Please Don't Silently Correct People's Grammar
While I was working as an AVID tutor, I noticed a mug sitting on display on the classroom teacher’s desk. The mug said, in elegant font, “I’m silently correcting your grammar.” I remember seeing that and feeling angry that this slogan even exists and surprised that the teacher was so proud of her attitude toward non-”standard” grammar. I felt that being judgemental toward people who speak differently than one’s self is something to be ashamed of - something that reminds one of elitism, racism, classism, etc. Instead, the teacher probably found the slogan as hilarious as it was relatable.
As an ELA teacher, why would she want her students to be reminded that they should be humiliated to open their mouths unless their sentences conform perfectly to a particular form of English? Why would she set this mug on her desk to remind students that if they speak to or share their writing with her, their efforts and vulnerability will be met with silent judgement and condescension?
The Crovitz article explains that “Standard English is not right, good, or proper—it is just a variation of English with a lot of social capital” (3). Naturally, people who speak “standard” English fluently, especially those for whom it is their mother tongue, will be invested in maintaining its social superiority. This goal necessitates that other variations of English are consistently devalued.
Since I will be an English teacher, I will be actively contributing to the system that upholds this hierarchy, but I do not have to do it blindly. I intend to have honest conversations with my students about variations in the English language, breaking down the reasons why it is useful to master “standard” English as well as the reasons why it should not be raised up as the best, only correct form of English.
This is easier said than done, but there is a movement of people critiquing the ways America treats variations of American English, and so there are plenty of resources I can rely on for conveying this message to my future students. Regardless of the age group I work with I believe that it is an important conversation to have, because youth are not fools. They are picking up on the ways our society operates and the ways their languages are praised, appropriated, criticized, or dismissed, they simply may not have the words they need to articulate those observations.
Photo credit: https://sipanddazzle.com/products/im-silently-correcting-your-grammar-mug
As an ELA teacher, why would she want her students to be reminded that they should be humiliated to open their mouths unless their sentences conform perfectly to a particular form of English? Why would she set this mug on her desk to remind students that if they speak to or share their writing with her, their efforts and vulnerability will be met with silent judgement and condescension?
The Crovitz article explains that “Standard English is not right, good, or proper—it is just a variation of English with a lot of social capital” (3). Naturally, people who speak “standard” English fluently, especially those for whom it is their mother tongue, will be invested in maintaining its social superiority. This goal necessitates that other variations of English are consistently devalued.
Since I will be an English teacher, I will be actively contributing to the system that upholds this hierarchy, but I do not have to do it blindly. I intend to have honest conversations with my students about variations in the English language, breaking down the reasons why it is useful to master “standard” English as well as the reasons why it should not be raised up as the best, only correct form of English.
This is easier said than done, but there is a movement of people critiquing the ways America treats variations of American English, and so there are plenty of resources I can rely on for conveying this message to my future students. Regardless of the age group I work with I believe that it is an important conversation to have, because youth are not fools. They are picking up on the ways our society operates and the ways their languages are praised, appropriated, criticized, or dismissed, they simply may not have the words they need to articulate those observations.
Photo credit: https://sipanddazzle.com/products/im-silently-correcting-your-grammar-mug
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