Cultural Difference vs. Cultural Deficit

Fox News and Black English--Ebonics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_KKLkmIrDk

Garrard McClendon is teaching a group of black students how to abandon ebonics and slang and start talking in proper English. The reporters mention that there has been controversy over these teachings. McClendon is trying to get them to change their language as a whole. He's not just trying to teach them how they should speak in certain situations. Things he says to his students seem to lead them to the belief that they will never be able to succeed if they keep speaking the way they always have and that simply changing their language will make them smart, which is not true. McClendon's beliefs reflect those of the Cultural Deficit Theory. He is accusing the parents of being wrong for teaching their kids to speak anything but "proper" English. He also says that teachers aren't correcting students and asks, "How can one call their self a professional educator if they are not willing to teach grammar?" I believe this class could be a good idea, but the teacher's outcomes and objectives for the class are ones I do not agree with. I believe that there are situations in which slang may be inappropriate, but you do not need to abandon your language in order to be successful in life.


What Matters: Code Switching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_WC9PM6S0Q

The educators and researchers speaking in this video seem to have a much different viewpoint than those mentioned above. The video is introduced by saying that teachers are teaching their students how to "broaden their language skills." I immediately noticed that this didn't say to "change" or "fix" their language skills. The host asks one of the guests how you determine which language is right or wrong and the guest says that it depends on the situation in which the person is speaking in. In some situations, there is a language that is more commonly used, such as in the workplace. They introduce code switching as changing your language based on the situation or environment you are in. If you are at a job interview you probably want to switch to proper English, but if you are with your friends it is okay to speak ebonics, slang, or however you wish. I think all of this reflects the ideas of the Cultural Difference Theory.