Teaching With a Kentucky Accent

[Stephani Hardin]

In one of the Education classes I took last Fall A Professor made a remark in
class that has bothered me to this day.  He said, "Some of you in here speak
with a heavy Eastern Kentucky accent, and you need to think seriously about
working on changing it if you want to teach English."  I find this to be both
offensive and judgmental.  An accent has no bearing on accepted forms of
speech.  (I use the word 'accepted' rather than 'correct', because on whose
standards do we even judge forms of speech)  To ask someone to change an accent
is ridiculous when you consider the fact that we all, regardless of where we
are from, have one.  This Professor displays a preference for one accent over
another, and he suggests I change something that is a part of who I am.  Why
should I compromise my heritage to suit the standards of someone with
linguistic prejudices?

Stephani Hardin