Hooked on Ebonics?

An article taken from CNN.

Spoiler:

DEKALB COUNTY, Georgia (CNN) -- While Ebonics rages as a hot topic in the spotlight of American media, so called Black English has played a quiet role in an Atlanta area school district for more than a decade.
About 600 students in the Dekalb County School District just east of Atlanta are taking a course known as "bi-dialectal communication."
Here, Ebonics is considered not a language, but a dialect. Specifically, it's called "home speech," and it's not considered appropriate for the classroom.
The course focuses on more than just the non-standard English of Ebonics. The students learn they must project, enunciate and gesture properly to communicate.
Part of the class involves critiquing a videotaped actor violating several rules of effective communication.
This is the 11th year of the federally funded bi-dialectal program. Administrators cite rising test scores in language arts and reading as evidence that it works.
Parents also seem to approve: "If I had something like this when I was growing up, I probably would have went further," said parent Jannita Hightower.
Added Gregory Maxwell: "If you want someone that's going to go places, you want to be able to talk right."
Teachers agree. Ebonics, while a legitimate form of speech at home, will likely hinder children at school and eventually their careers.
"We have a responsibility to tell them that, and I think to tell them anything beyond that may be setting them up for an unrealistic view of our society," said Kelli Harris-Wright, bi-dialectal program director.
Teachers say sometimes their students take pride in going home and correcting the grammar of their parents.

Do you believe that teaching Ebonics in school would be beneficial to the future leaders of tomorrow? When would Ebonics ever be used or come in handy and what are some of the downsides to teaching this language to students?

To me, i feel like this is just another idea that racist people are trying to use to separate themselves from blacks by allowing them to learn more about a language that would ultimately never be used somewhere like the workplace or serious conversations. Teaching Ebonics also gives the schools a bad look since schools are ultimately supposed to be a place for preparing students for the future right? Well, in the real world Ebonics is not a language that would ever be needed for anything besides casual talk between two uneducated people. Ebonics to me is a form of idiocy disguised as a language which does nothing but further continue the amount of idiots in the world and giving help to people who deserve no shut needed help (speaking of racists).

So...what do you think? If Ebonics was taught at your school (when or while you were there) would you take it or agree with the idea?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Devo

This is old news, I remember some people in Oakland trying to install this in classrooms a couple years ago.



Sounds like this course should be taught to undercover cops.

just cause it is old doesn't mean that there aren't something new and points that weren't brought up now available to us. And if our police force learned Ebonics it would be more humorous than it would be beneficial...(i hear a good plot for Reno 911!) In all honesty, yes, Ebonics is considered a 'foreign language' and yes, '[high]schools are made to prepare you for the real world'. Just because school offers things that might not be meant for the 'real world' like art doesn't mean it is not a place for preparing for the future. I mean, even P.E. has it's future insights. All i am saying is what if Ebonics was turned into a regular language class?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Devo

That's where you're wrong, it's not a language AT ALL. Also how the hell would it be "foreign" when its roots are in America?

Well, actually, it is a language! and just because it is from American doesn't mean it isn't foreign, the word just means that it is not English because English is the national language and any other language is foreign.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.