The great language disparity

 As I grade my one-millionth SOAPSTone analysis of Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech, I am struck by my student's inability to read and analyze Dr. King's language. Even my advanced students. The sentence structure, length and use of figurative language makes this speech very difficult for students to read. 

I have also noticed this with standardized test passages which tend to be older stories that are available through public domain. Stories written in the late 19th and early 20th century. And students struggle.

And, of course, I have to ponder why.

I have long felt like culture has impacted students' vocabulary; their incessant obsession with Youtube and social media platforms has them with far less exposure to varied words than the children of the 20th century had access to.  I see now that it is more than that. They are disconnected from the language in general. They have virtually no concept of the use of language- how it is the way that we express ourselves and complex ideas-but rather they see it is simply as a thing that they do. They see it this way because there is no intentionality in their use of language, so they don't see intent in anyone else's use of language. They then become farther and farther removed from it.

My students work hard and I can see how it strains them to just not understand the words around them. New words that they've never seen or heard before. They feel lost oftentimes, as if they are in a foreign language class. And in front of them I stand, frustrated about the disparity that this system has caused. While legislation and politicians sought to close the "achievement" gap, they've effectively created a language gap between adults and children that affects everyone regardless of socioeconomic or ethnic background. 

How can parents help? 

My current students are middle class, in the least, and upper middle class at most. They are the children of doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, and business owners. Can their parents close this gap by talking to them more and in adult language? 

When I scroll my social media, I see person and after person adopting the newest 'net lingo- which is often some version of an AAVE phrase or saying- working tirelessly to become integrated into our new digital society. Where has our complex language gone? Are the adults leaving this language at work, and reducing their own children's exposure to it?

I fear that we, as parents, dropped the ball when we let Youtube and social media become our children's first line of entertainment. If our children are not watching shows and movies with plots and complex words, where can they learn it? And knowing that the educational system has absolutely fumbled the ball in teaching children new vocabulary and exposing them to varied writing styles (and structures), what do we do to fix it? 

Teachers and the need to entertain students

     A new part of my experience as a teacher in North Dallas is the culture that students bring to the school. In New Orleans, I never had students visit with me and talk informally with me at lunch or after school and say, "why isn't class like this?". They fully understood that class time was meant for their learning and that casual conversations had no place during that time. But here, lately, I have had several students make this comment. It seems endearing on the surface, but in reality, it is incredibly frustrating. What is really reveals is that students expect entertainment and engagement in a social way during their school day-and the reason they do is because that is what many teachers are giving them. 

    One of the greatest things about this profession is interacting with young people. My students make me laugh, warm and break my heart, teach me things and I teach them more than the content. But this all happens outside of our scheduled time together. My relationships with students are key to me being able to teach them and I can do that without crossing the lines of appropriate student/teacher interactions, such as not revealing too much about my personal life, or not letting them commandeer class for their own anecdotes. In fact, I just got a Facebook message from a person who I taught 7 years ago, before I was even particularly decent at this job, all because of the relationships that I built in those other hours of the day.

    But here, those relationships hinge upon the students feeling like their need for attention is being met by any and all adults at any and all times of the day. I must add that I do a lot of non-academic talking in class, even in these short 55 minute classes. We have some time where I tell anecdotes and I occasionally let them do the same (mostly because they have come with this expectation and I am compromising). Those expectations are being echoed by students that I don't even teach. Students truly come into classes expecting to socialize with their peers in the very least, and getting work done when they feel like it. Part of this has to do with the low quality of work they have been given over the years. When teachers hand out packets that they check for completion, the kids learn that they just need to turn in a finished assignment and they can do that thoughtlessly while at home watching snaps on Snapchat. Some teachers do provide students with meaningful work, but the classroom culture is still the same. Students talk and socialize and use their phones all period, to only then spend their hours at home making up the work. Students have told me that they have been up well past midnight finishing work. I find that absurd, but it is the autonomous choice that they are making. 

    It was maybe three years ago when this concept of "doing the work at home" was brought to me by a student. He told me that he has nothing to do at home. He's alone and bored so he'd rather do his work. But in class, he has 25+ classmates to interact with. It makes complete sense, and I respect it, but as their teacher, I can't support it. But none of those students at the time ever asked or complained for anything other than the teaching and learning that I gave them. These students now are complaining about it constantly. One student said to me, during tutoring this week, that he hasn't learned anything in my class. I retorted with the fact that he watches football reels and does other work while I'm teaching. Deep down, it infuriates me. But in real life, I must swallow it down because this is the mentality that most students have here. 

    Even on a good day, it feels impossible to feel successful in this environment. I want the students to leave my class knowing that they learned something, but for them, they leave my class miserable because I don't give them the free time that they want. And I wonder if their parents even realize that this is what's happening in these schools.