Lisa Delpit "The Silenced Dialogue"

In "The Silenced Dialogue" Delpit expresses the point of view that we need to teach students "the spoken and written language codes that will allow them success in the larger society." On page 45, Ms. Delpit argues that "while students are assisted in learning the culture of power, they must also learn about the arbitrariness of those codes and the power relationships they represent." Delpit is arguing that in order to change the status quo of the current culture of power, students of groups oppressed by this culture need to know how to communicate within the culture of power. If they are to assist in bringing positive change then they will also need to recognize how power relationships have been established.


Passages of Interest:

• On page 40-41, Delpit says: "But I also do not believe that we should teach students to passively adopt an alternative code. They must be encouraged to understand the value of the code thy already possess as well as understand the power relation in this country. Otherwise they will be unable to work to change these realities...she labels 'Our Heritage Language,' On the other half of the bulletin board she puts the equivalent statements in 'Standard English,' which she labels 'Formal English.'"

This passage helped illustrate how we can attribute value to the culture values of an oppressed group while equipping students to communicate in the dominant culture. However, in many of our inner city classrooms our students come from diverse cultural and lingual backgrounds. These students share a common need to learn to speak and write in our society but it will be quite challenging to develop an awareness of the cultural values of each individual student. The classroom I volunteered at thursday provides us a good example of a multicultural teaching situation with Latino, African-American, Asian and White students all present. In a more homogenous teaching environment in the suburbs, educators prepare mostly white students to communicate and live as adults in a white dominant society.


In inner city schools or other locations where there are a significant number of people of color, students need to learn a great deal more to effectively operate in the culture of power. This fact helps illustrate how the S.C.W.A.A.M.P. culture of power remains privileged and those who are not privileged continue to experience the cycles of oppression. If some students of oppressed groups can learn to operate within the culture of power while recognizing the dynamics of power structute, then real "Change" may come.

• In another thought-provoking passage, (p. 29) Delpit quotes a parent. "As one parent demanded, 'My kids know how to be black you all teach them how to be successful in the white man's world.'" A little later (p.32) she includes another related quote:

"Maybe they're trying to learn what black folks knew all the time. We understand how to improvise, how to express ourselves creatively. When I'm in a classroom, I'm not looking for that, I'm looking for structure. This {white} teacher didn't get along with that black teacher. She said that she didn't agree with her methods. But I don't think that white teacher had any methods."

These quotes and a few other similar ones caught my attention. We need to learn to properly assess the needs of our students and equip them for the challenges they will face in society. This is especially true for students from inner city schools who face oppression along with so many obstacles in our society.

When I graduate, I will need a job and will have to take whatever teaching position I can. However, I would like to serve as an educator in an inner city school. There are obviously great needs in our cities and I am more motivated to serve in a place where I may be able to help people who are seeking to overcome significant obstacles. As a result, I find it very helpful to think about these issues and as I read this article it made alot of sense to me and I found some helpful principles.

For example, it isn't a good idea for me to assume that I will always know what my students need to learn. I need to learn from my students and their parents what their needs are and then give them what they need even though it will be difficult. Effective teaching is more about teaching students and helping them learn and develop the skills they will need rather than about me teaching them the ways or material that I would like to teach.

• The other passage that I would like to comment on is found on page 45. Ms. Delpit "suggests that appropriate education for poor children and children of color can only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture. Black parents, teachers of color, and members of poor communities must be allowed to participate fully in the discussion of what kind of instruction is in their best interest. ... Massey, Scott, and Dornbusch found that under the pressures of teaching, and with all intentions of 'being nice,' teachers had essentially stopped attempting to teach black children. In their words: 'We have shown that oppression can arise out of warmth, friendliness and concern.'"

I'm glad to read this now, instead of several years into my teaching career. I think this quote makes alot of sense and it sounds like there will always be need for a white educator like myself to consult with adults who share the culture of my students. I would like to be a good and effective teacher and it is evident that I can't just assume that I will know the right methods to utilize in the classroom. This will require a significant amount of work and effort but so do most other worthwhile ambitions.

Questions/Comments/Points to share:

I thought this was a very interesting article. Even though I am missing some pages from the article, I think the material here was pretty clear in expressing Delpit's "suggestion that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life." Sadly for most of American history significant groups of people in our nation have been prevented from participation in the freedoms and privilege of some Americans. When the founders of this nation wrote the Declaration of Independence discussing certain "Inalienable rights" many of them owned other people as slaves. This oppression although to a lesser degree continues to exist in our nation till the present day. Hopefully we as educators can help make a difference in helping Change our society.

In addition to these comments, I have a question about No Child left behind. Obviously, Delpit expresses disapproval towards the No Child Left behind act in her introduction. Most of the teachers I've talked to have had at least partially negative attitudes toward this act and the results of it. What do you see as the problems with this act and what could be changed to make it effective in promoting quality education for all?