A few days ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about how many people make themselves sound kind of ignorant and, for lack of a better word, stupid when they speak. It's one thing if you're with a group of friends, not necessarily peers, and talk one way, but once you are in a professional setting--like college--a person is expected to present themselves better. Its very sad that people who I know got good educations in high school cannot express themselves with proper English. I actually had an English class here in which a student described one of the characters as "mad crazy", after he called her a "chick". I was absolutely appalled. Who were this students teachers in the past??
I am now realizing that this is where we come in. No matter what subject we teach, whether it be English, Social Studies, Spanish, Math, or Science, even Music or Art, it is necessary that we hold students to a higher level of communication. I'm not saying that every lesson has to be an English lesson of how to speak properly, but if they know the correct times of when to use proper grammar, they will be better off in the future. If they become too comfortable with using their every day language around peers, this will continue through college, and their future jobs. So no matter what we teach, we have to place some kind of emphasis on speaking properly, with correct grammar and speech, so that students are better prepared for the future. It all comes with the package, I guess.
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4 comments:
I totally agree with you, I'm constantly trying to figure out what people say when they talk inside a class because sometimes they use slang, or they just talk like they are on the streets which gets me annoyed but anyway it's funny you wrote about this because I've been thinking about it..
I absolutely agree. When I hear people using slang and talking as though they are on the street, it not only irritates me that they can't just speak proper English, but it also makes the person look as though they are uneducated even though they are.
As a teacher, you will have the chance to model good speaking techniques. You hope students pick up on this. If not, you may need to speak to them directly and help with this task. Some students just do not realize what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. They may hear this talk at home and not realize it is inappropriate.
Nice post, Jackie.
I agree Jackie! I hate sitting in class trying to figure out what another student is talking about because they are talking in slang. It's ok to talk like that with friends, but when your in school and especially talking to teachers you should try to use better English.
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