In today’s world, English is considered a Global Language, meaning it’s the most widely spoken language in the world (cool, I know! ). But that leaves us, English instructors, with a little problem: what type of English exactly is the correct one? And how does that come to play in our classrooms?

Yes, I said what I said. There’s more than one type of English, believe it or not. The list really goes on and on, but I’ll mention a few here so you know what I mean. English comes in all shapes and sizes. There is: 

• Canadian English
• British English
• Mainstream American English
• Australian English

The types of English listed above might be considered main categories of English, but the types grow wider and more diverse as you go down the list! 

This blog is inspired by the chapter “Black Language Is Good on Any MLK Boulevard” By April Baker-Bell in her book, Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy.  So, in addition to acknowledging and discussing all the diverse types of English spoken and written in our classrooms, it’s also essential to mention, appreciate, and be advocates of “Black English” within our classrooms to break ugly historical and racial habits. 

Appreciating Diverse Languages

According to Baker-Bell, it’s important to remember that language and race are intertwined (2). And although a large percentage of students in our classrooms today attempt to practice Mainstream American English (MAE), we might not notice that some of these same students go home to speak a different type of English with their families. Our students might be stepping out of their racial language expressions because they’re afraid of bad grades. 

If that’s truly the case for some students, that means we, as educators, are not allowing our students to engage in the English that comes easiest to them – we’re blocking race, culture, diversity, and freedom of expression from our classrooms. 

Does this place the blame on instructors? Maybe. It’s a weird system, but it’s also 2022 and we also have the power to speak about these issues, spread awareness, practice diversity, and stop racism through pedagogy. Here are a few ideas that might support young instructors thinking about these concepts in their classrooms: 

• Don’t grade for grammar. It’s hard to let go of everything we were taught and all those points we lost for forgetting a comma, but don’t do it to your students–they will appreciate it. 
• For group work, it’s always a good idea to change groups around. Our classes are so diverse, often full of international students, exchange students, etc. Let the students see those differences while sharing ideas from so many diverse minds. 
• Bring in outside sources that are not always 1)Mainstream American English or 2)written by white American males – be creative! 
• If you teach Business Communication, encourage students to mention their language skills on their resumes (including that Black-English, Australian-English, etc. are of importance and can be mentioned!)

Communication Wins: Let’s Understand Each Other

I want to end this blog with one final request. When you’re in class or grading homework and you encounter instances of different English, instead of thinking about how easy it can be to deduct points where the English written does not match our Mainstream American English, challenge yourself and think about the culture behind that grammatical choice. 

See this instance as an opportunity to learn, break boundaries, and start a revolution.

Let’s agree that grades shouldn’t be held against students in a classroom to enforce hierarchy and set racial boundaries or spread oppression. If our classrooms are to be anything at all, they should be spaces of equality, innovation, accommodation, and growth.