kids can't speak and i partly blame rap

[AXO Alum]

Originally posted by 33girl
It's like they have no clue that there is a difference between slang and proper speech.

I think that is what cashmere was trying to say in her original post. I don't think that her students honestly have a clue that there is a difference. Working with the Boys & Girls Club, I found that it is not a racial problem - we had students that were of all different backgrounds that shared the common problem of not knowing the difference when they spoke. In fact, the school that each child attended would send us weekly reports on what needed special attention when we would tutor with these children. This was quite often at the top of the list.

[JenMarie]

My high school freshman English teacher used to give us funny looks or make loud noises every time one of his students uttered the word "like" in any form other than a similie. (Such as "She was so, like, stupid." Or "He was like, all crazy and stuff.")

It got the point across and people eventually stopped by the end of the year.

It's not the same as "I'm sick wit it" or "I got my hair did" but it's an idea to help.

[AXO Alum]

Pretty much unrelated, but still one of my favorite stories of using correct wording...

So we had a high school English teacher that was um... well, quite a presence in the school. I loved her because she meant well, but she was the butt of many jokes on a daily basis.

She also would review for her tests like this:

Class, write this down... To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

Now - underline the words "tomorrow" "Creeps" and "pace" - those are the words that will be the answers for the "fill in the blank" portion of the quiz. (And it would be - so if you just sat there & underlined all the words she said, you knew exactly what to expect for the test - and it was not in random order - everything was exactly as she told us it would be!!)

Anyways.... our class had several athletes & popular kids in it, and one of them (Steven) was known for being quite the stud of the senior class. Well, Steven was talking about something to the teacher, and he said "well I was lying down because I had a headache" (something like that) and she said very loudly "NOW STEVEN - it is LAYING in bed... you don't LIE in bed, now do you?" and the whole class just LOST it - because, um well, YEAH - he did lie in bed quite a lot

{okay - I'm done with this useless side track now }

[Shalom08]

Cash,

"Where do you get your hair did"/ "I just got my hair did" Is NOT originally from any rap song nor is it a form of ebonics but rather it is slang. And from what I have learned in my Mom's kitchen while holding my ear down to get a close press and curl...getting your hair "did" has been an expression as early as the 50's!

You see, to get one's hair "did" as opposed to "done" is a matter of how fierce your "do" looks after having gotten it "done". You must attend a hair show or spend some time in an African-American hair salon to truly understand "did".

But simply put, it's like saying Whitney doesn't "sing"...she "sangs"!

After getting my locs washed and palm rolled, I happily shake them, thank my loctian for hooking up my "do" and while tipping her, compliment her handiwork with a sistahly, "My hair is did"!
She knows what I mean, I know what I mean and I know what it means when I hear a compliment of "where did you get your locs did"?


As a teacher, I know it gets frustrating teaching young minds grammar for speaking/writing; however, just explain to them that "getting your hair did" is community conversation and should not be used in written communication unless when writing a fictional novel.

Also, before I close...we sometimes put blame on rap music, poor parenting, ebonics...however; there's a phone commerical that has folks asking, "Where you at"? Now if that doesn't scream IGNORANT.... I don't know what does!

Shalom~

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by Shalom08
Cash,


You see, to get one's hair "did" as opposed to "done" is a matter of how fierce your "do" looks after having gotten it "done". You must attend a hair show or spend some time in an African-American hair salon to truly understand "did".

But simply put, it's like saying Whitney doesn't "sing"...she "sangs"!

Shalom~

THAT was AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!! HEHEHEHEHEHE. Also one must go to "the shop" to truly get ones' "hair did" not "to the salon".

Although I WOULD venture to say that although the expression has been around for a while, Missy Elliot DID make the use of it much more prominent in her song.


I agree that it most likely has nothing to do with race. I am black (well at least part of me is) and NONE of my relatives speak "ebonics" as my grandmother wouldn't allow her children to speak that way, hence their children don't speak that way.
I'd wager the problem is that children aren't around enough people who DO speak proper english to know that there is a difference. Everything they are exposed to: Music, TV, the internet, even magazine articles use slang.
The adults in their life who most likely use proper english (teahers, parents etc) are authority figures, and... it's most likely dismissed as "old people talk" and, of course, not cool, and they think it's not necessary for them to speak in the same manner.

[litlbear1072]

Anyways.... our class had several athletes & popular kids in it, and one of them (Steven) was known for being quite the stud of the senior class. Well, Steven was talking about something to the teacher, and he said "well I was lying down because I had a headache" (something like that) and she said very loudly "NOW STEVEN - it is LAYING in bed... you don't LIE in bed, now do you?" and the whole class just LOST it - because, um well, YEAH - he did lie in bed quite a lot

{okay - I'm done with this useless side track now } [/B]

I know this wasn't the point of your story but I thought "I was LYING down......" was the correct usage. I could swear I was always told it's NOT "...LAYING in bed...". Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Shalom08]

But see here Ms.Glitter650,

In my neck of the woods, "the salon", is referenced to the store front with a real shampoo-station when you get your hair did. "The shop" is referring to the converted garage on the side of somebody's house....but now that becomes the place where you get your "huur" did. And thus, takes on a whole new defination and classification to the community conversation revolving around "the did" of "the do".

As for me, being a loc wearer, Na-Na's footstool in her kitchen or livingroom is as close to "the shop" as it's going to get so I understand what you meant and thanks for pointing the difference out.

Cash is probably wondering how did it get to all this. Cash, I'm just trying to make a point that not every displaced term we hear in rap music comes from incorrect use of standard english. Somethings are good-ole-hand-me-down expressions from Big Momma's back-porch and the "hair did" expression is one of them.

Now truthfully, what I'm concerned about when I hear the latest season of rap music is the coded language (I refuse to call it slang) being used and if you aren't questioning and asking, you would never know what they are talking about. What sounds like a bunch of gibberish is not necessarily so...I have been introduced to at least eight ways to say marijuana and none were "mary jane", "blunt", "reefer" "weed" or terms we would recognize!

I now see the mission of my Soror, the late Delores Tucker was/is a SERIOUS MATTER and it just deepens in my heart, the work of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. WOW....I've hijacked this thread...I apologize.

Shalom~

[Glitter650]

Originally posted by Shalom08
.

Now truthfully, what I'm concerned about when I hear the latest season of rap music is the coded language (I refuse to call it slang) being used and if you aren't questioning and asking, you would never know what they are talking about. What sounds like a bunch of gibberish is not necessarily so...
Shalom~

Actually that's when I think it's fascinating.. not when they just come up with creative names for drugs or whatever... but some slang actually takes some clever linguistic trickery to come up with.

[Tickled Pink 2]

Originally posted by Shalom08

"... "I just got my hair did" ....

And here I thought it was "hurr" ...


j/k I agree with everything you said. I have a teenager - An "A" honor roll student , yet I read one of his stories before he turned it in (as parents should) and saw a slew of slang. SO as a responsible parent - it was my job to make him rewrite it and explain - correct grammar for school stories, please. Save the slang for when you write that award winning novel.

[Shalom08]

Hey Soror Tickled Pink 2~

It is "hurr" (I spelled mine Left-Coast style)! .... But like I said earlier, "hurr" is used when your "do" has been "done" at the "shop" instead of the "salon"...and just for additional confusion to all the questioning...is that "real" hurr we're talking about or "paid fo" hurr?

Shalom~

[Shalom08]

Cash, In my semi-break down of the expression of "hair did" I forget to offer a suggestion to your classroom situation and I apologize for that.

Before my position now, I was a classroom educator. I hold both a Multi-Credential for K-12 and several single subject credentials for Middle/High School. Having served in the classroom as part of a California State take over project (when the state comes in and takes over the school due to lack of performance) where I had to review class curriculum-state standards, scope/sequence application....you get the picture... I started using this quick, inexpensive way to not only teach Conventional Writing and Speaking, but to facilitate a learning environment (yes, I learned much from students in the process that served well for my graduate research)... all it requires is some space on your wall that you have sectioned off for Language Arts and it can be used much like "Word Wall" or "Read The Room".

Here it goes:

l. Get a red poster board.
2. Get a green poster board
3. On a Sentence Strip, entitle the red poster board: STOP & REFLECT
4. On a Sentence Strip, entitle the green poster board: REVIEW & PROCEED
5. On a much longer Sentence Strip, write: COMMUNITY CONVERSATION/CONVENTIONAL CONVERSATION.
6. You introduce and facilitate the concept of "Community Conversation" during your Language Arts period of the day.
7. Start off with examples such as "hair did", "baby's momma"
and whatever else current lingo/expression in your classroom you hear that you know is not acceptable outside of their community.
8. Validate your students language if it is their "home" language; however, get them to understand that there is a time and place for all things but while in the classroom and for any written communication, there must be a Universal way of speaking/writing for effective order and understanding.
9. You will have to do most of the brainstorming because yes, many students do not know the difference between community conversation and the correct way something is stated (after all, To Learn is why they go to school...and no, all students don't learn the same way or within the same time frame) .
10. Write the community conversation expressions on the red poster board and remind them that if it's on the red board they must STOP and REFLECT before putting it down on paper or using it while on campus.
11. Write the correct way of saying something on the green board...this allows the students to REVIEW the correct way of speaking and then PROCEED to write it or speak it correctly while on campus.
12. If expressions and terms from the red poster is found on their papers, circle it, label/number it on their papers so that they have a chance to reference check it from the wall and edit it during your class time.
13. This method truly works well during Journal Writing.
14. Also, I have found that the more higher learning I give to students to "own" the better it works for us all.
15. I did see not only test scores from SAT-9 go up, but correct english language being used in the classroom.
15. Many Blessings & Peace To You and Your Classroom and with your persistence, your students will do fine on the state test!

Shalom~

ETA: Eclipes, I have been fortunate and blessed to have worked with Dr. Kunjufu during his travels to California where he comes to lecture and mentor teachers teaching in low-performing schools. I am a believer in MA'AT after working with him and he with my son ( a GATE student taking classes at our community college since 3rd grade) so I agree, Dr. Kunjufu's book is highly recommended although it will step on the toes of the guilty. Doc is divinely blessed and highly favored!

[PM_Mama00]

Oh for the love of God please start calling her Cashmere and not Cash. I keep thinking our fine "Pike" friend is back. Lol

[Peaches-n-Cream]

This thread is 3 years old. Here is the last thread cash78mere started:http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...96#post1067696

[Shalom08]

Thanks Peaches-n-Cream ! I didn't even look at the thread date when I put in my 08-cents! I got up this morning feeling bad about the way I hijacked the thread and all...that's what I get for not applying my RIF skills.....this is too funny!