Question 2

Acceptance of what? Are we talking about the acceptance of any standard of communication or an assumed acceptance of mainstream rules of communication? I have to admit having approached Delpit's article with bias. I approached it with the word 'Ebonics' ringing in my head, and the following firestorm of derision that quickly shot down the methodology. I read the article thinking this was Delpit's stance and found that it was not. I was gravely concerned, and still am, about the approach some teachers and American Educational subsytems take which amounts to throwing up their hands at any attempt to teach standard English.
Delpit describes the "language of power" in terms of oppression rather than universal clarity of communication, and I have a hard time with this. Oprah Winfrey talks about how the people she grew up with gave her a hard time for "speaking proper". I wonder how many hundreds of millions of dollars she'd be worth if she hadn't.

Acceptance is Unlikely

Teaching children acceptance isn’t difficult, it’s teaching the adults who most influence those children that’s the trick. Over time minorities have gained more widespread acceptance, however there are still people in positions of power who are unwilling to accept the differences that other cultures employ. The people who already hold positions of power have nothing to gain by learning acceptance, but the minorities living in conditions that aren’t optimal have great motivation to learn the language of power.
While it would be wonderful if all people were willing to accept one another’s differences, it’s unlikely that we will see such a day, however by following Lisa Delpit’s advice it’s possible that the differences will diminish.

Matthew Boase

Is acceptance enough?

Lisa Delpit would most likely argue that while teaching students acceptance of others is a noble goal, it is insufficient. The fact remains, the language of power exists, and is not likely to disappear; therefore, all students must learn the language if they expect to be productive, successful members of society who can fully realize the American dream. Delpit is right when she states, “pretending that gate keeping points don't exist is ensure that many students will not pass through them.” For the sake of clear communication and efficiency, or simply due to the nature of the technology, many industries and businesses have their own language of power that a person must know if he is to succeed in that field. Minority students must be taught how to access it. To do otherwise is a disservice to them and the nation as a whole.

Jamie Turf

Media — a powerful presence

I don't know if the language of power applies to media in exactly the same way Delpit intended it to apply to the education system. However, I do believe there is a presence of power to the media system. As I see it, the largest problem with power structure in the media are the people and communities we cover as well as the people employed by the system. I have worked at several small newspapers, which are usually staffed by middle-class white people and the community coverage is generally limited to the same demographic. I feel if you limit your media, one of the main venues for people to get community information, this way you cut off part of your community and further the idea of a dominant culture. The media, while not using passive instructions like Delpit’s examples, continues to proliferate the idea that there very few cross-sections and demographics in this country, which then transfers to other institutions like education. With so little awareness of the different cultures coming together in community schools, teachers can easily fall into the language of power.

DD Bixby

Awareness and Creativity in teaching #1

I am preparing for a career in education and the most important thing I will take with me from Delpit’s article is the awareness that all students do not learn the same. Not all students come from the same background and not all of them are going to understand the same things taught in the same way. If teachers and educators can find ways to equal out the criteria than all students will be able to have an equal opportunity to a better education. I really liked the example that Dr. Tolar Burton used talking about her daughter and the other girl in her class that had very limited vocabulary, with some different kinds of teaching strategies that student was able to catch up and keep up with her class members. one of the best parts about choosing a career in education is the option to be creative and help all different kinds of people end up in the same place.

Power in Language & Law (question 4)

Language can be used in the field of law to oppress the lower class. First, attorneys code some of their work in Latin, a language no one would know without a particular level of education. Additionally, in the field of law, certain words have very specific and exact meanings, and those meanings can be different from their common English usage, which acts to obstruct the full understanding and participation in the legal system by the underclass. Second, language is often used only to rationalize a decision a Judge has already made. For example, if a Judge has to decide between the interests of the Native Americans and those of the upper class, he may simply rule for the side that he already values, and use an argument presented to rationalize his decision. Of course, the problem is that jurists are the upper class, so they may tend to sympathize with members of their own kind. Finally, he who controls the rhetoric controls the argument. Media outlets are controlled by the upper class, so they can frame stories in a way that favors their interests. Often times, a fancy name can make a bad law unopposable. No one would oppose the concept of "no child left behind" so the law passes, but the reality may be that many children are left behind.

Welcome

Welcome to your Grammar Blog. Your assignment is to respond to one of the following questions related to Lisa Delpit’s “The Silenced Dialogue.” Aim for about 100-150 words, and post it to your team blog. Please follow the following guidelines:
1. Identify your entry with a title that suggests the content.
2. Sign your first and last name at the end.
3. Single space.

You may respond to other people’s posts through the comment feature. You may also read the blogs of the other groups by going to:
http://writingcommonsone.blogspot.com
http://writingcommonstwo.blogspot.com
etc. through http://writingcommonsseven.blogspot.com

You can add a comment to other blogs by using the comment feature. You can only post to your own blog.

Questions (choose one):
1. If you are preparing to teach, what are you taking away from Delpit’s article regarding language and power that might help you as a teacher, and how could you apply these ideas to your proposed level of teaching?

2. One student asked, “Why do we have to discuss teaching minority children the language of power? Why not just teach everyone acceptance?” Respond.

3. For one of Delpit’s specific proposals (refer to the article), discuss the challenges of implementation. How could these challenges be addressed?

4. If you are not planning to teach, how do issues of language and power apply in the field you plan to enter? Does Delpit offer relevant insight?