Language, literacy, and power have a direct relationship with each other. Those who have the power are the ones who set the standard. In America, those who speak Standard English hold the power, and anything else is considered inferior. Those who plan to teach in Appalachia need to understand this relationship because the people who live here do not speak Standard English, for the most part, at least. Appalachia has it's own dialect, and it is very much a part of who and what we are. It is important that teachers in the Appalachia region understand the presence of this dialect and incorporate it into their teaching strategy. "I believe that if we claim to allow equal opportunity to all children in our schools then we must" (Purcell-Gates, 2002). I think this quote rings true. Every child deserves the best possible education that they can get, and sometimes this does not occur for children in Appalachia or other children who do not speak the standard form of English. This is because those teachers buy into the stereotypes of a certain group of people a develop an attitude that is culturally deficit. A way to overcome this would be for the teacher to get to know their students and where they come from. Luis Moll encourages teachers to "involve students as thoughtful learners in socially meaningful tasks" (Moll). He wanted for teachers to learn to understand their students and then to apply what they learned about them and create instruction that became meaningful to those students. By doing this, the teachers not only gain a better understanding of their students, but also manage to overcome biases and attitudes that negatively affect their students. When they overcome these culturally deficit attitudes, teachers begin to give their students more of an equal-opportunity education.
Teachers and schools contribute to poor literacy instruction when they have a culturally deficit prospective as opposed to one that is culturally different. Those that view the world through a lens that is culturally deficit feel that some groups of people, such as those from Appalachia are "intelligently inferior" to the group that holds the power. By holding this belief, schools and teachers are setting the students up for failure because they believe that they are incapable of learning. However, if a teacher holds a perspective that is culturally different, they understand that different groups of people are different, but that this does not make them incapable of learning. Marginalized and immigrant populations have the ability to "succeed despite their having cultural differences from the educational system" (Bolima). Just because a certain group is different does not mean that they are deficit. A strategy that can help students who speak non-standard English is to allow them to use their form of speech when speaking and writing, and incorporating Standard English instruction in this. By crossing over the two forms of language, the students stand a better chance of understanding the lesson being taught to them and will succeed. They will also feel less judged and more as if they are valued. If a teacher accepts the way they speak, the children will feel more of an urge to speak out, as opposed to when they are constantly being corrected because they don't speak the way that is considered "standard". If teachers “work from the premise that teaching students about the structural differences and similarities of the languages would help them “code-switch” or move back and forth between the variants of the dialect of their place and Standard English” (Epstein, 2011). Believing in the students’ abilities in speech can help to give them confidence that they might otherwise not get, and will encourage them to learn. “Writers often talk in order to rehearse the language and content that will go into what they write, and conversation often provide an impetus or occasion for writing” (National Council of Teachers). Students will write how they speak, and giving them the opportunity to use their language, and to build from that, will also help them when it comes to their writing and “code switching”. Teachers who realize that these students have cultural capital and funds of knowledge, and use this to their advantage, will have better success with their students.
The Where I'm From project contributes to culturally responsive teaching in a number of ways. Firstly, it helps to teach students to know and praise their own and each others' cultural heritages. This project highlights where each person is from. The videos and poems are shared among the class, and this helps everyone to gain a better understanding of their peers' background. This also encourages students to share their varied perspectives and experiences and create a supportive environment where this can occur. The students, having gained a better understanding of their peers, can find similarities between themselves and their peers that they might not have realized were there before. It helps to create a community in the classroom and create a sort of unity. This project also encourages students to know and listen to each other, which is important when trying to build a community within the classroom. This project also uses a wide variety of instructional strategies. It incorporates things that are visual as well as auditory, and the students are creating something, which makes the project very hands on. This project legitimizes the cultural heritage of the students and gives it validity in the classroom. When teaching, I plan to implement culturally responsive teaching by giving the students a chance to choose some of the subjects and activities that are done in the classroom. By doing this, I hope to create more of an interest in what the students are learning. If students are interested, then they will become more engaged. By giving the students a say in their instruction, they also feel as if their opinion is valued. Feeling valued, and as if they have something to offer, will also increase their excitement and interest in learning.
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