* "We'll talk like them when we have to, but we'll always know our way is best."
-Martha Demienteiff (page 41)
This quote really stood out to me in the reading and I saw this teacher as a perfect example of the teaching ideas that Lisa Delpit advocates. She worked to instill a sense of pride in her students about their native language and let them know it did not make them inferior, it actually made them superior to people who only knew one style of speaking. On the other hand, she was realistic about standard English and the importance of learning it for her students. In this way, they were able to maintain and improve their own way of speaking, while also realizing the necessity of learning standard English, not because it is better, but because it is the way that other people speak and it will help them in life to learn it. I think she is inspirational in the way she maintains a balance for her classroom between their traditional way of speaking and that of 'standard English' which Delpit illustrates is also very important, especially for students who have limited exposure to it outside of school. I admire the way that she does not insinuate that formal English is better or more important in anyway, just that it is different and will be helpful in different settings. The children are learning valuable skills in the classroom, while retaining their own language and sense of identity that comes with it.

* Delpit provides a great deal for us to think about in this book. I think her overall message so far is the importance of teachers to respect that every child comes from a different background and they should be respected in the classroom. No one cultural tradition or language is better or more important than another and everyone should be encouraged to express themselves in their own way. Diversity should be appreciated, not eliminated, in the classroom. This is not to say however, that students should not be taught the basic skills necessary to find success in our society. While Depit does not advocate our cultural hierarchy that places white, middle-class language and values in power, she wants teachers to acknowledge that this hierarchy exists and to educate their students accordingly. She points out the dangers of sheltering students from this power structure by pretending it does not exist; by doing this teachers are not preparing minority students for future academic and economic success. Therefore, they are simply maintaining the current culture of power in our society, even if that is not their intention.

* I hope that everything in Delpit's book influences my future teaching! These are very important issues to me personally and I see this book as a valuable tool for respecting diversity in the classroom and teaching all students in the best way possible. I tended to think that the best way to teach minority students is by treating them equally and the same. While it is important to support them and allow them to express themselves freely and comfortably in their own style, I see now that it is also necessary to teach them the language and skills they will need later in life to succeed. This may mean focusing more on basic lessons in reading, language, math, etc...that I may have seen as too traditional and limiting. As we have been reading about different, more 'progressive' styles of teaching we have seen that the criticisms of many of these theorists is that they don't account for minority students. We have seen that they work for middle-class white students, but are not offered sufficient evidence that they will be as effective for minority and low-income students who come from different backgrounds and bring their own cultures and ways of speaking and looking at the world. I want more than anything to be a teacher who "celebrates diversity" in the classroom and helps each and every student reach their full potential as competent, well-rounded individuals who have extensive opportunities available to them in all aspects of life. This book forces me to examine my beliefs critically and I will use it as a tool to help ensure that I will be teaching all of my students the academic and social skills they need to find success in society.