Watch Your Language: Teaching Standard Usage to Resistant and Reluctant Learners

     The personal essay "Watch Your Language: Teaching Standard Usage to Resistant and Reluctant Learners", by Mark Larson, (1996), suggest that there is an alternative way to teach standard English so that students are more receptive to the lessons being taught.  Larson develops this by first giving an account of his experiences as a student in a remedial English class while in high school, and how it impacted him, he then transitions into his experiences as a teacher at the same school and how his style of teaching changed to meet the needs of the student.  His methods encourage students to write their truth, but also recognize that errors can jeopardize their intention, and he also wants them to be able to function in the real world.  This is a great essay for teachers and students alike, for teachers it provides a different perspective that can assist them in their efforts to connect with students; for students, it gives understanding to knowing what you bring to the table has value, but you need to be able to communicate outside of your community.

     This thought provoking essay cause me to reflect back to my junior high school days when I was placed in a remedial reading class.  I ended up in there due to the fact I did not like reading aloud and the teacher assumed it was due to poor reading ability.  Often times, too much emphasis is placed on the method of standardized teaching and not the student.  These methods are often employed without any thought to the issues students are dealing with at the time.  Larson gives the impression of a teacher who has a passion for not only teaching the lesson, but also assuring that the student is aware of their own value and that they have a voice.  He stresses the importance of being an "effective" writer, making informed choices about which language code is best suited for whatever particular audience they may be speaking to. 

     Larson's essay challenges us to rethink the conventional ways standard English is taught in the classroom.  Just teaching the rules and regulations without allowing for the different variations of application and implementation of said rules can and does at times put students on the defensive.  Larson suggests that we should "support the language each student brings to school", (93), according to Larson, each student is a expert of his own language code.  He takes the focus off the prescriptive rules of grammar and places it on the descriptive rules of what people actually say.  He recognizes the importance of the prescriptive rules so that the students have the necessary tools to properly analyze their work, but to also appreciate and explore the many differences in writing and observe the effectiveness of it.

   

A Visit to the Library

        Richard Wright's personal essay, "A Visit to the Library", (1945), chronicles a period in his life when reading opened up a whole new world to him, and gave him a new perspective as to how he would proceed with his life.  He develops this assertion by recounting the story of how he used a white coworkers library card to gain access to books, the new found knowledge gained from his reading changes him in ways he did not know was possible.  The revelation he obtains gives him purpose to move beyond the constricted parameters that the society of the times had dictated for his life.  Considering the time it was written, this piece could be a clarion call to other blacks to understand that your existence does not have to be limited by what others think of you.

     We found this essay to be very compelling, in that it resonated on a personal level, being an African American.  To think there existed a time when the act of reading a book could be viewed as threatening, when we think about it today, segregation seems so far off.  The author's story of determination and perseverance is inspiring.  I think we take so much for granted these days, these types of essays are reminders of the sacrifices that have been made by others to ensure that I and my children's children are able to enjoy all the privileges of being an American citizen.

     Richard Wright's essay gives us a peak at what life was life for the average black citizen in the 1940's.  He describes the inequities that played out in everyday life that when you read it today you wonder how people could have tolerated such treatment.  He points out how he gained new insight with each book, and how it caused him to look at people differently, " My first serious novel was Sinclair Lewis's Main Street.  It made me see my boss, Mr. Gerald, and identify him as an American type."(132)  It also change the way he looked at himself, "My reading had created a vast sense of distance between me and the world in which I lived and tried to make a living, and that sense of distance was increasing each day."(133)  He understands that knowledge is power, and chooses to live life on his own terms outside of the confines of his surroundings.