Ebonics Bounces Back
[July 25th] - Just when you thought it was safe to send your kids back to the classrooms this fall, the battle over ebonics has returned.
The San Bernadino School district has decided to again make African American slang part of the educational process. School officials indicated that by making the classroom "more fun," they would be better able to keep the kids interested in their studies.
Uh-huh.
I ran a business for 15 years, and when job seekers sat down for an interview, I never looked at their resume or job application. I was interested in how they communicated, how they held themselves. A high school graduate with good communication skills would always get the job over a college graduate who couldn't speak well. Now, young men and women who are already being taught in a system bereft of concern for its student's long-term well being, are reinforcing a way of talking that outside of their neighborhood is indicative of poor education and poor communication skills. By using the ebonics system, the San Bernadino school district will ultimately be making it harder for these young kids to succeed in college and ultimately thrive in our society's business world.
C'mon, San Bernadino. Aren't we making it hard enough for these children to succeed as it is without adding ebonics to the growing list of roadblocks they must face? Wassup wit dat?
