Wrong in Words

One of the chapters from Lisa Delpit's book Other People's Children this week was entitled "The Silenced Dialogue." Throughout the chapter, Delpit talks about the "culture of power" and different ways in which power is controlled and exhibited in the classroom. She states that the white, middle-class Americans are in power in the public school system, and how consequently, many children do not fit the mold. These children are typically overlooked by teachers and seen as "slow" or "not possessing the appropriate skills to succeed." We start to teach them simply what they need to survive in "their" world instead of teaching them how to thrive anywhere they go.

Throughout this course of reading, I found myself asking a lot of questions. When Delpit was talking about the differing styles in teaching between African American teachers and white teachers, I realized how much I fit into this mold. White teachers always present their commands as a question, such as "Is it time to play yet?" or "Would you like to take your test now?", whereas black teachers state commands more authoritatively, with terms such as "It's not time to play yet, sit down." and "Get out your pencils, it is time to take a test." I remembered just a while ago having African American teachers who displayed this authoritarian view. They were wildly misunderstood by their all white classes. While the book talked a lot about how African American students expect authorities to be authoritative to earn respect, and that is why they simply do not listen to soft-spoken and "kind" teachers, I was thinking about the opposite effects as well. White students grew up in a culture where they learned the authoritative meaning behind "kind" questions. When a teacher asks you if it is time, you know what they are talking about and respond quickly. Additionally, white students have difficulty relating well to authoritative commands and harsh words, or "meanness" as Delpit called it.

So my questions are: How can we bridge the gap between these two styles of questioning? I understand that Delpit said a lot about how differing cultures should be used to help education thrive, but I wonder how you can all of this without favoring one side or another, or any of the cultures represented. What does this look like in foreign cultures? Additionally, I loved all of the personal experiences and stories she shared about language and how to teach children so that they use their inherent skills and passions and then altering it to fit the classroom. Yet, I wonder how this sort of teaching language and its differences would fit into state and educational standards?