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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Capture and upload a photo that highlights how grammar should be taught in universities or K-12 schools.

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Capture and upload a photo of diverse English languages and grammars throughout your community, on television, in stores, etc.  Pay close attention when you are at stores, watching your favorite tv shows, etc.

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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Capture/Upload an authentic photo that illustrates your perceptions and understanding of students/people of color use of mainstream English and grammar. Be honest and transparent here.

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Capture/Locate an authentic photo that illustrates your home community and/or community at UD. This photo can be a photo of your friends/family.

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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Each person in the group will serve as the discussion facilitator; developing questions for group discussion. The facilitator will pose three questions that highlight: 1. Personal responses to the chapters assigned;  2. Connection to the diverse English you are studying; and 3. Challenge  your understanding of how grammar should be taught. Ensure that you respond to at least one person in the group. Avoid responding to the same person. Ensure every person has a response.

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Capture/Locate an authentic photo that illustrates a pivotal moment that you had with learning grammar. Provide a caption that describes the photo. Do not use a photo from google.

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How should students' grammars and languages be centered and elevated in classroom practices? How can the standard be "inclusive" in action not just acknowledged or tolerated?  Reference your assigned book. How could your book be use to elevate diverse English.

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What do you notice about the examples of diverse languages and grammar around your community in comparison to mainstream English? Reference at least two text from the section of the course: Exploration of the Lived Experiences, Assets & Grammar of Diverse Communities. After you create your post, respond to at least one person in your group. If someone has already responded to a group member, choose someone else.

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Respond to the following questions: What do you know about the home grammar(s) and language of Black and Brown people/students? Where do you see the language and grammar(s) of Black and Brown people used? After you create your post, respond to at least one person in your group. If someone has already responded to a group member, choose someone else.

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Record a conversation with a family member or close friend. What do you notice about the language and grammar used in the conversation. Does it reflect your understanding of mainstream English? Reference at least two of the readings from the Archeology of Self section of the syllabus. After you create your post, respond to at least one person in your group. If someone has already responded to a group member, choose someone else.

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Use the video option and respond to the following question: What was your first experience with learning grammar and/or speaking mainstream English? Include as many details as you can remember. After you create your post, respond to at least one person in your group. If someone has already responded to a group member, choose someone else.

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Little me (in red striped shirt) with my classmates celebrating Thanksgiving. 

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This was at the age where I began to learn basic grammar and it being important in my life. I took interest to reading and writing at a really young age. My parents always read to me, and I always read back to them.

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I also think my earliest experiences with grammar were at the elementary level. I remember doing similar worsheets about nouns, verbs and adjectives aswell.

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When my sister and I used to share a room, my dad would always read to us before bed. This started my interest in reading, leading to how I learned grammar.

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I have a similar experience with my introduction to learning grammar as a child! Being read to was one of the best learning experiences I think I had and every child should have. The earlier a child is introduced to reading and being curious about structure, the better! - Ava

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The earliest photo I have of me entering K-12 where I first began learning the logistics of the English language. My mother was essentially the only true teacher in my life who had introduced and taught me "proper" English reading and writing. My elementary education was not very substantial or exceptional; therefore, I credit almost all of my knowledge to my mother and my own curiosity to learn as a child (something I am proud of!)

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There is unfortunately no sound coming out of the video I created (definitely is my old laptop's fault), but I was talking about how my first experience/memory was me in Kindergarten reading iSpy books during naptime. Although I could not read coherent, detailed text quite yet, that was the first time I remember genuinely sparking my interest in wanting to learn how to read and write, as well as picking up on structure and patterns in books/texts that taught me "proper" written English language.

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This photo shows me at age 4, which is when I really started to write in kindergarten. This photo illustrates a pivotal moment that I had with grammar because this is when I started to write more structured sentences. I started to learn the basic rules of writing, like how to end a sentence with a period and start sentences with a capital letter.

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I definitely relate to your experiences, as I, too, really started to take in interest to reading and learning about grammar in kindergarten. I remember being eager to get better and better at reading and writing.

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I also remember learning about knowing the differences between singular and plural, and how they do not all have the same rule. I found it interesting how they did spelling tests for you. Spelling tests in my school had us write the words that we heard the teacher say. The teacher also gave a sentence example of the word in a sentence too.

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This is a picture of me at around 1st grade. This was the age when my understanding moved from only learning how words are pronounced to how they should be structured when placed together.

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I also remember outlining sentences for nouns and verbs! With those activities, my teacher would play Schoolhouse Rock videos to help us. "The Tale of Mr. Morton" comes to mind.

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Me (middle front) sitting on my dads lap in his brother’s house on a family vacation

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One of the most pivotal moments of learning grammar for me was a family vacation where we went to visit my dad’s hometown in Etna, Maine. I was old enough to start paying attention to how people spoke, and it was kind of shocking how different the vernacular was there. New England accents were also difficult for me to understand at the time, especially in a rural area pretty far north. It was the first time I think I really understood that there is a huge diversity in the way that people speak English, even in my own family.

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Sorry this took so long, I was having Internet trouble! I also had those workbooks in elementary school, and I remember each level book was a different color. My teacher was really into teaching English and she used to give out prizes to kids who worked really hard on them or did more than what was assigned.

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Thanks everyone for sharing your first experiences with grammar. I find it interesting that each of you could recall your elementary experiences with grammar. It has me wondering if there was a focus on grammar in high school? I am looking forward to learning alongside each of you this semester.

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This photo illustrates both home and UD community. Not only do we both go to the University of Delaware together, but we are also neighbors, and have grown up together.

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Conversation between my friend and I about seeing her at my job (Bath and Body Works) and little talk about her new job as CNA. 

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What I noticed about the grammar and language usage is that it was just us naturally talking. Most of the time, it wasn't in "proper" sentences. In other words, we do not always talk the way that we write. Looking back at the recording reminds me back to what was read in the course textbook, "Grammar to get things done" where it shared, "Descriptive grammar approaches encourages students to analyze both their own and others' language use in order to identify patterns and rules," (Crovitz, D., & Devereaux, M, P. 9). It does reflect on my understanding of mainstream English because we all try to "talk correctly" or similar to the way we would write it depending on who we are around. The article, "Teaching English in the World" voiced how a student in an English class was ashamed of not having "the proper English" and thought that determined her intelligence (Lindblom, 2006). From reading this article, I learned that not talking in 100% proper grammar and English is okay and doesn't determine intelligence or understanding. The fact that everyone talks differently, having unique vocabulary, etc is what makes us, us.

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This is a photo of my best friend Alana and I. We have been best friends and gone to the same school since 6th grade, and are now also roomates at UD!

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I have to totally agree that so much of our English speaking is solely conversational. I find this interesting with us learning a second language-- many times we learn formally and not conversationally, which is why we struggle when hearing native speakers talk because they talk the way we native English speakers do on a daily basis.

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One of my best friends I met this year at UD. Because my first year was completely virtual due to COVID, it has been my first year on campus and back in early September I was re-thinking all my decisions coming to UD. But, quickly, she became my rock and made this school like a home to me <3

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As mentioned in the prior entry, the microphone to my laptop does not work, so you cannot hear the conversation I had with my best friend on FaceTime. But nonetheless, here is a synopsis of what we talked about. For context, this is my best friend of 13 years, and we both grew up in the mountains of northern New Jersey. During our call, we joked about our hometown and what our childhood friends are doing now. And like Olivia mentioned in her post, we spoke conversationally, not formally, with lots of abbreviations, mispronounced words, and "improper" grammar in our speech. However, what I was noticing is how the regional culture we grew up in influences our dialect and what we choose to talk about. I had no idea until about a month ago that we grew up along the Appalachian Trail, which made me reflect why we say certain words the way we subconsciously do or refer to things no other Northerners do, like us having a "Mamaw" or "Gags [Gah-gs]" instead of a typical "Grandma." As mentioned in "Grammar in the World", people often feel ashamed of their conversational English, and how the author stopped receiving letters from his friend once he switched to being an English major because of his fear of getting judged for his writing (Lindblom, 1-2). I resonate with this because when I moved to New York for high school, I felt that the upper middle class/upper class kids would judge me for how I spoke and wrote due to the education I had from where I grew up. I even remember trying so hard during assignments and exams to sound "affluent" in my writing and thought my teachers would buy it, but received many markings on my papers for "trying too hard." Tan's anecdote on how he learned to write simply so that his mother, who was not fluent in English, could say that his writing was "'easy to read'" ("Mother", 4) resonated with how I am starting to shift my own writing from "trying too hard" to sound like I came from an affluent, "proper" background to writing how I think I would speak in real life, which makes it all the more authentic and "easier" to read.

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This photo illustrates my home here at UD. This is my roommate, Kristen, who I have become so close with. We have so much fun and we are best friends!

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Unfortunately, my laptop will not let me upload the audio of my conversation with my roommate, Kristen but I will provide a summary of the conversation. Recruitment for sororities is going on this week and next week so I recorded us having a conversation about that. In this conversation, I noticed we used a lot of shortened words and slang that most people who weren't involved in Greek Life wouldn't understand. However, to both she and I, the words made perfect sense, almost like how to Amy Tan, her "mother's English was perfectly clear, perfectly natural" (Tan, 1). I noticed our accents in the recording as well; Kristen having a southern Delaware accent while mine was a Long Island one. One word I said that exemplified my accent was the word "water ", which actually sounds like "wood-er" coming from my mouth. Much like in Kenneth Lindbolm's 'Teaching English in the World', where he explains that important questions were raised "about the options we English teachers have for designing our curricula in response to language evolution" (Lindbolm, 93), being roommates with Kristen has made me more aware of my linguistic style. I know am more conscious of my accent and the way that I speak since the way that we both speak is so different.

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I completely understand how you feel about being judged for how you speak. As some one with a relatively strong New York accent, I have had my fair share of comments from friends regarding the way I speak. I think the best thing to remember is that as long as the English you are using is proper, it shouldn't matter how you speak.

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I love how you went into detail and shared the differences of language and pronunciations! I also used to know someone who pronounced simple words far different than I did. Interesting that different states and places in the US influence the way we talk when it comes to speech, slang, and pronunciation.

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My boyfriend and I holding our rescue python Monty

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This is a photo of my boyfriend Jacob and I with one of our rescued pets. While we don’t live together yet, we both drive at least 2 hours every week to see each other, and whether I’m at his place or mine, it still feels like home to me. I think a big part of what makes somewhere home are the people and animals who also live there. Jacob and I have 6 exotic pets at the moment, 4 of which are rescues. We hope to someday run a rehab and adoption service for exotic pets ourselves, and our mutual love for animals is a big part of what brought us together in the first place. I don’t think anywhere would feel like home without him, or our weird little family of pets.

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My conversation was with my boyfriend about the things we have to do today, specifically involving our animals. I think it definitely fits with my idea of mainstream English, especially since Jacob and I are from the same area and have a lot of the same mannerisms while speaking. We’ve also been together a long time, and talking with him feels easy and natural (even if the recording feels a little awkward).

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Olivia Sonson- Discussion Facilitator for Hillbilly Elegy

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Olivia Sonson- Discussion Facilitator for Hillbilly Elegy

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Question 1: Vance shared with us that he felt that he could be more himself in Jackson, Kentucky where he felt recognized. Are there places where you feel more yourself at? What makes these places more special than others?

Question 2: After reading the first couple of chapters, we learn Vance's language (i.e. "mamaw" "crawdads" "papaw"). How does this differ from your language?

Question 3: Going back to question 2, how would Vance's language be viewed in a school setting that only focuses on "correct grammar"? Why is it important to understand the concept of understanding over correctness in a school/learning environment?

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1. I love this question. I actually can relate immensely to Vance because I always felt I could be more of my authentic self in my hometown in New Jersey than when I spent my teen years on Long Island, NY. I think it's because in my hometown, everybody in my inner circle was of the same socioeconomic class and of similar backgrounds and we all felt safe with one another. We all could relate to each other. But, when I moved to New York, I could not relate to most of the kids around me being from a higher socioeconomic status, which always made me feel inferior because I was never fully comfortable in my own skin. Now that I moved to Delaware, I luckily found friends I love so much and can be authentically myself because it reminds me of my friends in my hometown, thus providing me comfort.

2. I can actually also relate to Vance with this question because I had a Mamaw [ma'am-aw] myself. Mamaw was my neighbor's grandmother and the only true grandmother figure I had in my life who taught me many life lessons, like basic manners and the importance of prayer before dinner (although I can say I am not entirely sure these habits I picked up from her resonate now HAHA). However, I did grow up in the North, so much of the dialect Vance includes in his memoir is of authentic southern twang, which I can relate to here and there, but it is, of course, different.

3. This is an intriguing question. I think it is important to never belittle the use of "improper" grammar, especially in speech, in more professional environments, such as school-- especially if it is a K-12 environment. I remember saying so many things that would get criticized by authorities, like teachers, but it was simply due to what I was hearing around me in my home and social life and became a sort of identity for me. I often felt they really weren't "teaching" me grammar correctness, but rather just being condescending. Teaching "correct grammar" is crucial preparedness, and a bite of reality, for the work life we all have to endure at some point of our lives. However, much of the "incorrect" grammar Vance uses in his memoir is tied to his culture and his version of American life, which is something he should be proud of as a part of his identity (and mentioned he was proud of eventually).

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1. There is absolutely places where I feel more myself at. A few I can think of are at my Grandparent's condo in Florida, my Grandparent's house, my Aunt's house, and of course my house. There is something about famililarity that will always bring out my true self. Yes, it's good to venture out of your comfort zone but at the same time, your comfort zone has the word comfort in it for a reason. I think the reason I feel most myself in Florida is because 1. I feel close to my Grandparents (they have both passed away unfortunately) and 2. no one knows me there. I don't feel the need to put on a facade or look a certain way. I can just exist.

2. It differs from my language significantly because it defineately has a more southern, country sound to it. Being from New York, Long Island specifically, I speak with an accent that is more so a stereotypical New Yorker's. I also don't use words like Mamaw and Papaw, I say Grandma and Grandpa instead.

3. His language would be viewed as incorrect. I believe it is important to understand the concept of understanding over correctness because the way that someone speaks is due to their culture. When you try and have them break their speaking habits, you are stripping them of their culture.

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As someone from Long Island, I am sorry to hear that the people there made you feel inferior. I'm glad that you feel comfortable in your own skin now again! It's important that we stay true to ourselves no matter where we are.

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1. I definitely feel more at home when I'm around my family members, or up in Maine with my dad's family. I think a lot of it has to do with familiarity. People are more comfortable in places they recognize and feel safe in, and I will always feel that way around my family, much like Vance himself.

2. I really like the comparison of what people call their parents and grandparents in different places. I've always said "mommom" and "poppop," which is pretty similar to Vance's "mamaw" and "papaw," but when my mom remarried, we called my stepdad's parents "grandmom" and "granddad," which felt really weird and different from what I was used to at the time.

3. I think that his language in a school setting would probably be viewed similarly to the Verdelle story we read a the beginning of the week. I think that understanding is so much more important than technical correctness, because people come from different places and learn different ways of speaking, and no amount of grammar rules and worksheets will change the fact that English is just as diverse as the population of people who speak it.

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I totally agree; I don't mind leaving my comfort zone every now and then, but I definitely love being in my comfort zone and feeling safe and happy, and I usually feel that way around my family too.

I also think its really cool that we have almost opposite experiences with what we call our grandparents, even though I'm also from the north compared to Vance. I think maybe it has to to with what kind of area you're from. I grew up in a really rural area, so that might be why some of the language I've grown up with is similar to Vance's language, while Long Island is mostly urban and suburban.

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1. I found myself relating to Vance in some ways. Growing up with a Dad in the military, I moved every few years and I never felt that I had a hometown. I spent my summers at my grandparent's in Beckley, WV. They owned a daycare where I hung out with other kids and I had relatives that worked there. Beckley was where I felt I could most be myself because it was the only place where people knew who I was, they had watched me grow up. People in Appalachia are also the kindest you will ever meet so I automatically feel more comfortable around people with the accent. In my family, if we encounter a kind stranger, we refer to them as a "Beckley person."

2. I once took the NYT dialect quiz and when I saw the results, the whole map was red. My accent doesn't fit a certain region likely because of my upbringing, but it changes depending on who I'm around. After a summer in Beckley or when I'm home for break, I probably sounded a little more like Vance.

3. Appalachia is known mostly from its stereotypes in pop culture, that people there are backward or unintelligent. This stereotype absolutely impacts the view of their language. In a classroom setting, this can cause students to feel insecure and less likely to participate. When teaching grammar, it's important that students understand that there is no standard English. In professional writing, there are expectations that should be taught, but spoken grammar should not be policed.

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I thought your comparison of grandparent names was really interesting, I can see the similarities. When I say mommom and poppop with an accent it sounds like mamaw and papaw so I wonder if that was their etymology.

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1. There are many places where I feel more like myself. My top place would probabbly be the pool during the summer because I associate it with so many amazing and happy memories i have made there with my friends. I also feel more like myself when I am at the beach, more specifically dewey beach. Something about sitting in the sun and listening to the sound of the waves makes me feel relaxed and stress free.

2. My language differs greatly from Vances because he has more of a southern accent where as since I' m from maryland , I don't have an accent. However similar to Vance, I also do not use the words grandma and grandpa. I use Nana and Papou (greek word for grandfather).

3. In a school setting Vance's language would not be seen as "correct grammar". It's very important to understand the factors that can effect "correct grammer". Just because Vance's language is effected by where he is from, doesn't mean that it is incorrect and there should be a greater understanding of why his language is different.

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Caroline Huxsoll - Discussion Facilitator

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Caroline Huxsoll - Discussion Facilitator

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Question 1: Vance talked about what it was like to see Middletown change. Have you observed any changes to your hometown?

Question 2: Vance noticed that lawyers and the judge in the courtroom had “TV accents” and felt a kinship to other families in the court that shared his accent. Have you ever experienced this kinship?

Question 3: Is there a way to teach grammar without undertones of classism?

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1. I have observed changes in my hometown. I have lived in the same town, Delaware City, for all of my life ever since I was a young child. Over that time I have seen several things change. People come and go, friends move, new people show up, etc. There are even changes to the town itself with new buildings and businesses coming while older buildings are taken down or renovated. Many changes have occurred over the years.

2. I have never personally experienced this. I don't think that I have any kind of distinct accent or sound to my voice so I've never connected with other people through that. I don't tend to think about those kinds of things very much.

3. I think there is a way to teach about grammar without undertones of classism by covering a broad array of different cultural grammar types. Kind of like this class is doing, I think undertones of classism will always be an issue but it is even more of an issue if only one form of speech is focused on while ignoring the rest.

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1. I feel more myself not necessarily in certain places but more so around certain people. The area I'm in doesn't matter as much as the people who I am with. I feel more myself with friends or even just people that are welcoming and friendly. It wouldn't matter where I was.

2. This language differs a lot from my own. I never use any of those terms or words. While I have heard them used before by other people or in media and I understand what they mean, they are simply just not how I personally speak. So it is quite a big difference.

3. His speech would be seen as very inappropriate and perhaps even uneducated in a school that solely focuses on "proper grammar." This is why it is important to be understanding of different forms of grammar because just if people speak differently does not mean they should be thought of as less than.

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1. The beach is a great choice. I also really enjoy the summer beach/poolside vibe. I can definitely see that as being a freeing setting where someone can feel more like themself.

2. My language also differs from Vance's however, I don't have a MD accent like you. That's neat. It's also very interesting that you have different terms for your grandparents based in Greek.

3. I wrote basically the same thing for this question. It's very true that just because a certain kind of grammar isn't seen as "proper" doesn't mean it is bad. All forms of grammar are important and should be respected.

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Kaine, I have to agree with you that Question 3 has much to do with this class and what we are slowly, yet surely learning about what we know about grammar. We constantly think about the separation between "formal" and "conversational" grammar and how our culture conditioned us to view grammar in a certain way.

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1. I have definitely seen massive changes to my hometown, just as Vance had with Middletown. Growing up in the section that I lived in, most of my memories were of empty lots and a run-down strip of town that was adjacent to a clear view of the railroad tracks. Then, just as I was moving to New York in my early teens, I saw the deli that was the only shop open in the strip of town close down and turn into specialty restaurants and the empty lots turn into steakhouses and markets, blocking my beloved view of the tracks. Gentrification is a very real thing and, perhaps, has more cons than pros depending on one's socioeconomic class. It brings a deepening sadness to think of how my town used to be in its desolate nature and how it is now, but I am glad it brought more commerce to the area.

2. My extended family comes from all different states, so all my life I heard a blend of accents. What I have noticed is that there always will be more of a "kinship" with certain family members who come from a certain state/area that share a similar dialect apart from the rest of my family, like my relatives bonding more with relatives in Boston versus those in Cape Cod.

3. I am not an education major, but if I were to become a teacher, I would absolutely stress the importance of separating predisposed biases associated with grammar. Classism ties so much into the way that someone was taught the English language and how it is expressed in their writing and speech. To tell a student who grew up like Vance did-- middle/lower middle (working) class-- that they are speaking improperly because of the way they picked up grammar from their environment, it is absolutely classist and actually discourages the student to want to keep learning more "formal" grammar. Without this separation of predisposed biases with grammar, then there would always be a resentment toward the English education.

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For question 2, I have a similar experience with my extended family. All of my extended family on my mom's side lives near eachother in delaware, while my immediate family lives in Maryland. Similar to you, I have noticed how my family in delaware has more of a
"kinship " and close bond to eachother, than I do since they get to spend more time together.

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1. Honestly, I have not experienced much change to my hometown. I have lived i severna park Marykand since I was 3 and everything is still very similar to how it was back then. I still have the same neighbors, who I have always been very close with, and the same normal stores and local businesses around me. There has been a few new stores added, but the ones I always go to have been there for years.

2. Most of the extended family on my mom's side all live in delaware, where as me and my immediate family live in Maryland. I have always noticed that my family that lives in delaware has more of a kinship with eachother, then they do towards us.

3. Yes there is definitely a way to teach grammar without undertones of classism. It is very important for teachers to start incorporating the importance of different cultures and languages when teaching grammar.

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First, shout out to Olivia for amazing questions! Great job everyone making connections to personal experiences to Vance. As you all continue, I want to see more direct connections to the text. Again, overall, great job! I look forward to the next entry.

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1. I haven't noticed too many changes. The main changes would be in my neighborhood development. When I first moved in with my family, there was a lot of open farm field around us that is now filled with new homes! Looking specifically at my town, its the same as its always been.
2. I have not experienced hearing many accents different from mine. If anything its more of the use of vocabulary and language that is different. For example, I have family located in the Washington and Pittsburgh, PA and they say hoogies over subs.
3. I think one of the important things when it comes to teaching grammar without undertones of classism is to be open to the amount of different languages and use of vocabulary out there. The language that's used with Vance and his family, for example, is completely different from my own language. However, I understand everything that he is saying.

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I also do not have much changes in my hometown either. I like the point that you made that teachers should incorporate different cultures and languages when teaching grammar. It would make the learning experience more relatable and beneficial for the students.

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1. I have definitely observed changes in my hometown. Growing up in Massapequa, I noticed that my town was predominantly white. However, as the years went on, our town became more diverse and home to a variety of people from different backgrounds. In addition, there have been countless changes to the shops we have, as old ones close and new ones open.

2. I have experienced this a lot, as any time I meet another person from Long Island, we bond over the different words people make fun of us for the way we say them. Being from New York, we say words like chocolate, coffee, and water different than most people which others tend to pick up on.

3. I think the way to teach grammar without classism is to teach all types of grammar to students. By including all different types, you are being inclusive, well-rounded, and not ignoring one type in particular.

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Response to Olivia Sonson - Emily Painton

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Response to Olivia Sonson - Emily Painton

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Hi Olivia. I find it interesting that you bring up the fact that there are different words used for the same thing throughout the country and that it is not always about accents. One that I can think of that Long Islanders/New Yorkers say differently than other people is we say that people wait ON line, not in line.

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1. I still technically live in my hometown, but I've moved to the more urban area of it. I was raised in a very rural area of Dover, almost into Hartly, and in the past few years there has been a lot of land development around there. It's made the area much more crowded and taken away the charm of living somewhere peaceful and, in my opinion, very pretty. I remember having sprawling fields behind my house, that stretched nearly all the way to my aunt's neighborhood. Now that space is taken up by new neighborhoods and cookie-cutter houses. Sometimes I'm glad I don't live around there anymore, because I think it would make me sad to see how much it's changed since I moved.

2. I always feel a sort of connection with people who have a New England accent on TV. While I was raised in Delaware, my family is from rural Maine, and my dad's accent is still pretty heavy. Because I don't get to see that side of my family very often, it's nice to hear an accent similar to my dad's on TV, and makes our family feel a little closer to home.

3. I think that teaching "proper" English is still really important for students to develop their language skills, but I think it's equally important for teachers to understand and accept that diverse English comes from students' cultures, and this diversity should be treated as an interesting deviation from the "norm", not as something that needs to be corrected or insulted.

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I love your answer for question 3! I think it would be really beneficial for students to learn about the diversity of the English language and the cultures that diversity stems from, and I also think that teaching students that it's okay to speak English differently would lead to more acceptance for non-"proper" English speakers in schools and the workplace in the future.

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Great discussion everyone! Great job, Caroline, for starting the discussion with such strong questions. It was great to read the discussion. The only feedback I have for this group, is to add more quotes from the text. I look forward to the next discussion.

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Thank you!

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Question 1: A huge portion of the chapters involve Vance exposing the drug abuse that his mother endured pre-, during, and (especially) post-Papaw's death. Does this resonate with a family experience / something in your personal life? Drug / substance abuse knows no socioeconomic boundaries. Of course, share with your own level of comfort. Feel free to be vague out of discretion.

Question 2: Another common subject brought up in the chapters was Vance's personal ties to Christianity with a sort of teetering resentment (from Mamaw), yet connected love for his religion. How did this influence his perception of his surroundings and how he was culturally raised in Southern Appalachia and the Midwest? Do his views also resonate with you, or do they differ?

Question 3: Vance briefly mentions his observations of a show exposing the disparity in the American education system, and then personally ties it to his own experiences with education. He felt as though, because of his upbringing where working for basic needs and surviving were prioritized over academics, he felt outcasted in academia due to his home life. How can schools accommodate their students to teach them in a way that suits their environment? How does this connect to Appalachian dialect and classism within the school environment?

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1. I won't go into personal details but my family has definitely had experiences with certain substance abuses. It is true that drug/substance abuse is not specific to any one group of people and can involve anyone at any time.
2. This influenced his perception by wanting to encourage more religion, as it could very well be a good thing. I do, in fact, resonate with his views became I myself am a very religious person and I have always been an advocate for it. Of course I respect everyone's beliefs but I will never deny that religion is a good thing to fall back on if you feel like you have nothing. However, that it just my personal opinion on the matter.
3. Schools can accommodate their students by keeping in mind that each students comes from a different background and to try and be mindful of each one that a student comes from. This connects to Appalachian dialect and classism in school because it just goes to show that not everyone is the same and uses the same language or comes from the same background so it is important to not neglect one certain group.

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1. No comment, but I do agree that substance abuse holds no socioeconomic boundaries, as anyone can get involved in it.

2. This influence his surroundings due to his Mamaw. Vance asked her, "Mamaw does God love us?" and looked up to her viewpoints. She believed in Christianity, but added her own rules to things as well. I think this is why Vance in a way was trying to make full sense of it. Vance's views are similar as I was raised by views from a Catholic perspective, and also from my parents' own personal views.

3. Schools need to be more open about the different backgrounds that are expressed in a school setting. Specifically, teachers should take some time to learn something about each students' background so it could be incorporated into lessons (appropriately). This connects to classism as it happens everywhere and not just where Vance is from.

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I agree that schools need to be more aware of the different backgrounds of their students. I think that they can take time to learn about the backgrounds and find ways to incorporate into their lesson plans to make it a fun opportunity, and in a way, for other students in the class to get a chance to learn something about one another.

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1. I won’t go into details, but I certainly understand the difficulty of seeing someone you care about fighting addiction. I wholeheartedly agree that it knows no socioeconomic boundaries. This aspect of Vance’s story really made me empathize with him, because while my own mother isn’t like his at all, there are definitely people I have been close with that have fought or are still fighting that fight.

2. Vance views religion as something he should be able to understand and make sense of in his own world, which I think is why he looks up to Mamaw’s views. I personally was raised Protestant, but no longer go to church and practice my faith privately, which is what feels best for me. My fiancé is Catholic, but has never tried to push that religion on me, and has always been accepting of my own religious views, which like Vance’s are a combination of the views of my family and what I was taught in church growing up.

3. I think that schools need to be less objective and more subjective when it comes to teaching. The different ways that students have been raised and taught should be thought about and incorporated into curriculum, not stamped out. This would create a more equal environment for students to learn and prepare themselves for the lives they want, not the lives they think are inevitable, like Vance. He sees school as something he has to get through before joining the working class workforce, because that’s what he’s grown up seeing. However, this is a major issue all over the country, not just Appalachia.

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I love the idea of teachers taking the time to learn about the different backgrounds and cultures of their students. I feel like this would make school so much more inviting and inclusive to students. I also resonated with your response on the religion question, as my personal religious views are a mix between my Protestant teachings and my own family upbringing.

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Question 1: Substance abuse has not personally affected my family but I know many that it has. I agree that substance abuse can affect people of any socioeconomic class, but it is undeniable that the poor are the ones that suffer the most. Addiction is a coping mechanism and this country's poor deal with insecurities and stressors that many Americans don't even have to think about.

Question 2: I think the most interesting thing about this book is how Vance chooses to present his childhood and the people in it. I believe that he views it from a conservative lens considering his (Trumpy) politics so it is not surprising that he talks about Christianity (not that there is anything wrong with religion). I have a lot of feelings about this man I could rant about lol.

Question 3: This is a really difficult question because as teachers we can create a perfectly safe and comforting school environment, but cannot control students' home lives. This is why I think it's important for teachers to teach where they live, this way they can better understand their students' experiences and struggles and can be a better support to them. It is these struggles that make it so important for schools to provide additional resources like free lunch and breakfast and afterschool environments. Students cannot learn if they feel unstable.

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Hi Kerilynn! I agree with what you said about factoring student experience into the curriculum. People learn best when they can relate to the stories they read. Skills taught in school must be applicable to work experiences they may have in the future. I really like the textbook for this class because of the approachable and creative activities for students in it. I have been making notes in my copy to update prompts and could see myself someday using them to teach grammar.

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1. I don't really want to share any details, but my family has had a good amount of experience with substance abuse. It really shows just how much one person's decisions can impact the whole family.

2. Vance's views of religion influenced his surroundings because his mamaw's views on religion. He questioned her about God and wanted to understand they way she thought. My views are somewhat similar to Vance's because my religious views were impacted by my parents. My mom grew up Lutheran because of her parents. However, even though my dad is baptized Catholic, he does not practice his faith and has no belief in my mom's views. Since there is such a difference between my parents views, my views grew to be somewhere in the middle of theirs. Some things I agree with my mom about, while other's I agree with my dad.

3. Schools can accomadate for their students by keeping in mind how they all come from different backgrounds and are exposed to a variety of different environments. They should base the currriculum around these factors to make sure everyone is included and learning to the best of their abilities. No student should be negleted because of their different background. This connects to  classism because it shows it happens everywhere, not just the appalachian population.

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I like what you were saying about teacher's teaching where they live, however, I think there's a lot more to it. To expland on to that, teachers should also be aware of the different environemnts each of their studnts is exposed to. Even though they all may live in a similar area, they all have different home lives/environments. When teacher's know about the different home environments, it helps them to be better equippped when teaching their students.

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First, I want to begin by thanking Ava for her questions. Asking your classmates to be vulnerable is great engagement AND there is space to respond in a way that is comfortable for all. I am proud of each of you for knowing your limits. I do have one wondering for you all to think about as you continue on this journey of reading this book. Do you believe that Black English is viewed in the same way as Appalachian English?

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I am slightly familiar with the language of black/brown students as one of my close friends is biracial, and his language is "informal" with slang. Additionally, I noticed that it was informal at my high school (pictured above) with the way they talked as well. I saw the language mostly in school settings and sometimes when hanging around friends. When first hearing their language, it was different compared to mine as around strangers I talk more formally as they were "informally".

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Pictured above is one of my great friends from high school, Neil, and is someone who also attends UD. Growing up where I lived in New Jersey where it was predominantly conservative white, I was barely exposed to POC culture and the language/grammar the black community used besides pop radio and when the white kids began playing rap in school. However, when I moved to New York for high school where it was then predominantly POC, I quickly became friends with Neil and we were partners in many clubs together (like the yearbook photo) and he introduced me to black culture and opened my eyes to appreciating things outside of my white-world view. He introduced me to amazing art like A Tribe Called Quest, who produced songs that utilized African American dialect in ways I've never heard before, discussing subjects such as racism that I never saw first-hand until I moved to NY. He also introduced me to other art like Radio Raheem's story of "Love and Hate" from the iconic film, "Do the Right Thing." Being exposed to such a different cultural world of mine/general diversity was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Spending four years of my teen life in this diverse environment also taught me more about my whiteness, like why the white community should not use AAVE (African American Vernacular English) in their dialect as a means of being respectful to the black community (when, in fact, I see many white people on the Internet use AAVE as a way to be "funny"). Without being exposed to such diversity, I do not think I would understand as much about black and brown grammar/English as I would now and I am continuing to learn.

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I have to definitely agree that most of my exposure to black/brown grammar was through school. It was a culture shock, but also a great learning experience to hear a different group speak the same language, but with their own dialect and slang, which can be defined by many whites as "informal" English.

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This is a picture of my high school and to be completely honest, I really don't have that much experience with the language of people of color. This school was predominantly white, with a small percentage of hispanic students and only 5 students who were black during my time in the school. For the most part, it seemed we all spoke the same way. I wasn't exposed to much of their home language. The only thing I remember noticing is the hispanic students would say some words in Spanish or with an accent.

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I really don't know much about the home grammar(s) and language of Black and Brown people/students. Anything that I do know and usually see the language and grammar(s) comes from pop culture, such as shows and music.

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Hi Ava. I found it interesting that you said that once you moved to NY, you were introduced to more POC. I find that interesting because I have lived in NY my whole life and was hardly ever around any POC, so it's interesting to see how things can be so different in the same place.

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From left to right: my friends Chandana, Nicole, and Ciana Fe, with me in the front middle

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Above is a photo of me with my three best friends in high school. I grew up in Dover and went to Dover High School, which is primarily populated by people of color. This allowed me to have a very diverse understanding of English and the English language from a young age, especially through growing up with these three wonderful people. We were always at each other’s houses and around each other’s families, and through that we all developed a deep understanding of each other’s language practices and speech habits. Going to a school that was only 25% white gave me a very different view of how I imagine many white people experience the language of people of color, because for me “black English” was a majority of what I heard pretty much everywhere except my house.

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I also see a lot of language and other culture from people of color in pop culture and media, definitely way more than I used to. I think it’s really cool that you’ve taken those elements of pop culture as a way to understand something that you’ve had limited experience with, since that really shows the positive aspects of media and technology.

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I loved that you had the opportunity to be around a diverse community. I would say my high school was more 50% white and 50% other races. Did you notice a difference of speech between other races?

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This is a photo of my friends and I. My friend group comprises of people from all different backgrounds and nationalities. I myself am a white English speaking man. Many of my friends are Latino/a and speak both English and Spanish. We all have different cultures and backgrounds. Through them I have learned a lot about different culture's grammar and language. We all speak in different ways and with different forms of slang, etc. I am also constantly around them and their families while they speak Spanish together. I feel like I have learned a lot through my friends because of our different cultures. I may not speak the different languages that they do but I have picked up on some of the grammar and words to where I can occasionally understand they're different tongues.