Blog 4

This quote by Lisa Delpit, “[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity.  To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family,” mirrors an idea that will be very important to me throughout my education and into my career.  Delpit is trying to show that the way in which someone acts and speaks cannot be the sole factor in determining one’s abilities and strengths.  This behavior is highly reflective of someone’s family life and does not necessarily correlate to their potential in the classroom.  For example, just because a young boy whose mom is a doctor speaks more eloquently than a girl whose parents didn’t go to college does not mean that the young girl is any less intelligent than the boy.  Both students should be shown and treated with respect and be given the same opportunities to succeed in the classroom.  In other words, you can’t judge children on their background.  The background from which a child comes from does not portray how well they will do in school.  If the child feels that they are accepted just the way they are, then they will be willing to try and learn in school.  If the child is put down and constantly being corrected because they are not like everyone else, they may not be as willing to try and learn new things.  Children need to be accepted and feel like they belong in order to succeed in life.