An Intersection of Theory and Practice: Accepting the Language a Child Brings into the Classroom

Abstract

This article draws from the experiences of a European American classroom teacher, her African American teacher educator, the classroom teacher’s interactions with an African American family, and her conversations with her African American aide. It answers the call to speak to the everyday experiences of teachers who seek to acknowledge and address the linguistic and cultural understandings that students bring with them to our classrooms and explores the tension a teacher experiences as she navigates between theories she is reading and discussing in her university coursework and the expectations and understandings of the parents and aide of an African American male who is a student in her classroom. In addition, the teacher educator makes recommendations for applying theory and research in multilingual and multicultural classrooms.