Teachers should learn how to speak in Ebonics if teaching in a community where it is prevalent.

Also, i like Doc Holliday as well! Language is indeed one of the primary means of instruction in institutions of learning, however linguistic disparities should be embraced only in so much as is necessary to correct the disparities, and will prove such throughout this discourse. The concept that any language/dialect let alone Ebonics or "African American Vernacular English" be condoned as a method of communication within our education system is a step in the wrong direction. It is concurrent that whether or not this system of communication is to be considered a language or dialect is irrelevant; however the study referencing Inuit students is also of questionable relevancy for several reasons. First, comparing a inarticulate pattern of speaking like Ebonics to any established language (such as Inuktitut, Spanish or Swedish) might make sense to a linguist, but with a more thorough examination the two are incomparable. One reason is the history of these languages, all of these languages have been spoken for a thousand or more years, as opposed to Ebonics which at most has been around for a few hundred ( realistically much less in defined form). A second reason is while the study proves a few points most would view as common sense, e. g. learning multiple languages early in life expands mental capabilities and self-esteem, it does not support any hypothesis that students can gain anything from speaking Ebonics. While such studies would seem indicative of a necessity to embrace minority languages, Ebonics would not be supported as such as a case, it is not a language of progress, nor does it offer us a rich history or fresh outlook. I would intensely argue that African American Vernacular English, as socio-linguists choose to call this inadequate and limiting dialect, is invalid, ungrammatical and the speaking of it while somewhat lucrative in a limited market revolving around keeping uneducated people (of any race) from paying attention to the "real" world, is without merit. If as my opponent suggests, no language is more sound or logical or even "superior" to another, what can we learn from scholars and educated individuals who choose Ebonics as their medium? It is fact that the stories of El Cid are more compelling in Spanish, or that Voltaire's Candid stirs more emotion when read in French, should we translate these classics into Ebonics because a small portion of our society can't be held accountable for keeping up with the most mundane and undemanding education? We would certainly have to translate our holy texts to save their souls, I'm sure a lot would be lost in translation from the Quran's natural and necessary Arabic to "AAVE", no this is a ridiculous notion. This new dialect of a counter-culture of uneducated youth reared by uneducated adults (whom statistically would be extremely against this notion, because they know Ebonics won't help their children get jobs), does not contain the necessary components to convey essential ambiguous messages about defined thoughts and concepts that are more than simple pragmatics. The thought that we must train our teachers in certain areas to speak to children that come from homes where apparently parents cannot do their jobs, is irrational and unnecessary, if we follow through we would soon find that our Asian, Spanish, Arabic (simplification of course, this would include all tribal languages), Russian, communities would all need to their own programs too. In Texas there is a much more pressing issue with the Spanish language that resembles the Ebonics dispute, however the conditions are vastly different, considering there is around 5.5 million children from Spanish dominant households in our education system. Many states experience over 100% jumps in students with a genuine need to learn English, as they have had very little to no exposure before entering our schools, every 5 years. While Linguists (such as John Rickford of Stanford) that support the integration of methods as my opponent advocates have seen some successes, it is not conclusive evidence of the need for AAVE to be supported at all in the culture of our education system. Our society must get away from the concept of "no child left behind" mentalities that seem to be a noble at first glance, however with closer examination is proven to be lowering our education standards and creating an education system that is less than what we should deem sufficient, if we can gain nothing academically from exploring Ebonics then why should we waste time with it? In conclusion, while it may seem pedagogically sound to donate time towards this endeavor; there are much more efficient and better methods to educate these youths to be productive citizens in our society, as well as many more pressing problems our education system is faced with today. Our focus should be on compelling compliance with societies norms (both by students and also their parents, potentially outreach programs are a better place for AAVE to English classes) instead of becoming complacent and supportive of divisions within our classrooms, speaking a dialect of the dominant language, while creating a long list of abbreviations and constantly referencing rap songs is not a language, it's a slang of no worth and should be stamped out (in schools) to give these children a better shot at life. . http://usliberals.about.com... . http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca... . http://en.wikipedia.org... . . http://www.tea.state.tx.us... . http://linguistlist.org... . http://www.makestupidityhistory.org... . http://www.pbs.org... . http://mises.org... . http://en.wikipedia.org... . http://www.stanford.edu...