Truth Tuesday: Three Ways to Speak English

On Tuesdays, I take 10 minutes for a mini-lesson on identity development and social justice with my high school students. We set a weekly goal and free-write about it for 5 minutes on Fridays.

Week 2: Three Ways to Speak English

This week, we watched this slam poem by Jamila Lyiscott:

My students were entranced by her performance for the same reasons I am every time I watch it (and, I'm guessing for the same reasons you are if you've also seen it.) We briefly talked about the main point of the poem and why she might have wanted to write it, and I then asked them why code switching is a strength. My students said that code-switching helps them make more connections with people, and allows them to be successful in different environments. I asked them why Lyiscott brought up her hair when the poem is about the ways in which she speaks, and they said that sometimes when you feel judged for one thing other things spill over into your mind. One student said that the ways he feels judged end up being connected in his mind because the common thread is the feeling of being misunderstood, so even if a person is judging him for something, it's almost automatic that he feels like he's also being judged for things like the way he speaks, dresses, his race, etc.

Then, we set our goals for Friday:

While reading their responses on Friday, an unexpected trend popped up--my expectation was that students would reflect on whether they are treated differently when they speak in slang than when they speak formally, but many of my students talked about how they feel like their accents make people underestimate how intelligent they are. This was most apparent in the letters from my ELD students, who are all immigrants and have lived in the US for less than a year. Here are some of their responses:

And many of my students also pointed out that it's hard for them to separate feeling judged because of the way they speak from other factors, here's a response explaining that feeling:

As for me, I told my students about a time when I was with my friends in India when we were in college. We were making jokes and being silly while waiting in line for a palm reading at a festival. When I sat down, the palm reader said things that you could easily infer by watching me interact with my friends (that I'm jovial and enjoy being around others) and said that I tend to be immature and don't take criticism well. I said, "okay, thanks!" so that my friend Bianca could have a turn. I was surprised when the palm reader stammered and said "okay? uh.. that's it?" perhaps because she was expecting me to feel hurt or defensive because of what she said. This situation ultimately didn't impact me (this person had no control over my life or opportunities) but it provided a moment of reflection on when and how others' perceptions of me don't align with my perceptions of myself.