Response to Delpit's Article Question 2
By teaching children the language of power, everyone ends up on an equal footing. The child's parents, family and friends cannot provide examples of times when the language of power did not help a person get a better paying job. However, if children are taught acceptance only, they will see plenty of times outside of class where acceptance is ignored. Those children see members of their own family be passed over for jobs because they don't know the "language of power." If children are taught both acceptance and the language of power, then there is a good chance of changing the way the "culture of power" works.
posted by Dianne @ 8:20 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Good point. My only worry concerning this line of thought is that it assumes that higher-paying jobs are naturally better and are to be desired over all else. The big question is whether it is worth giving up the cultures that are linked to "incorrect" English dialects for the sake of increasing income. It just depends on your priorities, I suppose.
Yes! I agree with you. Aaron also brings up a good point. However, faulty the system is, it is, nonetheless, the system which we are in. I think that the responsibility of retaining the native tongue or "incorrect" dialect is plit between the student and the teacher. The teacher, not to undermine the culture and traditions of the students, and the student to preserve that culture within her/himself if (s)he wishes to do so.
I absolutely agree! Teaching acceptance as well as the language of power is a vital tool for success that most will not possess. Often, people have the language of power but not the ability to accept, and vice versa. Keeping the teaching of the language associated with the "culture of power" and not ignoring the power of acceptance is a great combination!
Very interesting, I agree what Aaron says about a high-paying job being naturally better. I don't know that I think that is what Dianne ment. She only said a better paying job. I want to be able to not worry about $ so much. That means a better paying job than the one I have now.
It is true regarding the job issue and I also believe that it's the same for other various things. But by teaching everyone the language of power, will they all be able to get a better paying job? I feel that it is not easy to teach acceptance, in fact, there is no way to teach acceptance, people must learn it on their own
Here is the problem with our society: We want to increasingly shelter our children from anything that we think may affect them in a negative way, which is fine, but it prevents certain skills from being developed and an improvement in character. I recently heard about a new rule in a little league baseball system in the midwest where they have put a ban on any "chatter" from opposing teams, including "hey hey batter, swing batter". The league president said in an interview, "If you're saying, 'Swing, batter,' and this poor little kid is swinging at everything, he feels bad and maybe he turns to the catcher and gets mad. Honest to gosh, I didn't have any trouble doing this." Lets get real here. As we continue to shelter our kids when they are young and refuse to teach them real world sturggles, they will be at a horrible disadvantage when they realize what is happeneing outside of their protective bubble.
I agree that the language of power should be given to the masses. Acceptance is a big part of this process being sucessful.
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