‘It’s just how we articulate the Blackness in us’: African American teachers, Black students, and African American Language

Linguistic Variation and Linguistic Inclusion in the US Educational Context

“…Moreover, many educators who use non-standardized varieties of English themselves have faced linguistic prejudice, which affects their own educational beliefs and practices. This phenomenon has been found in numerous studies in English language contexts, including with African American teachers (Greene, 2021), Afro-Caribbean educators in the U.S. (Smith 2018, British teacher trainees (Barrata 2017), and Southern U.S. pre-service educators (Bissonnette et al 2016). Additionally, as will be discussed further in Section 3, educators' attitudes toward language variation improve significantly with linguistic training and instruction, providing opportunities for advancing inclusion and equity (LaFond & Dogancay-Aktuna 2014, Mallinson et al 2011, Strickling 2012.…”

“…It is also the case that educators of color are not necessarily more linguistically attuned than white educators, and they are not immune from linguistic misunderstanding and bias (see, e.g., Edwards 2010. Such situations are also deeply culturally complex, as demonstrated by Greene's (2021) Educators themselves have identified a critical need for more information about linguistic variation. Newkirk-Turner et al (2013) found that pre-service teachers wanted more strategies to address the linguistic needs of students who use African American English, and Gupta (2010) and Diehm & Hendricks (2021) found similar needs among in-service elementary and middle grades teachers.…”

“Y’all Don’t Hear Me Though”: Insight on Culturally Responsive Teaching from Scholarship on African American Language

“…Dominant language ideology likewise influences teachers who identify as AAL speakers, albeit in a different way. Greene [22] reflects on personal experiences as a Black teacher in majority Black public schools using AAL in interactions with students but maintaining DAE as the standard for academic use, explaining, "I loved a language and the people who spoke it, but my teaching practices showed the prioritization of another" (p. 2). Greene's description of interacting with students in AAL to foster connection and build trust and comfort reflects what Foster et al [1] classify as the realm of style, and Black teachers' successfully employing styles that involve welcoming elements of AAL are likewise well established in scholarship on culturally responsive teaching.…”

“…However, as Greene reflects, the distinction between the use and enjoyment of AAL and the dominant or standard English that determined classroom expectations can produce tension. Greene [22] notes, "I encouraged children to learn under circumstances where I suppressed their most natural form of expression, while I continued to use the very language I discouraged" (p. 3). This tension serves as additional support for asset-affirming practices built around texts that feature or explore those assets.…”

“…Whether or not educators welcome and leverage it for learning, AAL is present in U.S. classrooms because AAL speakers bring it from their homes and communities. As Greene [22] describes it, despite attempts to silence AAL in schools, student speakers continued to bring it with them: "Their self-expression rang through the hallways louder than any school bell" (p. 1). Thus, scholarship that features spoken examples of AAL as or within "texts", simultaneously highlights the language and affirms its merit as discourse worthy of study.…”