Nah, We Straight (p. 60-73)
The second half of Nah, We Straight, begins with talking about Code Meshing. This is seen as students getting to keep their voice, and having a right to their own language. Students are able to keep their identity and use diverse dialects. For example, when someone from a country other than the US tries to speak in Standard English, their accent will come through and this is also true for when they write as well. When trying to get students to speak and write in Standard English, we are trying to separate the languages and hinder them from their own selves. Code meshing allow speakers and writers to fuse the standard with native speech habits.
This video explains the difference between code meshing and code switching.
The article goes on to explain that although code switching pushes for dialect speakers to learn standard English because it is necessary, even whites do not speak and write correct standard English. Even English professors don't always speak and write in the dominate standard. The idea of code switching is that a minority student will not be able to be in a high position of power in their career. For example, if they do not speak standard they won't have a chance at becoming an University President of Harvard or an English professor at an Ivy League school.
Questions:
1. Code switching is not an ideal practice for us as educators as we will have many students from different backgrounds and cultures, how can we be sure we are teaching English in a way that does not hinder them from losing part of their identity?
2. Have you ever experienced a time that you were code switching and were you called out for it?
3. What can we do to make sure that our students don't feel like they have to code switch and how can we keep their peers from making them feel like their English isn't the right English?
This video explains the difference between code meshing and code switching.
Code switching doesn't just affect different races, but it affects gender as well. The article explains that women also change how they speak. Hilary Clinton is used as an example of this because when she was running for President in 2008, she was criticized for not being feminine enough because of the lack of emotions she displayed during her concession speech.
The article goes on to explain that although code switching pushes for dialect speakers to learn standard English because it is necessary, even whites do not speak and write correct standard English. Even English professors don't always speak and write in the dominate standard. The idea of code switching is that a minority student will not be able to be in a high position of power in their career. For example, if they do not speak standard they won't have a chance at becoming an University President of Harvard or an English professor at an Ivy League school.
Questions:
1. Code switching is not an ideal practice for us as educators as we will have many students from different backgrounds and cultures, how can we be sure we are teaching English in a way that does not hinder them from losing part of their identity?
2. Have you ever experienced a time that you were code switching and were you called out for it?
3. What can we do to make sure that our students don't feel like they have to code switch and how can we keep their peers from making them feel like their English isn't the right English?
Andrea, I really liked the videos that you incorporated! I think question one is something we should all think about. With living in the United States speaking English is very important. I do know some parents who do not speak English at all and refuse to even try because they are afraid to start speaking Spanish more and slowly stop speaking Spanish, therefore losing a majority of their identity. I also have a friend whose older sister knows zero English because her parents will not allow her to learn it. Just because students are learning English doesn't mean we are taking away from their identity. I would like to think of it as we are adding to it. Possibly making some bilingual. I think that being able to teach English but also letting them express their own language as well can help feel more comfortable with learning it.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that her parents won’t let her learn English. Does she know just enough English to communicate? Do you know why they don’t want her to learn it?
DeleteMackenzee, I think it is very interesting that the parents will not let her learn English. I am curious if she knows enough to communicate or even learn if she is in school where English is the primary language that is being taught. I can see how they would be trying to protect their culture if that is the motive, but it seems to me that her life may be more difficult if she is not allowed to learn English. I like your idea that we are adding to their education by teaching English and we are not trying to take away from their culture or their linguistic knowledge.
DeleteResponding to your first question, I think as teachers we should allow students to speak in their dialect and/or accent in the classroom and be able to write in that way they speak. For example, students are able to write more if they don't have to think about how to convert the way they speak into "proper" English. Giving them time and space to do it the way they prefer and then going back to re-write it in the English that is being taught. I agree with Mackenzee's comment, language is a big component of the person's culture and teacher should celebrate different languages in the classroom instead of forcing students to only speak one language.
ReplyDeleteThe second question is interesting, as a Chicana, when I'm speaking to my parents and friends in Spanish, I use the more slang type of Spanish which is not "proper" and when I'm speaking to other people I don't know or teachers in Spanish, it is more formal and it's the same for English.
Do you knowingly switch to “proper” English or Spanish? Or is it something that you’ve done for so long you don’t realize you’re doing it?
DeleteJackie, the second question interested me as well. I understand where you coming from when you say use slang. I use much more slang terminology when I am with my friends and family, or in a more casual setting. However, when I am around people I am not familiar with, or a more professional setting I use as much proper English as I can. To address the question itself, I have never experienced a time where someone called me out for code switching. I have never directly made comments to someone about their language, but I am sure when I was younger I made comments to my friends or family about someones language not being English. I would often wonder "why" that was, not even knowing they came from complete different culture and experiences.
DeleteJackie I really like when you said that we should allow students to write the way they speak. I am actually working on my English minor and am in a class that is about finding your style and voice in writing. I never knew how hard it was for me to use my individual voice in writing until that class. I feel like it was hard for me because all through high school and college we are taught how to write grammatically correct and how to be descriptive, when all of those things are important, but so is keeping your originality in writing. Sometimes I feel like I am writing like a robot to fit what teachers want me to sound like, and that is something that I do not want students in my future classroom to feel like.
DeleteAndrea, I really liked the video you posted! It definitely explained the concept of code switching for me. I also agree with both Mackenzee and Jackie's comments above regarding your first question. As a future educator, we should not try to strip away our students' identities. Instead, we should opt to learn more about their dialect and culture, while still helping them become more comfortable with speaking English and expanding their linguistic skills. We should allow our students to feel comfortable expressing their own language and sharing more about their culture, while also helping them understand our language as well.
ReplyDeleteLearning more about their dialect is a great way to not strip their identities away. It is important not to make students our students feel like what they are saying and how they are speaking is wrong or incorrect because it can lead to them thinking that who they are as a person is incorrect.
DeleteAndrea, I found the video to be very helpful! To answer question 1, for me, I find it more important to teach English as a story. We can learn plot, theme, characterization, Point of View, and so on, but what I really mean by this is to incorporate all forms of media, self-portrayals, and diverse culture representations into our classroom to create "our story", like code meshing. By focusing on our literacy story, our literacy knowledge and skills do not have to be encompassed by grammar and proper/standard English. Educators are often too focused on teaching sentence structure, rather than voice. If we, as future educators, incorporate code meshing into our classroom, just imagine the stories we can write and tell. The grammar may be off, the sentence structure not quite perfect, and it may not be widely accepted, but it does build a bridge between cultures, as well as show literacy intelligence by meshing two different codes together. Our development of our voice, and in result, our story-telling/writing abilities, can be just as exceptional without the full use of standard English. I believe that educators can integrate code meshing into lessons, activities, and general classroom environment while still following state standards.
ReplyDeleteLynne, I agree if would begin "code meshing" more in a classroom the stories and experiences we would learn about one another would be fascinating. I also think students would have a much better understanding of one another and in the long-term could possibly make society more understanding and accepting of one another. I agree, that "code meshing" could be implemented into classrooms, because as teachers we are already expected to be able to teach to different learning styles. I code meshing and the different learning styles could go hand in hand.
DeleteYour post does a very good job of defining and explaining the importance of “code meshing.” I also really enjoyed the video, because it really allowed to me to have a better understanding of what it means to be a code mesher and a code switcher. I think it is very important for us future teachers to know the difference between “code meshing” and “code switching”, because we will be in the position where will be practicing one or the other. By having to promote one of them it will have huge implications on our students’ futures. We have to ask ourselves questions like: “Do I want to continue a trend of an oppressive practice?” “Do I want my students to keep a cultural competence?”
ReplyDeleteThe first question I will address that you pose is question “1.” I believe that most educators do not want to practice “code switching”, but I feel like it happens a lot because of the way the school systems are or they may not know any better. With all the standardized test and “proper” English pushed in schools, in many cases, one way may be seen as the only way. I think it is very important to make sure to present all kinds of different literacy to the class. It doesn’t have to be just books, we learned this semester that there are all kinds of literacy. For example, if was in a classroom that majority of the students are African American, I could have students analyze hip-hop. This would allow them to not lose their identities and this would allow for my students to engage with their critical consciousness. “Hip-hop literature provides a powerful way to teach skills and concepts in literature that students struggle with when studying canonical texts that are distance from most students generationally and distant from minority students culturally” (Kelly 2013, p.54) However, this is just one example of many to make sure a teacher isn’t practicing “code switching.”
The next question you pose that I will address is question “3”. I think it is very important as educators that we observe our students’ very closely so we can notice if students are “code switching” because of their peers. I think teachers need to realize that all students have right to their own language (Ashanti-Young, p. 61). By having diverse lesson plans and presenting critical texts and issues to the class, an unconscious bias could be trained, therefore there wouldn’t be as much oppressive actions by students in the classroom.
Your blog was great! For me, code switching was so normal to do. I grew up seeing my mom do it every time I had a parent teacher conference or when she picked up the phone and I could tell she was talking to a white person by the way she was speaking on the phone. Because of that, I thought i was the normal thing to do. Once I got older, I noticed I'd do it because how I normally spoke wasn't excepted at all, it is like I have to be a totally different persona to even be seen or excepted. When I'm in class, I do it subconsciously now and its like it's hard to try and speak how I usually do, as if my surroundings has taken my identity away and it told me I'm not allowed in here.
ReplyDeleteI tend to code switch with different age groups of people generally around family. One time I was playing with my siblings and had a certain way I was talking but then when I was talking to my parents a little later I was more serious. Some friends that were older asked why I was acting different. I had never noticed that I was switching it was just something that I had always done.
ReplyDelete