Black Conservative Group Blasts Ebonics Plan for California Schools

[johnnymk]

(CNSNews.com) - A black conservative group is criticizing a controversial pilot program in San Bernardino, Calif., schools that would inject "Ebonics" slang into the schools' curriculum.

The project, known as SANKOFA or Students Accumulating New Knowledge Optimizing Future Accomplishment Initiative, is designed to improve the academic performance of black students by keeping them interested in their studies.

But black conservative group Project 21 said the program will do more harm than good.

"Teaching Ebonics, which is nothing more than urban slang, will not provide a means for an individual to acquire a job," said Project 21 member Michael King in a statement.

"It will not help someone maintain a living. It will not provide an individual with the skills necessary to compete in an academic setting, let alone a professional setting. It does absolutely nothing positive for those to whom it is taught. I don't see professors trying to justify hacker geek-speak or online shorthand as their own separate language!" King said.

Sankofa, an African word from the Akan language currently spoken in Ghana is translated as "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today."

But that has nothing to do, Project 21 said, with Ebonics. The group called it the "legitimization of modern urban American slang" and warned that it would "harm the professional development of black children if it is put on the same level as Standard English."

"There are some who would prefer the San Bernardino school system and other schools throughout the United States take the easy way out by sending our children into the world without a grasp of basic English skills," Kevin Martin, a member of the group, said in a statement.

"This is a disservice to the black community that will severely limit our children's skills in the job market," said Martin. "This is a prime example of what people call 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.'"

But San Bernardino School District official Len Cooper doesn't see it that way. He said while he understands that there is a "negative stigma" attached to Ebonics, the program the school district will be using is "affirming."

California State University sociology professor Mary Texeira, a supporter of the use of Ebonics, said the school district's program does not go far enough and Ebonics "should be considered a foreign language." She said the students "should be taught like other students who speak a foreign

[MrGreg]

Thas wack, yo!


I'd much rather see them teaching Jive (ala "Airplane"). I would have taken a class in Jive.

[Markel]

I'd much rather see them teaching Jive (ala "Airplane"). I would have taken a class in Jive.
Is there a difference? I always considered Ebonics to be a "formalized" jive.

I think they should have just called the plan "Students Accumulating New Knowledge Accomplishment" so it could be abbreviated SANKA, the decaffeinated education. :hihi:

[brain]

Thas wack, yo!


I'd much rather see them teaching Jive (ala "Airplane"). I would have taken a class in Jive.

Did you know that particular scene was improvised?

[nickel]

ffs :rolleyes:

[MrGreg]

I saw Jive as cool, hip speak spoken by choice by people who were hip...
and ebonics as uneducated broken language spoken by people who don't know how (or care enough) to use proper english. I know that's not a very clear distinction.

[eSDee]

Only a matter of time until the Spanglish class starts also :hehehmm:

[Hiro]

ffs :rolleyes:
:stupid:

I'm just waiting for Bill Cosby to open this one up. I love that man more and more every year, and not just for Jell-O commercials.

[DarkFury]

Geez... when will they ever let go of this idea of teaching "urban living".

It's a Black thang... why you trying to understand it? :heh:

[mcs328]

Didn't they try this and it failed miserably.

[Grimm]

This is what we get for seriously underfunding education in California. All the compitant school administrators left long ago. Now we are stuck with nutjobs like this.


Didn't they try this and it failed miserably.
I would consider a program like this that suceeded to be a failure. :(

[Burzhui]

that's stupid, i agree with the black conservative group. If the kids don't have insterest in learning train them to be mcdonalds employees and janitors which they will be if they quickly don't gain that interest

[InfiniteNothing]

Seems like a fun elective but it probably shouldn't be in the main curriculum.

[psycho-]

that's stupid, i agree with the black conservative group. If the kids don't have insterest in learning train them to be mcdonalds employees and janitors which they will be if they quickly don't gain that interest


Hey, the world needs McDonalds employees, gardeners, maids and janitors. I sure as hell wouldn't do that work.

[molecularfire]

I can't believe this... this is just so absolutely wrong!!! It goes against nature!!! I will NOT stand for this!!!


















There are black conservatives? :gle:

[Memo]

I remember hearing about this years ago. Seems like the media just making a fuss.

[LPMiller]

Geez... when will they ever let go of this idea of teaching "urban living".

It's a Black thang... why you trying to understand it? :heh:

white guilt. Oh, and Vanilla Ice.

[Thesifer]

I can't believe this... this is just so absolutely wrong!!! It goes against nature!!! I will NOT stand for this!!!



There are black conservatives? :gle:

Yep they are in Baldwin Hills in Los Angelos!! I read it in a book!

[DarkFury]

white guilt. Oh, and Vanilla Ice.
We must never mention his name... EVER again. :2far:

[ooBaKeep]

Good for them, proper grammar and english is part of a good education. Ebonics is slang and I don't want my tax dollars teaching it. Let's just 'dummy down' our educational system some more, McD's always needs more employees! :disa:

[Thesifer]

I heard a rumor that Vanilla Ice is going to be teaching some Ebonics classes to DarkFury...

As for my stance.. I think teaching "Slang" as a language is a bit silly.. And kind of a setback for society as a whole.

[Freelance Superhero]

this is unbelievable... are you sh*ttin me? ebonics as a foreign language? i need to get me some of whatever that lady is smokin... and hey, why don't we go ahead and add classes for southern drawl, cockney, or spanglish, like esdee suggested? :rolleyes:

i'm sorry, but being able to replace a few words here and there with more colorful substitutions does not qualify as an entire language. :2far:

[eSDee]

Seriously though, it really depends on how they are going to incorporate Ebonics into the curriculum. The fact that they are willing to accept Ebonics as a legitimate form of communications is not necessarily a bad thing. I think that having teachers who are knowledgeable of it is actually pretty cool, just like teachers who speak even a little spanish is good when you have a student who mostly speaks Spanish at home. I also think that an Ebonics class in college would be an awesome class to attend. However for the kids, I think that it would be best to steer them towards the Queens English rather than Tupacs Street Knowledge for Lil Gangstas.

[InfiniteNothing]

this is unbelievable... are you sh*ttin me? ebonics as a foreign language? i need to get me some of whatever that lady is smokin... and hey, why don't we go ahead and add classes for southern drawl, cockney, or spanglish, like esdee suggested? :rolleyes:

i'm sorry, but being able to replace a few words here and there with more colorful substitutions does not qualify as an entire language. :2far:

Interesting... so how do you define a new language?

[ooBaKeep]

Interesting... so how do you define a new language?
Typcially within the accredited college system for a any language to meet the criteria for a foreign language it must have both clearly defined syntax and grammar.


But this is the California educational system .... these things need not apply.

Pig Latin? Can that be a new language? :banghead:

[DarkFury]

I heard a rumor that Vanilla Ice is going to be teaching some Ebonics classes to DarkFury...

As for my stance.. I think teaching "Slang" as a language is a bit silly.. And kind of a setback for society as a whole.
You want to spend a week in the brig... don't cha?

Keep it up soldier... you'll have a "private room" soon enough. :hmm:

[InfiniteNothing]

Typcially within the accredited college system for a any language to meet the criteria for a foreign language it must have both clearly defined syntax and grammar.


But this is the California educational system .... these things need not apply.

Pig Latin? Can that be a new language? :banghead:

It be havin' it's own syntax and gramma' homey

[ooBaKeep]

It be havin' it's own syntax and gramma' homey

Laffin... You do that well. Maybe you can teach the class. :fro:

[Houdini]

How can anyone justify calling a slang form of speech only spoken in the US a "foreign language?" What's so foreign about it?

[Gothic Girl]

I saw Jive as cool, hip speak spoken by choice by people who were hip...
and ebonics as uneducated broken language spoken by people who don't know how (or care enough) to use proper english. I know that's not a very clear distinction.
:stupid: