wow what a c*nt

Wow, stacey, it's no wonder men still use the c-word considering women like you who still throw it around so freely, and at another women. And women want respect???

Indeed - my wife and daughter have never used that word casually (or ever in front of me). The dumbing down of America.......

Apparently you should know. Get back on the stroll.

Just like to point out that the photo used by user 'Stacey Hoffman' is actually a well-known photo of a Duke University cheerleader. I've seen it a number of times in stories regarding Duke basketball over the years.

Wow,the first 10 comments I read and only one sorta has something to do with the story. I bet if the teacher said read more white, she would have been fired that same day.

There are arts/opera/musical/acting venues that pay a LOT of $$ for people that talk in many types of craft. Only in modern day America...(where we now are so so much more 'liberated') can talking of laguage prose only get you in trouble if you say or imply ANYTHING that is NOT white.

C**t is the ultimate in cursing. You could say that to the most meek, mild mannered woman in the world and unleash a fury of scratching fingernails and spittle infused invectives. What fun!

Well... proper etiquette for insults kind of goes like this. Language filter inc. For a guy, you call him a D**k, a Pr**K, or a B**st**d. For a women, you call her a C**t, a slut, or a B**ch. Now, what's funny though is that when you call someone a pussy it's usually a guy that you think is a pansy. This insult is rarely used for a woman.

Wow. the comments from the men on here are ridiculous. And you men want respect? You men want equality? Not acting like that!

bonos_rama,

No one is looking for respect here. Well most aren't. Some are serious and not acting, others are merely poking a sharp stick in the eye and having fun. The problem is sorting one from the other.

Equality? Who cares!

You mean that's not really Stacey! Damn! That pic is sooo hot!

Just four simple words: Fire her tired a$$!!!

Stupid, stupid people. Why do you nerds give such power to words that people are usually using to get a rise out of you.... how ironic! c*nt, nggr, etc.

Didn't ANY of your parents teach you "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?" If you fools would only understand and live by that rule, it would be a better place.

Are ALL of your IQ's under 100?

If the teacher was reading a poem written by a Bostonian, or Minnesotan author, for instance, and she said to read it with a Boston "accent" (don't paak the cah too fah,) or Minnesotan "accent" (yah, yew betcha; MINNeSOta) would we be reading about it in the news? Nope. Teacher's only "crime" was suggesting he read it in the accent and timbre of the times it depicts or was written. To get a more authentic and genuine feel of the author, the times, or the place. Like actors do in movies, all the time.

This is yet another example of political correctness run amok.

Can't Understand Normal Thinking..

That's right Aggie. The job is to teach. Reading aloud with aplomb and in the vernacular is a skill set. Actors do it every day. Audio books are big business. But if teaching that particular skill set is out of bounds, we should just be satisfied that our young 'uns can text.

Langston Hughes didn't sound like Amos 'n' Andy, so it's really an insult to both the poet and the young man called on to read the poem, since apparently he doesn't either. Apparently this teacher has one stereotypical speech pattern in mind which she feels all "authentic" black people use.

The negative implications of this are pretty strong, as it would easy for him to interpret her words as "Know your place, boy, and don't be trying to act like one of us," and as young black people of achievement are already often castigated by their peers for "acting too white", it would certainly be ridiculous for a white teacher to join in this chorus of negativity. If the events are as the young man and his mother describe them to be, action has to be taken.

Did the story even say if the teacher is white or black????

My husband gets his health care at the VA in Atlanta. You meet all colors, kinds and sizes of people and we ALL get along beautifully. I told my husband last week that it would be wonderful if people OUTSIDE of the VA would get along as well as those of us inside the VA. The world would be a more beautiful place.

in text speak.......C U Next Tuesday.

The interesting thing here is that there are two standards of right and wrong.

If the teacher was black, and the student was black there would likely have been no objection.

If the teacher was white, and the student was white there would likely have been no objection.

If the teacher was black and the student was white there would likely have been no objection.

But the teacher being white and the student being black, this identical situation suddenly becomes racist and the teacher is supposed to have her career and life ruined forever?

Geez, wonder what would have happened had he read a poem written in ebonics or rap?

We've got to get over having one law for one culture and a different law for a different culture. Better yet, stop calling this culture!

Let me ask this. Is there not a dialect that blacks use?

If this is true, and there should be a classroom of students to verify it, this "teacher" should be fired. McDonald's is always looking for someone to put the french fries in the box. As for the woman who used the word 'c**t' in her reply, are you all two years old? Never heard the word before? It's okay for men to use the word but not women? Most of you can barely compose a complete sentence because you're so ignorant, but you're offended because someone used a 'curse' word. If you've ever worked in a school you'll hear both boys and girls use the word with someone regularity. Where did your sweet little boys and girls learn this word mom and dad? Do you really think you have the right to refer to someone else as trash.

I think that we are a society that is so mired in stereotypes and xenophobia that we have a hard time looking through the eyes of another person. Empathy is in short supply.

The teacher should not be fired. I think it's funny that she had to tell a black kid to speak "blacker"!! Most of the time, there wouldn't have been a problem. The kid saw his chance for 15 minutes and took it. You may think I'm racist but rrobeson above is absolutely correct. There's only one set of circumstances that could have produced this hypocrisy.

"Bart" is a German name, Bavarian for "Bearded" I guess she should speak like a Nazi,

since she thinks like one.

Sidenote - the French Bart is "Barthe," meaning "Bush" or "Shrub."

This is funny because Langston Hughes was an educated (studied engineering at Columbia), articulate individual, who did not speak as if he were raised in the ghetto by a couple of thugs. I often see whites "mimicking" ghetto blacks and they way they dance, speak, walk, dress, etc., some in a playful way, some because they think it's cool, and others in an attempt to "mock" or belittle blacks.

My son ran into this when he was stationed in Germany. He and a few of his white buddies went out to a club one night. They asked my son to act more "black" so that they could attract more girls. My son said, "What do you mean, act more black? I am black!" When my son told me about it, we actually laughed and figured that what they meant was act like a "thug."

I was raised by my aunt and uncle who were from Alabama. They had 6th grade educations, but tried to speak English the proper way. In our house, you would most likely "get one 'cross your lip" if you used bad grammar. My aunt told me once, "I have to speak this way. I had to quit school in the 6th grade and go to work in the fields to help feed the family. I'm not sending you down to that school house to learn how to talk like me."

Now, had this request been made of one of my sons in high school, I can tell you that they would have refused. I doubt they would have made a big deal out of it, but they would have definitely refused. If the teacher had tried to exact some kind of punishment for refusing, then his dad and I would have gotten involved. If not, we would have stayed out of it. But, thank god the schools my sons attened had teachers who were interested in educating my son to the best of their ability, which included teaching these kids to speak the King's English the way an educated person would speak it.

There are some among you who will understand, but others who feel that just because they can no longer walk around and openly refer to people by the derrogary names that I was called in school, without consequences, that this country is infringing on their free speech. Not true. Read the Constitution, please.

I'm not sure making such a big deal out of it (as long as the teacher didn't retaliate) and calling in the media was the right thing to do, but I commend this young man for refusing to accommodate such an ignorant request.

Kat, couldn't have said it better myself. So this teacher thought if her student read the poem "blacker"(in ebonics? like a ghetto thug?), it would be more authentic, even though that's not how he normally talked? Unbelievable. What an insult to this young man, and to Langston Hughes. And it is not as if this was an acting class, where you might NEED to speak in a certain dialect for a play the class was reading, for example, because that was how the playwright intended for the role to be read. This was an English or poetry class! I really don't believe Langston Hughes intended for the poem to be read "blacker".

This is brought on by women thinking they want Billy Bada$$, until Billy beats the daylights out of them, wont get a education or job, then steals everything they have, then the so called victim, hates all men. EBONICs is a farce and a joke and is LAZY ENGLISH. Drop the crutch, stay in school, get a education, get a real job and dont impregnate 5 single women. Ladies you need to woman up and quit associating with these LOSERS. You wont give a nice guy the time of day! You get what you deserve

kat-1015719

This is funny because Langston Hughes was an educated (studied engineering at Columbia), articulate individual, who did not speak as if he were raised in the ghetto by a couple of thugs. I often see whites "mimicking" ghetto blacks and they way they dance, speak, walk, dress, etc., some in a playful way, some because they think it's cool, and others in an attempt to "mock" or belittle blacks.

My son ran into this when he was stationed in Germany. He and a few of his white buddies went out to a club one night. They asked my son to act more "black" so that they could attract more girls. My son said, "What do you mean, act more black? I am black!" When my son told me about it, we actually laughed and figured that what they meant was act like a "thug."

I was raised by my aunt and uncle who were from Alabama. They had 6th grade educations, but tried to speak English the proper way. In our house, you would most likely "get one 'cross your lip" if you used bad grammar. My aunt told me once, "I have to speak this way. I had to quit school in the 6th grade and go to work in the fields to help feed the family. I'm not sending you down to that school house to learn how to talk like me."

Now, had this request been made of one of my sons in high school, I can tell you that they would have refused. I doubt they would have made a big deal out of it, but they would have definitely refused. If the teacher had tried to exact some kind of punishment for refusing, then his dad and I would have gotten involved. If not, we would have stayed out of it. But, thank god the schools my sons attened had teachers who were interested in educating my son to the best of their ability, which included teaching these kids to speak the King's English the way an educated person would speak it.

There are some among you who will understand, but others who feel that just because they can no longer walk around and openly refer to people by the derrogary names that I was called in school, without consequences, that this country is infringing on their free speech. Not true. Read the Constitution, please.

I'm not sure making such a big deal out of it (as long as the teacher didn't retaliate) and calling in the media was the right thing to do, but I commend this young man for refusing to accommodate such an ignorant request

Perfect Could not have worded it any better. How was the student supposed to act blacker exactly.

rrobeson

The interesting thing here is that there are two standards of right and wrong.

If the teacher was black, and the student was black there would likely have been no objection.

If the teacher was white, and the student was white there would likely have been no objection.

If the teacher was black and the student was white there would likely have been no objection.

But the teacher being white and the student being black, this identical situation suddenly becomes racist and the teacher is supposed to have her career and life ruined forever?

Geez, wonder what would have happened had he read a poem written in ebonics or rap?

We've got to get over having one law for one culture and a different law for a different culture. Better yet, stop calling this culture!

Riiight.... cause no one can get offended for making assumptions about someone else.

Please study Langston Hughes, people. Hughes wrote much of his work IN DIALECT! He used the language and speech patterns of the POOR blacks of the day! While Hughes himself may have spoken impeccable English, those depicted in his poetry DID NOT! I would suspect that to be true to Langston Hughes and his work, what we consider proper, educated speech would not work. As to the teacher's comment to speak blacker, has no one ever spoken with someone on the telephone and been immediately able to identify the unknown speaker as black? There IS a definite black dialect. That doesn't mean all blacks speak that dialect, but Langston Hughes' creations did!

Please study Langston Hughes, people. Hughes wrote much of his work IN DIALECT! He used the language and speech patterns of the POOR blacks of the day! While Hughes himself may have spoken impeccable English, those depicted in his poetry DID NOT! I would suspect that to be true to Langston Hughes and his work, what we consider proper, educated speech would not work. As to the teacher's comment to speak blacker, has no one ever spoken with someone on the telephone and been immediately able to identify the unknown speaker as black? There IS a definite black dialect. That doesn't mean all blacks speak that dialect, but Langston Hughes' creations did!

Hughes characters mirrored a diverse cultural esthetic. Over one hundred languages are spoken 24/7 in NYC. That dialect doesnt exist. Those who only see .... the blacks as single mind set absent of individuality

are clinging to their own self delusion.

Rick Crabtree

As to the teacher's comment to speak blacker, has no one ever spoken with someone on the telephone and been immediately able to identify the unknown speaker as black? There IS a definite black dialect.

Thats your problem Rick, Your argument serves no purpose - You cannot assume that because someone speaks a certain way there automatically Black - Im concerned for your thought process.

And who was the Spokes person for this "black language - Dialect" why was I not taught it at home?

Did you just Assume that I know it because Im Black?

Here's the poem:

Ballad of the Landlord

by Langston Hughes

Landlord, landlord,

My roof has sprung a leak.

Don't you 'member I told you about it

Way last week?

Landlord, landlord,

These steps is broken down.

Vvlhen you come up yourself

It's a wonder you don't fall down.

Ten Bucks you say I owe you?

Ten Bucks you say is due?

Well, that's Ten Bucks more'n I'l pay you

Till you flx this house up new.

What? You gonna get eviction orders?

You gonna cut off my heat?

You gonna take my furniture and

Throw it in the street?

Um-huh! You talking high and mighty.

Talk on-till you get through.

You ain't gonn a be able to say a word

If I land my fist on you.

Police! Police!

Come and get this man!

He's trying to ruin the government

And overturn the land!

Copper's whistle!

Patrol bell!

Arrest.

Precinct Station.

Iron cell.

Headlines in press:

MAN THREATENS LANDLORD

TENANT HELD NO BAIL

JUDGE GIVES NEGRO 90 DAYS IN COUNTY JAIL

It is OBVIOUS the teacher used a bad choice of WORDS to encourage the kid to recite/read aloud the poem in the dialect of the day. To that, I ask, have YOU never "come up short" in your conversations? Used a term or phrase you wish you could have/should have done differently but didn't correct yourself? Somehow, I think not! This Political Correctness is way out of hand!

I spent the better part of 20 years living "in and around" Charleston, SC in the '60s and '70s. You could be speaking with "a person of color" in perfect English (a professional Tradesman) and as soon as another "person of color" came along their COMMON "dialect" would be totally incomprehensible to me. They might as well have been speaking a RECOGNIZED foreign language but it wasn't.

For those of you who ASS-U-ME this type of cultural slang doesn't exist in society, today, must lead pretty sheltered lives. Take a trip to the deep South or even your nearest ghetto to get an "ear full". It, really, isn't any different than, say, a group of Chinese people (you pick the nationality) who start speaking in Chinese (even if they were born and raised here) to exclude you or try to show their superiority because they can speak a language other than English.

It got to be such a problem that the Black community demanded Ebonics be considered a foreign language because it was a PROBLEM with kids not understanding ENGLISH. This, from a community that had been in the USA for generations, not some recent immigrant population. Many probably going back to the slave era.

And, to the poster who said there are 100 different languages spoken 24/7 in NYC, does that mean I am supposed to learn 100 languages to communicate with everyone or should THEY learn proper English because they chose to live here?

Having grown up speaking very proper and getting my ass kicked almost daily in my community for it I would say there must be a style. However, not every kid and pull it off. Surely, if I could I would have done that than eat knuckle sandwiches or get oreo wrappers stuffed in my locker or bag or get kicked down the stairs and spit on I would have. So if a teacher asked me to speak more black I would have been visibly been angry with that teacher. However if the teacher said please try to read more in the tone of the poem I would have tried and probably failed miserably. As my white friends use to say you sound like a white kid trying to talk black or more to the point we all talk blacker than you.

Not having heard the teacher's side I cannot make a judgement. However I suspect this is just poor word choice from a teacher teaching English.

This is brought on by women thinking they want Billy Bada$$, until Billy beats the daylights out of them, wont get a education or job, then steals everything they have, then the so called victim, hates all men. EBONICs is a farce and a joke and is LAZY ENGLISH. Drop the crutch, stay in school, get a education, get a real job and dont impregnate 5 single women. Ladies you need to woman up and quit associating with these LOSERS. You wont give a nice guy the time of day! You get what you deserve

Ebonics is NOT "lazy English", it is a dialect of English just like every other dialect - Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Jamaica, etc.

Orly et al...if you interpreted my words to say that ALL blacks can be identified by their speech patterns/dialect/word choice, then either I didn't write clearly or you were unable to read what I said. But if you are really unaware that there are blacks who do have a distinctive speech pattern (call it dialect or whatever) that readily identifies that speaker as black then you have lived a very sheltered life.

kat (1.37)

BRAVO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone who through some light on the subject.

So let me see, all that "We're living in a post-racial America!" is really a bunch pf cr&p??

Just like I thought.

Rick Crabtree

But if you are really unaware that there are blacks who do have a distinctive speech pattern (call it dialect or whatever) that readily identifies that speaker as black then you have lived a very sheltered life.

So your also saying that White, Hispanic, Asian, And anyother Ethnicity all speak with a dialect that you can easily tell who from who?

So, you call my phone and talk to me - somehow just by what you say I know what you are without even seeing you?

Rick help me understand here, cause frankly its a no go.

What is this crap about c*nt being the ultimate no no for women. The women i know would rather be called that then a b*tch. Times change and so do words. But then again, there may be a lot of women who think c*nt is the ultimate no word, but i dont' know anyone who even uses that word. When i ask women what is the most vile name a person can call you, they say a b*tch. I think people have moved on to better sounding insults.

The student should be asked to read it according to his own interpretation. I assume the author is long dead, so NO ONE knows hows the author intended.

Steve, anyone who read the poem would know what the author intended.

Another point: Police have cameras on their vehicles and in some places, on their person to protect both parties. Perhaps classrooms should do the same. Situations take a whole new perspective when you know that a teacher's reaction was provoked or an accusation is false.

Maybe if the teacher had opened up a discussion of how dialects have changed since the poem was written it would not have seemed racist. Just a thought.

No, it should be read the way it is written. Remember Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn?

Steve: Students who take Humanities learn how Langston Hughes wanted his poems read because they can listen to him recording a reading of his works. He died in the 60's. There are many interviews and recordings with this amazing Harlem writer who was originally from the midwest.

The point that makes it all so egregious is that she picked the sole Black kid to do the reading. Why would she think that the Black student would know how to read the poem in the voice SHE assumed the poem required because it was written by a Black author? If you can't see the stereotyping and bigotry in that, you have a problem.

Wait just a dad burned minute, here...I'm assuming the teacher is white (BTW, I'm white, just for the record). Would she have expected a white student to know how to sound "black"? I'm on the young man's side.

A little direction, and a Private talk should have been her step. I was once asked to speak like my Native Nation people, I said, How ?

Except it's not, unless you're an inarticulate dullard with no knowledge of linguistics. In which case, the person has no place teaching children anything connected with English, or even so much as, say, express their ignorant opinion to others.

Where in the article does it state he was the "sole black student" in the class? Were you there?

Thought police? It was okay if they were in her thoughts(the words) but if/when they came out of the hole she calls a mouth they were not.

Boromir.. the PC BS will not get her a little private talk. It will get the teacher fired. She violated the "do not insult another's race" rule. Even if the kid calls her a cracker, he is black and will win this argument due to all the PC garbage out there.

Give it a F'ing rest people. Yes, what the teacher said was a bit rude. But the student needs to actually learn to understand how the author wrote the poem. The way things are written are able to convey as much information as what is written. Why do you think legal contracts are written in lawyer-ese. So that it cannot be interpreted in any way other than exactly how it was written. Even then its written so that the people wanting to make adjustments can without rewriting the whole damn thing.

Rallyforge

Where in the article does it state he was the "sole black student" in the class? Were you there?

Watch the video linked to belowon this page and realize this kid is a geek/nerd type student and the furthest thing from ghetto you could imagine. Also his mother is hardly a welfare mom, so wake up and drop the cliches. So many of the comments here are perfect examples of how seriously bigoted and stereotype addicted this country still is. Sad...America could be so much more.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-school-student-complains-after-being-told-to-read-poem-blacker-in-class/

Sounds to me as if the teacher was shocked (perhaps offended?) that a black student would actually even know how to speak in complete sentences using correct grammar and clear, crisp, correct pronunciation. As if only white students know (or are supposed to know) how to do that. Does she think he's supposed to come to school wearing a rag on his head and his underwear showing, and that he's supposed to aspire to be nothing more than a pimp, crack head, or habitual criminal?

I hear you, another Texan, I hear you. To make it worse, the thought police seem to be very prejudiced. Remember when we had ethnic jokes ? No more of those, unless it is about Germans or Italians. Those jokes were basically the same , the nationality changed with each wave of immigrants. The thought police won't even let us laugh anymore. Except the Jews, the make fun of themselves and so they cannot be touched. Smart people !

Another Texan

How about let him read the way he was taught. That must be a novel idea???? By the way, where in the is Texas? Did'n they leave the Union or something??

Oh nonsense! Of course she expected a black kid to be better able to articulate a black accent.

What in the world is the matter with you people?

And why should she assume the kid is so ashamed of being black, so humiliated by black history, and so disgusted with his culture that he would be traumatized by being asked to verbalized an accent that I hear on the street nearly every day and anyone can hear by listening to that noise called rap?

In a normal, healthy society the kid would have hammed it up, the white kids would have been wowed, and the whole class would have become hyper and been trying to talk like that the rest of the day while the kid enjoyed being the center of attention and a schoolyard hero for a day.

Do you people know that being over-sensitive and eternally indignant is bad for your health?

CULHEATH- Why does Hollywood always select black actors to portray black characters only about 10% of actors are black so this must be stereotyping and bigotry.

If the teacher had selected a white student we'd be hearing how this black kid was offended when the white kid did a black accent in class.Even though that's what the text called for.

Black teacher black student. Not only do black kids that actually try get called oreos by their classmates, but even black teachers are trying to drag them down. I bet this teacher would even call him out for messing up the grading curve for everyone. "Ok class most of you all would have passed if Tyron didnt get most of the answers right"

zuksam

CULHEATH- Why does Hollywood always select black actors to portray black characters only about 10% of actors are black so this must be stereotyping and bigotry.

Because black face is beyond an insult...an English class is not Hollywood and this student is not a paid actor. That's pure, though incredibly poor, deflection from the issue.

How should the teacher have asked the student to read as the author intended.

Words are read as they appear on the page. Students have their own voice they are not puppets.

Reciting poetry is a little different than reading a science book.That's the reason he was asked to read it blacker.If you've ever heard someone reciting poetry than you know what i mean.

Reciting poetry is a little different than reading a science book.That's the reason he was asked to read it blacker.If you've ever heard someone reciting poetry than you know what i mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpjFS3CQkKE

Listen to Langstan Huges recite his poem. Do you hear a certain Black' r syntax? Hughes confronted the stereotype. His writing mirrors a diverse black cultural esthetic. He described his characters as everyday working class individuals living life on their own terms Margalizing black voices to a certain dialect from any era of the American experience is not the intent of the author.

Culthealth - Now who's stereotyping? Just because he has thick glasses doesn't make him a nerd :)

I was not using 'nerd' as a pejorative. I was a nerd in school...maybe it takes one to know one.

So, again -- how do you know the student is lying? (I don't know, we'll see)

Wont be long before the kids will be running the schools most try to now.

It's already happening in inner city schools where teachers fear for their lives!

Steve, maybe the kid isn't lying, but this type of piddly thing is what Rallyforge is talking about.

Rallyforge, don't forget the suburban schools where the kids fear for their lives (in case you missed it, that's a reference to all the school shootings).

The Clesh

Rallyforge, don't forget the suburban schools where the kids fear for their lives (in case you missed it, that's a reference to all the school shootings).

It happens in inner city schools day in and day out. How do I know this? I grew up in NYC in the inner city school system and witnessed this myself. Although there are incidents of shootings in surburban schools, it is random and far in between. You cannot compare the two! My high school was appropriately named "fort apache" due to all the daily violence!

Its not only inner-city schools anymore. Students can rule anyschool where teachers and parents do not have direct contact.

If the teacher really said, "Read blacker. I thought you were black."

Under what circumstances is that acceptable?

....Crickets....

It does not appear that this cheese head feared anything, most surely not stupidity!!!

Theclesh- there is a reason that innercity schools have metal detectors and less "dieverse" ones do not. NYC recently lamented that there where 5 arrests at NYC public schools and that almost all of them where black or hispanic, so they said it must be racism. The last availible data showed over 700 felonies per year in NYC schools, considering a school year is 180days that works out to be 4 felonies a day which matches up nicely to 5 arrests per day. If everyone was equal that would mean whites& asians where comminting 4 felonies a day but the racist NYC schools were leting them go. Actually in NYC"Totals for the seven major crimes — including assault, burglary, robbery and rape — fell from 839 to 801." , so its only news when someone not black or hispanic does something.

To anyone still defending this teacher, see below:

He complained to his mother, he said, after his teacher used him again in a lesson about stereotypes to explain why black people like grape soda and rap music.

Re-posting the link w/ video of the student and mother below, courtesy of Culheath at comment #23.2 (Thanks, Culheath)

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-school-student-complains-after-being-told-to-read-poem-blacker-in-class/

Even given this information, I doubt there will be any retractions from those saying the teacher did nothing wrong. Sad really.

Absolutely agree.

Especially since you can be accused of racism if you try to speak ebonics without being black. I guess white kids won't be allowed to enroll in this class.

I be thinking that too !!

Oh, please, if you don't freaking know what you are talking about, please don't!

Ebonics is a term used for the dialect spoken by some African Americans (it varies by region, but has many common aspects). That dialect has so many variations from edited American English (for example, one does not inflect the verb--one uses a modifier to indicate time--I walk to the store today, I walk to the store yesterday) that it begins to become it's own language. There is no clear bright line between a dialect and a language--someone once quipped that a language was a dialect with an army and a navy (it is spoken by a group of people with enough power to have their own country and own defense).

The goal of teaching Ebonics was to teach children the difference between Ebonics and edited American English. Students were allowed to speak dialect in classes where dialect didn't matter much--mostly math and science--but were told to "translate" into English for other classes, and were also told "this is English class; we speak English here." When they understood the difference between the dialect/language called Ebonics and the dialect/language that is edited American English, they could do a better job.

The point is that if you want to take children who speak a dialect/language other than standard English and get them to speak edited American English, the best way is to use the same tactics that are used for teaching foreign languages. It works. It worked really stinking well until people like Bill Cosby got their undies in a bunch and made fun of the term "Ebonics" and acted as though only uneducated people speak it.

Right, and the British are right in saying that only uneducated people speak the Irish or Scottish dialects.

A dialect is just a dialect--it is neither educated nor uneducated--but students needed to learn to speak and write in edited American English. Now that the teachers cannot use the best (and perhaps only effective) technique to use with students who speak a very thick community dialect, they have a really hard time teaching. Thanks for depriving them of a fantastic tool.

Ebonics? Never heard of it. They are already teaching elvish from the Lord of the Rings in the schools. That's pretend, so I guess Ebonics is better than that, whatever it is. No wonder our schools are going down the drains.

It was my understanding that it was the black families that wanted "ebonics" recognized as an acceptable dialect of American English. Anyone?

I'm sure that I spoke Ebonics before I was forced to speak the edited American English. From a personal point of view, it handicaps children into using improper English. I'm glad that I learned and was able to foster the same in my children. My 11 year old granddaughter also excels in American English. She was recently recognized by our state senator for achieving the highest test scores, in all of Florida, in reading and writing. When spoken in the home, proper English flows like water. That's why this miserable teacher's actions angers me so!!

Charles-1820634

This teachers actions anger you because your 11 year old granddaughter received recognition from you senator? Go find something else to whine about. The reason it angers you is because you have been taught to fing things that abger you.

As ALWAYS, people want to make it 100% a racial issue while knowing NOTHING about the reality. READ THE POEM! Its written in a loose style typical of black language. If he was embarrassed to read it as written thats his problem. The teacher let him off the hook and read it herself. Whats the big deal? Is running to the media what we do now instead of acting like adults and saying "I'm uncomfortable reading this."

I'm actually curious what others would say to get a student to read it correctly? "Read it blacker" seems legit to me for this particular poem.

When I was in 12th grade we read "A Street Car Named Desire" in complete "white trash" dialect and it was the most entertaining thing I've ever done in an english class. She was just trying to get the students to get into engligh literature, and read it the way it was meant to be read: As a poor black man in Harlem. You get a whole lot more out of literature when you see through the eyes of the person who wrote it, but everyone forgets that.

My best English teacher (actually, my best teacher period) in high school was one of those who didn't care who he offended. He's a former actor with a rather vivacious personality but he is also hands down the most brilliant English teacher and what's more, he's doing what he loves. He's independently wealthy and he teaches because he cares very deeply about his students. First day of class, he let's everyone know that he WILL step on toes in order to promote ideas and stretch our thinking. Many an oversensitive student and their "outraged" parents have tried to drag him in front of the administration, but he never gets in trouble because a) he makes it quite clear that the things he says are NOT to be taken personally and b) he turns out the best students in the school. Period.
We studied Langston Hughes at length and I'm absolutely positive that something nearly identical to what this teacher said came out of his mouth. No one got up in arms about it because he made those kinds of comments all the time and what they did was enrich the learning environment. He also did engage us in discussion about how Langston Hughes used dialect as one of his tools, however, before delving seriously into a topic like that he'll kick it off with a comment that's meant to get our attention, much like this teacher. That's not being "offensive". That's called encouraging your students to think beyond their small-mindedness to greater heights. That's called telling your students to suspend their shocked thoughts and bruised beliefs momentarily so that they can learn from another's point of view. That's called GOOD TEACHING. Believe me, had I taken personally many of the things that came out of my English teacher's mouth, I would have made myself miserable trying to hate him. Instead, I brushed everything off knowing that it wasn't serious and I learned A LOT from him. That was the best class I ever had.
I know my teacher isn't the only one like that out there. This kid needs to get over himself and try and learn something rather than getting caught up in being "offended".

rjh--

I vote for your story--twice.

Okay, we did not get it before, so lets spell it out! Let's move the racist and leave just the stupid!! No child should be made to be stupid, not for one minute, especially at the hands of a teacher!!!! Does that sounds better and politically correct enough for you????

As a former teacher, students need to make a point to understand teachers just as much as a teacher needs to understand his students. Its ALWAYS a give and take. You read the article, but you don't know the personality of the teacher, the class, nor the student. Again, if he was uncomfortable reading it, act like an adult and say so.

You can never know a student well enough to guarantee at some point they won't be embarrassed. If you think you are one of those perfect teachers, then you must have no clue what your students really think.

Again, the teacher let him off the hook and read it herself. What else would you want the teacher to do? I'm curious if the teacher had asked a black student to speak with an English accent of we'd be reading about this. A white teacher can't even teach black history without someone getting offended these days. Toughen up people. Life is going to kick your ass if you have to play the race card ever chance you get.

You've got that right. All the english teacher was trying to do was attempt to persuade the little sensitive sumbitch to demonstrate a little charachter while reading the damn poem. Some of these dumb asses need to realize there's a time to call a spade a spade, and stick the race card up their holy asses.

My other question I would ask in this (having been a teacher for 5 years) is what pre-story do we have? Has this student been a constant problem in the class? Has he bragged about being able to talk "blacker" before? Or, has he never been a problem child and has the teacher been constantly picking on him? Have they talked about the use of terminology? Maybe they all know what the teacher meant when she said "blacker." I'm not really taking sides on either of these, because I don't feel I know enough of the story, plus the background, but I do know that sometimes what happens in the classroom is not what students or even teachers say happened afterward. I had a student that told a flat out lie to her parents about an incident that occured in class. She convinced 4 of her friends to go along with it. I was put on probation until one of her friends came forward and said that they'd lied about the whole incident. After she crumbled, all of them crumbled, except the original girl. To this day, she sticks with her story, even though it got her dismissed from our school. Her parents even tried to get a lawsuit against the school until their lawyer said that it wouldn't hold up in court because they had no witnesses. I hope that in this case, both sides are heard, and that whatever really happens is told. Where are the other students? Have they been asked what they saw and heard? I would have liked to have more than just the one kid's story told. Would they tell a different story? Maybe her tone of voice was different to them? Maybe they were all appalled and went home to tell their parents? Or maybe, they didn't find anything to take offense with?

I had a friend - a white middle school teacher - go through just what you described. A black girl twisted something he said in class to make it sound like he was practically wearing clan robes and burning crosses in front of the class and it put him on the hot seat. However, it didn't work; the principal (who happened to be black himself) came to my friend's defense during the investigation since they had been close friends for years and he knew that the allegations couldn't be true...

did this girl or her friends receive any sort of discipline? Absolutely not....

Can you say double standard?

I suspect something similar in the case we have here

Much Ado About Nothing

And that has what to do with the point of this story?

No point. Grew up in the inner city, attended those schools, and made that observation!

Ever hear an inner city black speaking? You'd think they were speaking a different language!

No point. Grew up in the inner city, attended those schools, and made that observation!

That's true of any inner city/ regional dialect, not just inner city Blacks and it seems to me that if it's true you grew up with it around you you would have understood it, like I did in Detroit. Black slang in Florida is sometimes unintelligible to me because it's unlike the Detroit slang...same thing with LA or Atlanta or NY slang. And it's the same with white slang regionally as well. Add time period differentials and it gets worse, which is why it was ridiculous and stereotype-driven for the teacher to expect a 14 year old middle class Fairfax Black kid to know how to emulate a Langston Hughes character of the 1940's.

Ever been below the Mason/Dixon?? Ever tried to understand most of them?? How about Appalachia??? Understand them much??? Just saying!!

The hills of Tennessee - I just cannot understand them.

Charles and Cassandra i live in Alabama and do have a very heavy accent. Ironically though pertaining to the article one of my best friend is black and has the largest vocabulary of anyone I know. He also speaks perfect proper English and laughs at me all the time because of my accent.

And we have The Cockney English who you can hardly understand which in THEIR country is considered " a different language" as The Beatles from Liverpool proved in the 60's. When I moved to WI from NY and I am white, I was accused of "talking funny" with my E. Coast dialect so what's your point RALLY? Since I've been in WI well over 35 years now, I have a blend of Midwest with my NY that still slips in there along with my mother's English upbringing so I'm your regular Heinz 57!!!
The issue here is that this teacher tried to force the boy to read in a dilaect that maybe was not comfortable for him and implied that because he WAS black that he should do it "blacker" automatically when there are plenty of blacks that DON'T speak this way and never have.
Without more details and the ability to make an informed judgement based on the fact NONE of us are that room everyday with these kids, who are WE anyway to decide this. It is her word against his but if he did want to do it was his choice and that should have been respected. If the teacher wanted him to read the poem in the poor Southern dialect reflected in the poet's writings which I and classmates back when Hughes was required reading of us, it might have gone better? I don't know but in any event, he appeared not to have been comfortable with it and the approach taken to get him to do it was WRONG and offensive.

Even though I grew up in NY, because my mother had English ancestry, we never said ca-a-a for CAR and if I was MADE to in class as a kid to be more "QUEENS" , it sure would not be something I would have "enjoyed".

Humilation to get a child to perform is not the way to do it: Case closed.

Landlord, landlord,
My roof has sprung a leak.
Don't you 'member I told you about it
Way last week?

Landlord, landlord,
These steps is broken down.
When you come up yourself
It's a wonder you don't fall down.

Ten Bucks you say I owe you?
Ten Bucks you say is due?
Well, that's Ten Bucks more'n I'll pay you
Till you fix this house up new.

What? You gonna get eviction orders?
You gonna cut off my heat?
You gonna take my furniture and
Throw it in the street?

Um-huh! You talking high and mighty.
Talk on-till you get through.
You ain't gonna be able to say a word
If I land my fist on you

Police! Police!
Come and get this man!
He's trying to ruin the government
And overturn the land!

Copper's whistle!
Patrol bell!
Arrest.
Precinct Station.
Iron cell.
Headlines in press:
MAN THREATENS LANDLORD
TENANT HELD NO BAIL
JUDGE GIVES NEGRO 90 DAYS IN COUNTY JAIL!

Your comment was just very poetic, so I decided this would be a good place to put the poem in question!

"Judgement is mine, saith the Lord . . ." I'd be very uneasy if I was you, Cool Mike. Read the rest of the Bible to find out why typing stuff like what you just typed could get you in trouble . .

Gee Mike, what a nice statement. I hope you spend a bit of time over at sites like the Grio too. Remind the negroid race that not just the caucasian is racist, that sort of thing.

What do you figure is gonna be the the black race's reaction when they too are held to the same P.C. standards as white people? Trust me, it's gonna happen.

rhahdhdh,

Thanks for posting the poem...

Wouldn't you say that it could as easily be written and read in the venacular of an inner city White NY-er as Black?

Don't change the context - this article is not about an actor reading for a movie. It's about a teenager in High School. GOT THAT? Ok, then let's move on .....

......So you've never ever been singled out in high school because of race, sex, weight, glasses, tall/short, bad skin, etc? It's all the same when you're on the receiving end. You are indeed a fortunate (and perhaps truly unique) person.

It sounds bad because he was reading it with the English he knows, and she wanted him to read it with an English she deemed he should be reading it with!! Fixed that for you!!

Sounds like the teacher my need some sensitivity training, but certainly has made no fatal error. The whole "I thought you were black" thing is quite insensitive, but you can see exactly what the teacher was trying to get at. You people should all take a breath and be glad the teacher was including valuable black literature in the cirriculum. That should be what is important here. Not the poor choice of words the teacher used to get her point acrossed. I bet she never makes that mistake again, given all the fuss. Just pray that she dosen't take the "black" literature out of the class to avoid the problem in the future.

Lucky he was not reading for money so that has nothing to do with the story.

I agree. It sounds to me like the teacher is the one that pulled the race card out to begin with.... HELLLOOOO!!!!!! Why is it that insensitive people always use this when a racial incident occurs? Have you read history books? Don't you know that America has a history of racism that has not died? If you all just put the deck away, then there will be no cards to draw!!!!!

meare1

Let's dealt this deck!!! If we stopped dealing and started understanding each other, we would have a much, much, better world.

I am pretty sure they are asking the other kids. They always do. No proof one way or another unless they do. It's even better if they have a tape of it, like some schools do. Or maybe some kid recorded it on a phone for a friend . . .

No - we're talking about this article. Don't try to change the topic to paint the world with one broad brush. Stay focused, my friend!

so she saying talk Blacker , not a big deal, Some people say you act white or black, so what

I've heard similar talk about the Brer stories which are written in Louisiana (?) cant, which is spoken by all people there: white, black, Cajon, etc. Nothing racist there although the term "tar baby" has become a racist slur for blacks. I just love the band REM but some of their music has the vocals so heavily thick with Georgia phonetisms it's hard to translate. Is Georgia accent or "hillbilly" another language? How about New York City or New Jersey a la Bruce Springsteen? English comes in many forms, even in the UK itself. Langston Hughes is an excellent writer and I've read some of his works. The teacher is acting like a clod with her "authority" in her head. She should be canned for this stupid crap action.

What do we expect in the present political climate where GOP candidates have said some very racially insensitive things regarding black people and minorities and the same have been done on these boards. We have seen the views of some people regarding President Obama and the First Family, we have heard Bachmann' view on black families, Gingrigh view on black families and even Santarum view on all families that are not wealthy, and the various views about minorities regarding immigration.

We have seen blatant racial bias in the way minorities are treated by the justice system where there are more young black men in prisons and jails than in colleges, and even that report last week about the educational system and how black children and hispanic children receive unequal education/treatment in the school systems in everything from educational resources to punishment.

We hear of people of colour who are stopped by the police for driving while black or being in certain nighborhoods while black or followed in stores while black, or being denied the use of a swimming pool while black. We are given the impression that all blacks are lazy, do not want to work and want to live on welfare and the various other things that have been intimated through the years and even carried over into the 21st century in this country.

If Blacks and other minorities are a bit sensitive they have a right to be. See the negative way that that Asian American NBA athlete Lin was spoken or written about by some in the media for eg. or the that recent supposedly 'peeping tom' case where that college student (of Indian descent?)was given either 7 or whatever years? Who believes that if the shoe was on the other foot the other student would have been given such a sentence? How about that chap (maybe of Indian descent?) that was sent to jail for insider tradeing? Odd that his billions could not have saved him. It is amazing who is made an example of these days.... while others.....?

Why don't people stop pidgeonholing black and other people of colour or minorities or whatever racial/ethnic /religion/creed etc makeup the person may be ...for a change? Why not stop criticizing these folks? They have their lives to live just like everyone have their own life to live.

When are we going to stop the ignorance......can't we just get along.....life is short... we all eat, sleep, breathe and eventually die.

Peace......

Poor attempt at deflecting!!!

If people choose to speak wrongly, that's their choice. But a child should never be told to speak improper English over speaking proper English. We have Presidential Candidates advocating English as an official language. Who is going to speak it? The candidates are going to be in trouble themselves!!! Just saying!!!!

Paul I beg to differ their are many of my black friends who sound nothing like you apparenty want them to sound. All of them speak better proper English than I do of course I have a very heavy southern accent. They are very sick of people stereotyping them based on their cultural background. It may come as a surprise to you but some are trying to better themselves and have great distaste for the ones that keep perpetuating that you are not black enough if you don't sound like that. So please stop trying to group a whole cultural group together.

OK, little back ground. I was a sub at a Vocational for a few years, with that being said.

"I thought you were black" this sounds to me like an embellishment to me. I have seen kids do it before. I am really interested to hear the story the other kids in the class had to tell.

Word up ... dog !!

The teacher's race wouldn't justify the comment "I thought you were black." That's where the teacher crossed the line, regardless of her ethnic background. It went from a stage direction, of sorts, to an indictment of the child's identity. An identity which, I'm sure, most people commenting can't understand. It's not often that someone tells a white person that they don't sound or look "white enough", but I've been told many times that I didn't sound or look "black enough." It's stereotyping, and while I don't get offended by it, I'm well beyond high school age, and accept that kind of ignorance as normal.

The point I am trying to make is, if the teacher is black, then how can she accused of racism to another balck considering most blacks today call each other racist names at day long, but that's okay as long as it's not a non-black calling them the names!

This so trivial. But, blacks will use anything they can to stir up some hell if a white says anything they see as offensive. The teacher was trying to get poetic epression verbally out of the kid. However, his mother will make it a racial war & be damn the teacher if he/she is white. Blacks have used this oversensitivty bit far too long & it's time for them to grow up & quit bullying everyone who does not bow down to them.

Rallyforge

Give me a break. This is a racist statement, regardless who spoke it. Mars to earth, black people can be racist too!!! Don't you know????

I don't think the teacher was telling the student to "be" blacker. I think she wanted a certain inflection of voice to reflect the language of Harlem when the poem was written. It's my guess that the teacher is also black although I don't know. I don't see anything "racist" in this.

Given that comment, your handle could not be more perfect.

Ok heres a question for ya. Why is it ok to say 'whiter or whitest' but not 'blacker or blackest'. Heres an example...quote from the tv show scrubs, "You were just schooled on rap by the whitest two women in the country." Its ok to say that but not blacker or blackest? And why is it ok of black people call each other @!$%#s but not ok if white people call them that?

My point is if people do not want to hear those words they should refrain using them and their counterparts in all contexts.

Because white is the historical and cultural color of the subjugating race. It's not so much about color as it is power. Who have had the power in this country for the last 200 years?

When blacks call each other n****r it's not racist because they're both black - kind of like me calling my brother-in-law a "redneck". Again, it's about the power structure.

B.M.851761

This so trivial. But, blacks will use anything they can to stir up some hell if a white says anything they see as offensive. The teacher was trying to get poetic epression verbally out of the kid. However, his mother will make it a racial war & be damn the teacher if he/she is white. Blacks have used this oversensitivty bit far too long & it's time for them to grow up & quit bullying everyone who does not bow down to them.

Bullying WTF? What box do you live in man? I bet you Believe Racisim does not exist if so your deluded.

Why do you Paint with broad brush strokes? Why

BTW the Teacher said, "Speak blacker - I thought you were Black".

Is there some language that were supposed to use to broadcast to everyone that were black?

Wow and you assume that "black people" want "white people" to bow down to them....oh boy we have a long way to go America.

I haven't seen one word of criticism directed toward the author. Don't make up stuff here, stay focused on the article.

What do you think the author would say about the teacher's alleged comments? Would he agree or disagree?

Langston Hughes would want it read with blackness.

the teacher's phrasing was poor. no she shouldn't be fired. growning up in Harlem during the 60s-70s and being well educated i've often conversed on the phone w/whites only to finally meet them for the job interview and be told " you're John Doe? on the phone i thougt you were..... Taller (read White). the speach patterns and colloquilisms of adverage "Black" was thought to be the norm. hence forth i learned to " dumb" down my words to match my audience .the rap- hip- hop music of today and E-bonics exemplify her exspectation of speach. i often meet people that greet me w/sup dog what chu doing G.when in Panama i met a 2nd generation Chinese that spoke spanish like the natives or should i say as i think natives would......

Someone enlighten me, what is reading with blackness???? I think Lanston Hughes would have some choice words for her!!!!

Langston Hughes would not have wanted his poems read in some stereotyped expectation of "black" speech. He certainly didn't write them that way. The child said the teacher demonstrated that "blacker" meant speaking like a slave or 1960's house servant...Langston Hughes would be, I'm sure, exasperated at the irony of the whole situation.

I'm not sure what your point is or if you read the article. Wasn't the teacher trying to "regulate" how the kid read literature? All the defense of the teacher arguments "What's wrong with trying to get the kid to 'act', to speak in the vernacular?" sound good, but does that teacher also try to get the kids to "read more Irish" or "read it more southern" depending on the author? So this teacher probably would have told a student to read Robert Burns "more Scottish"? I'm not saying the teacher should be fired, but her method of teaching in this case wasn't good.

I'll wager that the punk kid has a single, welfare-4-life mother who runs a ton of scams and has a ton of attitude.

If you have nerve to see how wrong you are, the video of both mother and son is here:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-school-student-complains-after-being-told-to-read-poem-blacker-in-class/

Really, because I read a story last week where a WHITE woman won the lottery and was still collecting welfare and didn't see anything wrong with it.

From where I sit, the punk and welfare for life attitude comes from the person that made that comment????

To culheath: Thanks for the link.

I sympathize with the student and wonder what was teacher thinking.

This ignorant nonsensical post shouldn't even still be here. If you read the original story, you might not sound like an uninformed bigoted idiot.

"He complained to his mother, he said, after his teacher used him again in a lesson about stereotypes to explain why black people like grape soda and rap music."

Local guy and face How about you look into the situation first of all welfare moms don't live in homes like that. Also I believe you have just posted the most ingorant statement of the day. congrats

Yes, and I bet you have a loaded gun just waiting to kill this child too, don't you?

Watch the Color Purple or listen to Langston Hughes himself reading one of his poems.

The Irtish, the Italians and the Germans learned to speak our language. Why can't people of color figure it out

Jeanette: The Color Purple took place in the South. Langston Hughes was born in the midwest and lived in Manhattan. Their dialects are nowhere near the same, but I suppose it's just easier to paint others you don't understand with the same brush, eh?

She probably did explain it numerous times but the kids were too busy texting and sending photos with their iphones.

If she explained numerous times they should be reading a Langston Hughes poem the way the student described her as doing, then she shouldn't be teaching works from the Harlem Renaissance.