Delpit Article Response: Discussion of acceptance

2. One student asked, “Why do we have to discuss teaching minority children the language of power? Why not just teach everyone acceptance?” Respond.

The article by Delpit talks about how students of all ethnic backgrounds need to be taught the language of power.  If one looks at this article from the perspective of simply needing to teach acceptance, then they are missing the purpose behind this argument.  The issue with acceptance is that it will still not get someone very far in life.  By teaching everyone the language of power, the education system is preparing and helping their students for the "real" world.  The students are at least better prepared for higher paying, higher quality, and higher respecting jobs.  While acceptance is important for everyone to learn; accepting someone's lack of understanding of the English language will not help that individual better themselves in life.  The lack of knowledge of the language of power signifies someone's lower educational status; it places someone in a certain economic range simply by how they speak.  Even if everyone accepted everyone else, no matter how they spoke, the basic human scale of status would still be in place.  There is something important to being able to write and speak well.  In the very least, it shows that one cares for the way they present themselves personally.