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"I Teach How I Talk": Positioning Black Teachers as Uniquely Linguistically Skilled

Mon, April 8, 4:10 to 5:40pm, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Floor: 800 Level, Hall F

Abstract

Teachers are on the front lines of student language development and a small number of them share mastery of AAVE alongside their students. While it cannot be assumed that all Black teachers are native speakers of AAVE, many are. Given the stigmatization AAVE speakers face (assumptions about lack of intelligence, employability, decreased potential for economic success, etc.), how Black teachers negotiate their use of the language in the classroom provides insight into the benefits of same-race or culturally similar teacher-student relationships. Recent research has indicated that there are positive long-run impacts of assigning Black children to Black teachers; this study’s results adds to those findings by beginning to investigate the role language plays in those impacts.

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