Blog 5: Standard English

Reading, Writing, and Rising Up Ch. 4, 7

Christensen discusses the same concepts regarding proper use of English grammar that Christenbury did in the last posting. Christensen writes, "It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized grammar was an indication of class and cultural background in the United States and that there is a bias against people who do not use language 'correctly'" (100). Because of this, schools that have a high population of ethnic students often struggle with teaching the "basic skills" needed for students to perform well on standardized tests. What educators don't often realize, though, is that students from a variety of cultures feel ashamed of their own voices. "Students must be taught to hold their own voices sacred, to ignore the teachers who have made them feel that what they've said is wrong or bad or stupid" (Christensen 101). Teachers have the unique job of not only teaching skills and writing strategies, but also making students realize the importance of their "inner voice" and how it can affect who they become as writers. Asking students to recount experiences and write about them in the voice they are familiar with is one way to encourage a sense of self with students, but another is to teach beyond the standardized test. Much of the time, administrators, and thus, teachers, are too focused on high-stakes testing. Christensen cautions, "Teaching the rules without reflection also underscores that it's OK for others - "authorities" - to dictate something as fundamental and as personal as the way they speak. Further, the study of Standard English without critique encourages students to believe that if they fail, it is because they are not smart enough or didn't work hard enough. They learn to blame themselves" (103). This puts many teachers in a tough position: teach for the test, or teach for the student. I think educators often find a common ground between the two.

Christensen advises that students should be given ample opportunity to write what they know, and that often involves their culture. "As we discuss language and culture, students write pieces about themselves, their homes, thir family saying, their language" (Christensen 106). This type of writing is important for personal growth and a sense of self through the writing that students complete. Christensen points out that she could ask students to write critical essays about novels, but offering opportunnity for students to write about social injustices they experience offers a more meaningful writing experience (112). It is with this writing that students may begin to understand themselves and turn their anger to action.

Image Grammar Ch. 1-4

This was my first introduction to Harry Noden and his grammatical strategies. I'm not sure how to summarize or reflect on his text since it's more of a users guide to grammar, but I'll try to highlight some points I enjoyed reading about. First, the basic brush strokes that Noden describes are really interesting concepts. The way he describes the various brush strokes make a lot of sense when it comes to adding details and "color" to a sentence.

Many of his teaching strategies are sound as well, which I'm sure comes from his experience in the classroom. The question that comes to mind for me is, how are these strategies best utilized within a given curriculum? I could spend an entire year working on details in writing, but I wouldn't accomplish much else. Noden gave numerous examples of literature that he uses as a jumping off point when his students are writing creatively, but I'd like to see how to best incorporate these strategies into what I teach.