that dialects and informal speech are found in all races and walks of life, that leads you to approach the "correction" in a different way.
We tend to be nicer to people when we understand where they are coming from and that we ourselves are subject to the very same, sometimes pretty flexible and hard to define rules.
It makes perfect sense that a child would have a hard time coming to grips with the fact that one word can be right at home and another that means the same thing can be right a short distance away in school because of these invisible, vague, often subjective standards that even adults have problems with sometimes. Therefore, there is no need or good purpose to making her feel stupid in the course of doing the job of teaching this distinction.
I think we all know there is something kind of bogus about it, which is why we sometimes push back at those rules and expectations and kind of like it. It feels good to be socially or politically incorrect sometimes. Maybe it's even more important to assert your identity and your feelings than it is to conform to other peoples expectations... sometimes. Every adult I know will sometimes make a mistake in picking these battles.
We expect a hell of a lot from teachers. There is a gray area sometimes between teaching the material and being the agent of transferring society's (questionable) expectations and habits to the kids. If the teacher does this, it can be heavy handed. If they don't, the parents think the teacher isn't doing their job, because all they are seeing is the "problem" of having to do critical parenting tasks that they would rather the teacher handle.
Just as one example, we usually expect kids to be meek and deferential, and consider it a behavioral problem if they aren't. Largely because we like being in a superior position to somebody - anybody - and it's not that fun to be challenged all the time. Which I totally get... and yet, who is to say that meekness and acceptance of one's position in society are necessarily good things ? Sometimes - often - it's the rude jerks who won't take no for an answer that get ahead. One persons rude is anothers assertive self starter. What class has this in the curriculum ? Should teaching be about making things easier for the parents, or about preparing the kids for life ? Sometimes those goals are at odds with each other.
I have two daughters that are in the teaching profession and they get the same thing, from parents mostly, because they care enough to try to help give them the verbal and social skills that the parents either don't or won't. Remember, no good deed goes unpunished, but trying to help is not racist as far as I'm concerned and one day one of them may thank you for caring.
Well here's a follow up to this story. Not sure what kind of dialogue went down at home, but I can tell that someone was compelling the girl. She came up to me and apologized to me for calling me a racist. So something happened at home (which makes sense since there's a call home when a child is ejected from class). Still, I really have no concern about being called a racist, like I said, it happens to me quite a lot in my profession as 7th and 8th graders try out their arguing skills against me, but I have never been called one in this context before so it just gave me a little pause.
