THE SKIN THAT WE SPEAK

Lisa Delpita and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

Olga M. Herget
Post University
EDU 604
Dr. Michele Herrera
“My mother tongue, Mende, is very
expressive, very figurative, and when
I write, I always struggle to find the
English equivalent of things that I
really want to say in Mende. For
example, in Mende, you wouldn't say
'night came suddenly'; you would
say 'the sky rolled over and changed
its sides'.”

Ishmael Beah - author and human right Figure 1: Rugiatu (9) and her brothers (Steadman, 2017).

activist
BrainyQuote. (n.d.). My mother tongue. [Quote].Retrieved from
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/mother_tongue
 INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
A collection of essays
written by educators
SECTION 1: Language defines
self-identity and perception of Figure 2: Annual Science Bowl (Romano,
the world. 2015)

SECTION 2: Children are

affected by how language is
perceived and used in the
classroom. “When instruction is stripped of children’s
cultural legacies, then they are forced to
SECTION 3: The right of students
believe that the world and all the good
to use the language they are
things in it were created by others”.
comfortable with and teachers
having respect for other Lisa Delpit - American educationalist and author
languages.
(Dowdy, J. K., & Delpit, L. D. , 2002, p. 41).
EDU 604 Diversity In 21st
Century Education CONNECTIONS
This course is written to: Course specific objectives include
 inform on a variety of
diversity issues Analyze how culture affects learning and
challenge educators to achievement
think about Build culturally responsive teaching practices
controversial topics and
question current
practice
 generate open
conversation within and
outside of the
classroom

Figure 3: Idea Exchange (CC0 1.0)

 CONNECTIONS
Ebonics: A Case History I ain't writin' nuttin': Permissions to Fail
“The stigma of having been assigned and Demands to Succeed in Urban
to the “bonehead” sections of my Classrooms
course for me, as well as for other “Carter's dogged determination that
children assigned to those sections, a his students acquire appropriate
situation whereby we became the literacy skills required that he
object of mockery…” recognize the language and literacy
Dr. Ernie Smith - Linguist skills the students already possessed
and connect them up with
(Dowdy, J. K., & Delpit, L. D. , 2002, p. 18).
conventional forms of literacy”
Gloria Ladson-Billings - American
pedagogical theorist and teacher
(Dowdy, J. K., & Delpit, L. D. , 2002, p. 117).

Figure 4: Lady Justice (CC0 1.0)

How does language reflect our cultural identity, power,
and privilege?
Being privileged does
It just means
not necessarily mean
that you
If you are a white that you have a perfect
have a head
person in America, life. It does not mean
start over the
you were born that you come from
rest of us.
privileged. That’s just wealth or that you
a fact. always obtain
everything you want —
or deserve.

Glanton, D. (2018, March 29). Column: Yes, white ‘privilege’ is still the
problem. Retrieved from
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-white-
privilege-dahleen-glanton-20180328-story.html

Figure 5: Starting Blocks at Vacant Starting Line Before Event ( TableatNY,2003 )

What can we do to assist these culturally and linguistically diverse
students to be successful socially and academically?

By treating other languages

as a strength in the
classroom , new students
feel valued in the
classroom, gain the ability
to make cross discipline
connections, and
experience an increase in
opportunities
(Deussen, 2014).

Figure 6: Latino family at dinner (CC0 1.0)

Figure 7: Diverse classroom (CC0 1.0)
What can we do to assist these culturally and linguistically diverse
students to be successful socially and academically?

Adopting multilingual programs

Promoting other cultures/languages

Challenging the status quo

Using multicultural materials

Figure 8: Graduation African-American Girl (CC0 1.0)
(Murphy, 2010, p.148).
 Implications for society

“Ultimately, the goal of

multicultural education is to
contribute to the transformation
of society and to the application
and maintenance of social
justice and equity”.

(Gorski, 2010, April 14, para. 14).

Figure 9: ED Goes Back to School 15. (U.S. Department of Education, 2014).
 CONCLUSION

“Education is not to reform

students or amuse them or to
make them expert technicians.
It is to unsettle their minds,
widen their horizons, inflame
their intellects, teach them to
think straight, if possible.”
Robert M. Hutchins – American educator

EdTechReview. (2016). Education is not. [Quote]. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/news/2558- Figure 10: Message rocks (CC0 1.0)
awesome-teacher-student-quotes-you-will-love
References
Allen, R. (2011). Bridging the Hispanic Achievement Gap. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-
update/dec11/vol53/num12/Bridging-the-Hispanic-Achievement-Gap.aspx
BrainyQuote. (n.d.). My mother tongue. [Quote].Retrieved from
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/mother_tongue
Deussen, T. (2014). Treating Language as a Strength: The Benefits of Bilingualism. Reference
http://educationnorthwest.org/northwest-matters/treating-language-strength-benefits-
bilingualism
Dowdy, J. K., & Delpit, L. D. (2002). The Skin That We Speak : Thoughts on Language and
Culture in the Classroom. New York: The New Press.
EdTechReview. (2016). Education is not. [Quote]. Retrieved from
http://edtechreview.in/news/2558-awesome-teacher-student-quotes-you-will-love
Glanton, D. (2018, March 29). Column: Yes, white ‘privilege’ is still the problem. Retrieved from
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-white-privilege-dahleen-
glanton-20180328-story.html
Gorski, P. (2010, April 14). The Challenge of Defining "Multicultural Education. Retrieved from
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html
Murphy, J. (2010). The Educator's Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement
Gaps. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin
Romano, S. (2015). Annual Science Bowl. [Photograph].Retrieved from http://www.25af.af.mil/News/Article-
Display/Article/663025/aftac-community-school-participate-in-nobbche-science-bowl/
Steadmen, M. (2017). Rugiatu (9) and her brothers. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trocaire/26546203358
Suárez-Orozco, C., & Suárez-Orozco, M. M. (2002). Children of Immigration. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
TableatNY. (2003). Starting Blocks at Vacant Starting Line Before Event. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53370644@N06/4976494944/
U.S. Department of Education. (2014). ED Goes Back to School 15 .[Photograph]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/14143338033
Working With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/diversity/culturalcompetence