Lena Ampadu Language Analysis

I believe the point of Lena M. Ampadu’s article was not to make a final statement or a specific argument about some arbitrary topic, but to share a few anecdotes and personal experiences to help open the reader to an alternate point of view. Similarly to Geneva Smitherman, Ampadu gives the impression that she is in the boat sailing down the stream of contempt for current English teaching standards. Yet, Ampadu states that there is a Standard form of English and that “Those who resist such code switching limit their capability to master more than one language.” I believe that while Ampadu’s ideologies lean towards Smitherman’s, she is not as willing to throw all semblance of Standard English structure to the wind in the favour of an instant
Ampadu writes:
“Thereafter, students begin to understand that there is a language—written language—appropriately used to communicate with a wider audience, while the oral language used with a narrower audience limits the number of people with whom its speaker can fully articulate his/her ideas. After this discussion, students are able to understand what is Standard English or the language of wider use”
This has been my point all along. There must be a formal, rule defined and regulated (or at least attempted to be regulated) form of English for communicating with the wider world when one does not know his/her audience. Speech is much more lax in my books as one can often see who the audience is composed of and tailor their vernacular in response. Between Ampadu and Smitherman, I believe Ampadu has the more rational and realistic viewpoint on the Black Vernacular
My answer is: Nothing.
Personally, I don’t know that it isn’t. I’ve only had so much exposure to classroom settings in the United States and in all my classes, I’ve seen it used just fine, so what prevents it from being valid in universities, classrooms and schools elsewhere? For one, Howard University is an HBCU and if there is any grouping of institutions that needs to lead the charge into this new territory HBCUs most definitely need to be up there.
Obviously the article makes some good points and promotes good discussion (read: holds much value for classroom arguments) as it walks a fine line on what I believe is popular opinion. The essence of the article is not to hide. Not to hide from your past, from your culture or even the way you speak and I believe that to be of the utmost importance now, just as it was many years ago when our forefathers fought for our rights. But just like with the many dialects of English (both written and oral) there is a time and place for