Garrard McClendon, professor of Education at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Indiana, wrote “Ax or Ask? The African-American Guide to Better English,” to “teach African Americans how to speak mainstream American English in order to avoid employment and educational discrimination and exclusion due to dialect.” His site www.blackenglish.com deserves every view it gets.
The book’s description:
This book is a must for teachers and parents of African American students. Used as a text and reference book in 9 school systems, the book explores how Blacks can improve their speaking and writing skills, avoiding educational and occupational exclusion. Why do many Blacks say “finna, skrimps, ax, skrate, and fixin’ to”? Why don’t teachers correct Black English in primary classrooms? Why do African Americans have the lowest standardized test scores? The African American Guide to Better English increases awareness, improves student achievement, and provides advocacy for those wanting to speak mainstream English.
It’s a common sense approach to communicative English that works professionally and socially. In the video below, he says that, “… people are losing out on opportunities every day because of the way they speak. I gotta do this.” Those opportunities include everything from great jobs to second dates.
Why does McClendon have to do this? Because no one else has. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the testimony from the kids near the end of the video. They’re willing and excited to learn how to represent themselves well - it’s just that no one has shown them how to do it before. They’ll need these skills for rare, high-stakes occasions like job interviews, professional lunches, etc, but the important part are the skills that reflect everyday, every minute professionalism. They’ll be happier and more productive people.
McClendon recognized a problem, created a solution and is working his tail off to implement it - that’s how we make positive, meaningful changes in education. Check out the video:
Sure, he’s taking some heat [as Dr. Cosby has, too] for the dose of benevolent realism that he’s injected into the classroom. But wouldn’t you want his energy, attitude and expertise in front of your kids?
UPDATE at 6/14/07, 8.16pm:
For some good reading, check out Black English: Pro or Con? on Garrard’s blog - great discussion.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Miss Profe 06.21.07 at 9:52 am
Matt, was there a particular point to your profiling and touting this book? Just who are you targeting by doing so?
Give African Americans some credit. The majority of us who are educated speak well. We have to. We know better. And we don’t need the likes of Bill Cosby or Garrard McClendon to tell us that.
What you don’t say is that there is an overwhelming and all-pervasive deterioration of the use of grammatically correct English universally in the United States, and I often hear the worst use of grammar from my White students and colleagues. Why not speak about that?
Matthew 06.21.07 at 1:05 pm
I profiled and touted this book because McClendon is an excellent educator who is doing great work and has a book that allows us to see that work in action. I wish I knew him personally.
I didn’t go into the general, nationwide deterioration of English because that isn’t what his book is about. His book is about English as it relates to a specific demographic.
Matthew 06.25.07 at 6:20 pm
I think I just heard crickets chirp in this thread. And no, that isn’t surprising.
Bruce 07.12.07 at 7:44 am
Honestly, some people will complain about anything just to complain. This is a positive move. I grew up in North Philadelphia and could have actually spoken this way. Instead, I went to school and learned to speak correctly. People are afraid to correct the English slang because, frankly, it will be perceived as racist. When a black man does something positive and teaches English with honesty and truth, you attack him. You should applaud him! Only a black man could do this because if any other race tried to do this, the ACLU and/or the NAACP would be there to condemn them for something that is truly in their favor. This man is giving the equal education that you are asking for and you want to condemn him. Please, please realize that this is a man you should be raising up as an example. He is helping kids to speak the English language correctly, to be and sound educated and to get better opportunities for quality jobs. Please wake up and realize that this is a good thing!
Matthew 07.16.07 at 7:39 pm
I speak a bit differently than most around Upstate New York. Why? I spent a great deal of time learning to speak in a style that was clearer. It has nothing to do with abandoning my roots, it’s just that one method of communication is more easily understood than the other. Britons refer to this phenomenon as speaking “BBC English,” which contrasts the style of BBC reporters with regional dialects.
I agree that McClendon is a fine example of an educator with a serious, important purpose. As I said above, I scrapped parts of a dialect in favor of something that would facilitate broader communication. In no way was it a value judgment about which is better, and I most certainly do not feel as though I betrayed my history.
zack freeman 11.17.08 at 12:36 am
Thank you for pin-pointing the problem. I was teased for my proper English as a kid and eventually I decided that it was good to be literate and bookish. My language in my music is mixed with good and bad English but that is because I am speaking to a certain group for a certain reason. There is a place for slang, but it is definitely not in the class room, or in a board room or a presentation. I applaud Mr. McClendon for his work because it is the right thing to do. He is working on a serious problem and as he succeeds, everyone affected will benefit by understanding and communicating effectively. Isn’t that the point of communication?
Matthew K. Tabor 11.18.08 at 2:20 pm
Zack,
Glad to see you’re on board with Prof. McClendon. What you’ve said is right on the mark - it’s important to be literate and accurate. Do we need perfect grammar, syntax and word choice all the time? Not at all, but for most effective communication, all those things help.