Now that I am teaching English, I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about different methods of teaching the English language.  At Toccoa I was exposed to some of the controversies of teaching “Standard English” in the classroom, especially in light of the growing numbers of minority students in America who bring with them their own English dialects, many of whom are learning English as a second language.

On one end of the controversy are those educators who believe that  it is not only essential for students to learn “proper” English, but that bringing other dialects of English into the classroom paves the way for creating a less precise language.  They hold the belief that, if we do not correct the often improper components of these English dialects, they will, in time, creep into the common tongue and our language will become increasingly ambiguous.

On the other end of the controversy there are those who suggest that minority speakers have the right to their own sub-language, or community language.  Extreme proponants of this view espouse that to teach “Standard English” is elitist, perhaps even a form of linguistic imperialism.  Furthermore, isn’t the teaching of one form of English, the English of middle-and-upper-class-power-holding-white-America, a seeming contradiction to the values of a nation that allegedly stands for freedom of expression and has no official national language?

The controversy is highly politicized and heated.  Proponents of one view are labeled imperialists, elitists, even white supremacists promoting the white male agenda.  Those who hold the opposite position are said to be too concerned with political correctness at the expense of linguistic integrity, and as enabling minority groups dis-empowerment.

So I was reading about all this when I came across another approach to teaching standard English: Code-switching.  I’m not sure who coined the term, but I first read about it in Elijah Anderson’s Code of the Street.  Anderson describes certain urban dwellers as having a profound ability to switch their language, culture, and demeanor depending on their particular setting.  It seems that there are some who are attempting to apply this concept to the English teaching classroom.  Instead of teaching “Standard English” as right and “Community English” as wrong, teachers are suggesting that one type of English is, perhaps, more appropriate for a given situation.  Community English is more appropriate for home and community, but there is a time and a place for Standard English as well.  In an attempt to affirm Community English, teachers are attempting to instruct students on how to translate between Standard and Community English, as well as to determine which situations one may be more appropriate than another.

It seems to me that this approach could be a viable third way. Not only does it protect Standard English, but it also protects the dignity and culture of local communities while teaching students another valuable skill: the ability to navigate in a variety of settings.  In an increasingly diverse world, the ability to navigate in varied settings seems to be vital to me.  I’d be thrilled to hear some other thoughts on this whole thing, I know there are plenty of people out there with opinions.