ABSTRACT
Nationally, the top three first languages spoken by English language learners (ELLs) are Spanish (71%), Chinese (4%), and Vietnamese (3%). In addition, many students come to school speaking variations of English that may not match standard “School English.” Unfortunately, many teachers rank speakers of standardized English as being smarter and of a higher status than speakers of non-standardized English dialects. White teachers of African American students, for example, may not understand their students' language variations have systematic, regular rules, conventions, and patterns; their students' “errors” are not simply haphazard or careless mistakes. The African American vernacular style of speaking is a linguistic difference, not a cognitive or linguistic deficiency. Instead of focusing on the deficiencies of the ELL, consider the “funds of knowledge” linguistically diverse students bring to the classroom. This concept is used to describe the historical accumulation of skills, abilities, bodies of knowledge, life experiences, and worldviews which students from diverse backgrounds bring from home. Educators who recognize these assets can apply them in the classroom to enrich all their students' lives.
