Ava Waxenberg

Public Policy & Professional Writing student at UD

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher Thank you as always!

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@ddowning24 @DrPorcher I absolutely agree with you. The term “linguistic racism” really stands out to me and you couldn’t have described it better.

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@BaltzisMs @DrPorcher Silence can absolutely feel like violence. With all of the anti-blackness that persists within the white community, we’re done staying silent. I’m not going to be an educator, but if I were to be, it would be no doubt in my mind that I would encourage inclusivity and respect.

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@eepainton @DrPorcher Despite our own political views, I have to say that I absolutely agree with you. If America is the land of the free, it must be a free place for all, including having the black community feel safe and at home.

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher It’s our responsibility to speak up; to throw all predisposed biases, lack of knowledge, and lack of exposure to diversity away. It’s about time we break the white norms and allow the black community to shine, without judgment. #teacheredumatters #ELE301 #TCNJEduLions

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher #ELE301 #TCNJEduLions

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher I think we are constantly being “watched” for having to speak “formally.” But, what is formal, anyway? Racism underlies “formal” grammar because conversational English, especially AAVE, is seen as “informal” by whites who define what’s “formal.” #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@MsHenderson05 @DrPorcher I love how accurate this is. Time’s changing and to be stuck in a world where content is created and taught by the white community only is toxic and hindering #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher @dr_s_bertrand Ugh my favorite prof

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher @dr_s_bertrand Hi guys! I’m Ava Waxenberg and I’m a Public Policy & Writing student at UD! I’m also a fellow New Jerseyan :) #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

I think that trying to differentiate “formal-ness” and “informal-ness” when defining grammar should be eliminated. Yes, there is “proper” grammar when it comes to sentence structure and punctuation, but strictly adhering to this creates classism #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@SofiaEdri @DrPorcher I also agree that prejudice plays a significant role here as well. So much of society’s (specifically American society’s) predisposed bias surrounds educational prejudice. Speaking freely would break this barrier

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher For those who do not speak mainstream English, I can imagine it’s just a world where everybody speaks their “mother’s tongue,” or their own version of it. For me, it’s conversational English. For others, speaking formally may be comfortable. A “melting pot” #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@ddowning24 @DrPorcher This is also definitely something seen within the Northeast (where I presume we’re both from seeing your last post being from NY) where most students are from different backgrounds. There’s definitely tones of disparity when it comes to this

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher Classism is such a huge problem within American academia and how students are taught English. J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” discusses this as well, and I’ve seen it first-hand. Educators must accommodate those needs of every student’s background without bias. #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@SydneyKrupnick Looking back, of course I have to agree that my mother’s tongue is mainstream English. Do you think your friends growing up influences your mother’s tongue in some way? Your definition of what it means to you?

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher Both my immediate and extended family come from different regions and backgrounds, so I really never knew what my “mother’s tongue” was. I defined my “mother’s tongue” as my own, which battles between what I think is informal or formal language. #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

@DrPorcher Hi guys! I’m Ava Waxenberg and I’m a Public Policy student with a writing minor (professional writing track)! :)

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

My understanding of formal vs. informal language has been challenged in regards to how we define it— who decides what is formal and informal? It’s a question I’ll still think about throughout this course and as we consider other racial groups and their dialect #teacheredumatters

[Ava Waxenberg @AvaWaxenberg]

It’s hard to differentiate formal vs. informal language without addressing predisposed biases— what does one consider to be formal or informal? For me, it’s simply just “correct” grammar vs. utilizing language that is heard in one’s environment #teacheredumatters