Hooked on Ebonics

Yesterday we went on our very first field trip of the year. There's a program called ArtSmart that teachers can participate in and you get a guest artist who comes and does 3 lessons with the kids and you go on a field trip. This year, the program was Sones de Mexico. They are a Chicago-based band who put on a show of traditional Mexican songs and dance. It was good, but lloonnngg. Especially for my wiggly first graders. Anyhoo...another first grade teacher who went has a bunch of hooligans in her class so myself and the other 2 first grade teachers each took a couple of the more rowdy ones. (We have ELL and they act like angels...usually.) One of the boys I took cracks me up. He was also in first grade last year and I had him for after school tutoring. He absolutely can not NOT talk. So on the way back to school, I sat with him and asked him how he liked the show. He said, "I had fun up in there." Now, immediately my mind starts replaying the Delta Ebonics commercial. Favorite line: "You goin? We get you there. You been? We done flown up in dat." I had to turn away and look out the window while I giggled. Then I thought of Angie because I think we recited the whole commercial while walking down the street in London...Angie, if you read this--I miss you!! And sleep peacefully knowing that ebonics is alive and well in Nashville...