[EDLING:644] Language of Success

[Francis M. Hult]

Any thoughts?

*****
Palm Beach Post

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/accent/epaper/2005/02/01/a1e_robins
on_web_0201.html


Dr. Robinson's language of success
By Leslie Gray Streeter

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

As a child in Flint, Mich., Debra Robinson dreamed of being a teacher, like
her mother. Then her mother talked her out of it.

"She told me, 'Don't become a teacher. Teachers aren't paid enough or given
enough respect,' " said Robinson, now a primary-care physician at the
Veteran's Affairs hospital and a member of the Palm Beach County School Board.

She didn't choose the classroom, but Robinson believes she is an advocate for
students — particularly those who may be overlooked or misunderstood.

She made news in August with her "Green Language" idea: Teach children that
they need to learn standard English — the language of business success — to
get a good job. Though no formal action was taken, Robinson's "Green Language"
proposal got people talking about how to help children succeed, and that was
Robinson's goal, she says.

"I want (kids) to be respected for whatever language they are speaking, but to
be taught to translate that into the language of the workplace," she says.

Robinson is known for her own straight talk, and she ran for School Board in
2000 because she wanted to change things.

"I was frustrated with the system, after living through some of my own
children's experiences with school, and the experiences of other parents and
children," says Robinson, who lives in West Palm Beach. She and her husband,
Dr. Tay Gaines, have three sons: Tayson, 21, an MBA candidate at Florida A&M
University; Taylor, 18, a freshman pharmacy major at FAMU; and Tay, 12, a
seventh-grader.

"I used to complain a lot to (U.S. Rep.) Alcee Hastings, and he finally
said, 'Why don't you quit complaining to me and do something about it?' And I
said, 'Oh, all right, I'll do that.' "

Robinson also was inspired by an encounter with Taylor's first-grade teacher,
who, a week into the school year, pronounced that the boy was "emotionally
handicapped" and required "internal discipline."

Taylor's mother, however, says she knew that her son, and other children, need
both active discipline and encouragement, not easy labels and fixes — "This
child she was talking about is beginning his freshman year in a pharmacy
program. Imagine what would have happened if I'd listened to (his teacher)?"
Robinson says.

"Any child that doesn't fit into a box, the system needs to label them. My
goal is to (prove) that each child is gifted in his own way. It might not be
traditionally recognized, but each of us brings a gift to this earth, to be
productive human beings."

Robinson credits her outspokenness and determination to her parents, attorney
C. Frederick Robinson and the late Rebecca Robinson, both graduates of Howard
University in Washington, D.C. They moved to Michigan, and after her father
passed the bar there, he sued the local school district on behalf of his wife,
who had been passed over for a teaching job in favor of a white woman. Rebecca
Robinson worked as a hospital cafeteria worker until she won the right to
teach.

When Debra returned to Flint for her medical internship, she worked at the
same hospital where her mother had worked.

"I was in line at the cafeteria, and I saw all these older black women looking
at me," she remembers. "One of them came to me and said 'You're Becky's
daughter, aren't you?' It turns out that my mother taught some of those women
to read. It was so weird. At the time, I was so young and didn't have any real
appreciation for the history of legacies. But now, I realize that part of this
whole thing is my mother. Even though she died when I was 15, it's amazing how
her legacy has come back to me."

A Q&A WITH DEBRA ROBINSON

School Board member Debra Robinson suggested in August that standard English
be referred to in schools as 'the Green Language,' because it's the language
needed to get a good job. Critics have questioned why there must be a monetary
connotation to language. But Robinson believes the term is just a way of
making an important concept relevant to kids.


Question:Did your "Green Language" idea have anything to do with Bill Cosby's
comments criticizing street slang among black children?

Answer: No. There is a very well-respected black educator — I'm not going to
identify him — who, at least in my opinion, has not been promoted as high on
the food chain as his abilities would suggest he should be, because it is
viewed by some that he does not speak what is referred to as the Queen's
English. And that really ticked me off. I kind of bumped it around in my head.

The other thing was that last year, I held a series of what we call reading
roundtables. We had experts from the school district come together to talk
about issues related to secondary reading, and to the lack of performance by
children in general, and children of color, specifically. And one of the
administrators said at the first meeting: "Vocabulary is a hidden tool of the
middle class."

And when I thought about that, I realized again that a lot of people are not
allowed in the door because of what is viewed as poor language skills.

A point I hope I made was that the kids (that society) may be looking down on
are actually speaking a language. ... It might not be the same as what some
consider standard English, but it's just as valid.

I listened to kids especially. My mother would hear me talk and say "What are
you talking about?" and I listened to my kids and I'm also like "Explain it to
me what you're saying."

They have their own language. You could talk about the traditional black
vernacular, but the young people have a subset within that language. For me, I
was very interested in hearing people communicate.


Q: While you acknowledge those speech patterns are valid, I think you're
saying that that language is fine when you're at home but will not work in the
marketplace. And that's why you refer to it as the "green language," correct?

A: I thought "What do I call it that the children will understand?" I want
them to understand the language of the workplace. They understand money. My 21-
year-old says this generation is more materialistic that any preceding
generation. I don't know how he knows that, but it was clear in talking to his
friends, that they are focused on (the idea) that "I need to make some money."

And if you say to them, "Without this skill, then it's not likely that you'll
get a good job," they will understand that. Everybody wants a good job. ... My
12-year-old has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up, but he's able to
see far enough ahead to see high school. He wants to go to Suncoast, so I
say, "You've got to keep your grades up if you want to go to Suncoast." We've
got to be about engaging the kids. I don't know a child that doesn't
understand money. They may not understand wealth, but they know the concept of
money.

(Kids) are dealing with a situation where, all too often, they are told "Speak
English!" and it's a put-down about whatever they're speaking, implying that
they're not good enough or smart enough. Then there's a negative reaction
(from the child) and the hostility (to learning) is built up already.

I want to acknowledge that they have their own language form, and that it's
fine when you're with your buddies. But you can't communicate with me with
that, because I don't understand that. More importantly, if you want to make
the transition to the work force and fulfill the big dreams that you have, you
must speak that language. And nothing says that like the color green, unless
you just straight up say "It's the language of money."

And what's interesting is that all the (critics) of this have money!... Think
of it this way. If there is a (non-Haitian) police officer who works in Little
Haiti, it's going to help him to be conversant in Creole.


Q: How do you respond to people who are uncomfortable linking standard English
to making money?

A: I'm trying to reach the children who are turned off to anything they
consider corporate or straight or whatever words they use now. You don't have
to like any of it, but if you want to have a good paying job that's legal,
this is the tool you need.

It's like when I made sure my children knew how to play golf. I hate golf. But
it's a tool that they need to know, so they can say to (a colleague) "John, do
you want to hit a few balls?" because the golf course is where the deals are
cut. It's like taking a pencil and paper to do math. Children need to be
conversant in that language, how to flip to (their) other language at the
appropriate time.

My oldest boy will get an MBA from Florida A&M University this year. But in
the seventh grade, he was going to play for the NBA. That's what he said. We
watched an interview with an NBA star that was not a very good interview. So I
said, "See, that was horrible. When they interview you when you're in the NBA,
you want them to walk away saying 'He can play ball, but isn't he smart?'
That's why you have to learn, why you have to pay attention in English class
to give a good interview."

And that was his motivation at that moment in time. He had no internal
motivation to do his school work until he hit the 11th grade. The school
system has this propaganda about being internally motivated.


Q: What do you mean?

A: There's this myth that children who are in honors algebra, for instance,
are more internally motivated than other students. For me, I thought "What do
I need to do to get a job, to be able to ensure that there's a pretty good
chance I'll be employed?" Algebra was never about the love of learning. I
didn't have the luxury of knowing whether I loved learning. We can't pretend
that the only children we're going to engage are the ones who say "Please
teach me." Otherwise, we just throw away a generation. And for those people
who don't care about the children themselves, they should care about whether
those children break into their houses.


Q: Do you think most people have assumed that you're talking just about black
children?

A: When I spoke at the (school) board meeting, I wasn't talking about race.
There are many black people who speak the green language fluently, and many
whites who don't. And they're going to be in a similar situation....

I am very conscious of my words at school board meetings, for instance. I am
not as fluent in the "green language" as I would like to be. It's not my
primary language. (Laughs). Although my mother tried her best to make it be.
We don't teach grammar in schools. We say we do, but we don't. I've complained
about this. I think a lot of it is just the haves wanting to maintain that
system of haves and have-nots. This has been twisted around a few times. I
don't understand why this is an issue for people.

Love of language is the icing on the cake. But my whole premise is that we
have to engage children where they are ... When I got this idea in my head, I
thought that ideally, we would know for each child what the hook is for that
kid. For my youngest, four months ago, that would have been drumming. If you
threatened to withdraw the drums, that would be his signal to think "Let me
get my work done."

You have to look at a child as an individual, as a human. You find out what
turns him on, and you use that to lure them. You have to wake them out of that
teenaged hormone-induced coma. You need to have options in life, and we have
to prepare them for that.


Q: Calling standard English "green" reminded me of the perception by some in
the African-American community that to speak proper English, or to get good
grades or to achieve academically, is "white."

A: That's part of our brainwashing process. That's one of the reasons we need
to infuse the African and African-American curriculum, to understand that all
these things are black! (Laughs) I have a man who said something about me
taking the Hippocratic oath. I told him "I took the Imhotepic oath." Because
Hippocrates stole a lot of concepts from (Egyptian) scientist Imhotep.

Part of the problem — and it's not new to this generation — is that we're
brainwashed to receive constant messages that success is white. I used to
watch The Cosby Show every week because they were the first human black family
on TV that was positive. I would watch and think "I wonder what Bill is going
to do!"


Q: Yet that show got criticized from both whites and blacks for showcasing
what some felt was an unrealistic image of an African-American family whose
parents were a doctor and a lawyer, whose marriage was happy and whose
children went to college. And that was seen as grossly unrealistic and wrong.
At the same time, Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest were on, even though we all
understand that most white people don't live like that.

A: We get those messages and we internalize that crap. If we really understood
our history, and ancient African cultures, we'd know about things that make me
stand up and stick my chest out, proud. There is a vast difference between a
child thinking, and a teacher thinking, that a child is a descendant of slaves
rather than think of that child as the descendant of kings and queens that
were enslaved.... The difference is huge. If (children) think their history
began with slavery, they'll see success as being a white thing, math as being
a white thing, language as being a white thing. We have to infuse the
curriculum so that blacks and whites understand where we really came from.

This brainwashing is what leads to conflict between African-Americans and
Haitians. The Haitians haven't been brainwashed. In their country, they saw
good and bad, and it's all black. There are different shades, but everyone's
black. They weren't defined by (race). They come here believing the American
dream. But the time (American-born blacks) are in high school, we don't
believe it. When we meet Haitians, we're like "Who do they think they are?
Don't you understand? There's a foot on your neck." And the Haitians
think "Not there, there wasn't." But instead of standing up and saying "Behold
my brothers and sisters," we blame them for not being brainwashed. Their
attitude is a betrayal of the brainwashing.