YOUTH WORK IS... IDENTITY

"Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color" TED Talk

- Something that stood out to me was the McDonalds example she used. The McDonald's slogan "I'm Lovin It" is participating in a feature of African American English called consonant variation, the dropping of the letter G. "It's something that would be corrected within the classroom space if I was to write it on my paper, yet this billion dollar company is able to utilize this linguistic practice for mass appeal and to capitalize on this cultural form of expression." I honestly never looked that deep into the slogan and had no idea but it doesn't shock me. Many corporations/people capitalize on African/Black culture but give no credit where it's due.

- I also thought it was really interesting when she stated that while she was speaking on a panel, a woman told her

she is so articulate. If she spoke with her family who is Trinidadian in Caribbean Creolized English or if she heard her speak with her friends in Crown Heights Brooklyn in African American English would the woman have thought she was articulate then? She would've thought something different because she wasn't speaking "proper english." Although the woman may have not meant to be offensive, it's still offensive and considered a microaggression. The woman probably thought she was giving a compliment but that is not how it was received.

- Something else I thought was an important takeaway is how powerful it is to engage in African American practices/languages. There is so much power within the language. You are able to access so many more people with with the way that you speak, there are places that you can access in the world. She stated "Obama had the ability to access and bond with different communities because he could speak in different ways."

Her whole video stood out to me. The video speaks volumes and is very powerful!

"Locating Yourself for Your Students"

- I thought it was interesting how the students reacted to the professors before and then after they shared their ethnicity with them. I think although the students may look different from both professors, have different backgrounds and cultures they were able to appreciate the professors acknowledging their ethnicity and differences. I think when a white teacher can acknowledge their whiteness in a classroom of students of color they are potentially making the classroom environment more comfortable. The students are more likely to feel comfortable to engage in different types of conversations. I liked that both professors share both what they know and don't know. I think it's important for educators to be able to acknowledge what they don't know as well. I can't think of a time that I shared my ethnicity while introducing myself. I do think it would be interesting to do so and see how people react.