Do you that that it's racist for a White teacher to "correct" a Black student speaking using AAVE?

If you don't know what AAVE is, it's basically the way African-Americans/Black Americans speak in their own communities, which is usually different than the way White Americans speak. "AAVE" stands for "African-American Vernacular English."

So anyway... back in 5th grade when I was 11, that elementary school I went to was almost 100% Black people with me being one of the very few White people, though even then half the teachers or so were still White.

But anyway, this White teacher I had in 5th grade from some reason was OBSESSED with fixing Black students speaking using AAVE. Like not even on the school assignments or anything, but the way they'd speak just in general, even at lunch or whatever.

At the time I thought this was funny. But looking back now... it seems kind of racist?

Like for example, this student had left a book on the table, and the teacher asked him why he has just put the book on the table after she asked everyone to clear their desks.

So he said, "That been there from earlier!"

And she was like, "WHAT? WHAT? What did you just say? The correct way to is it is 'it was already there from earlier!' NOT 'that been there from earlier!' Get it right!"

Or another example, at lunch, a student said, "These chicken fangers be so good!"

And she was like, "It's these chicken fingers are so good! Not whatever you just said!"

And like... the entire school was Black, so it's not like she was targeting the one Black kid or anything, but it seemed like she was disrespecting African-American culture. AAVE is part of their culture, so it felt like she was disrespecting that.

And like this was just regular, casual speech. Not formal assignments. On written assignments they all used formal "White people English" or whatever you wanna call it.

Their parents and their family also spoke the exact same way. So it's not like they made stuff up.

TL;DR Like not even on formal written assignments, just speaking casually. Like even during lunch.

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FreddieUK · 70-79, M

I was a teacher of English. There was a strong local dialect and accent in the school I started in. My job was not to change their accent or to cut out their dialect words, in fact we used to discuss them as part of a lesson sometimes. You have obviously got a good understanding of dialects and language.

Teachers are employed to help their students become employable and to extend their knowledge beyond that which they find in their own peer group. Sometimes to lighten the mood, I would speak in the way my student sometimes did. 'Where's he to then?' or 'That's cool, man,' but I was quite rightly always laughed at because it was not expected from the likes of me.

The 'correct' register of language depends on the situation. I regarded my classroom as a formal situation and encouraged more formal language. Personally, I would not have 'corrected' people using colloquialisms and vernacular in informal social situations. However, the impression a student makes when going for even a weekend job or speaking to someone they have not met before makes a big difference. I'm not sure that racism comes into it.

I have highly articulate and educated relations in the generation below me who over use the word 'like' and this is a joke between us when I overuse it myself. It depends on what one's ear is attuned to I think.

Gibbon · 70-79, M

@FreddieUK I think like you've got the better approach then like the other teacher in the post. Like she wasn't helping the situation it is like what it is. I have experienced dialects from Maine to the deep south conversing together and it's like hilarious to be in the middle with what I consider no accent while they tried to understand each other. One has to be in an area for quite some time for their dielect to change to the new environment. And like you are correct like is way over used and I like find it obnoxious.