Reflective Essay: Improper English In High School

Do the English that is spoken at home while growing up have any effect on how well you performed in school or around your community? I grew up in Los Angeles, CA in a low-income area that was infested with a lot of gang activities, criminal activities, and drug related activities. Growing up in this type of environment I was accustomed to speaking improper English also know as slang. Talking and writing improper English was common for me in an everyday situation for example when communicating with friends even family members I would open up with what's up instead of answering with hello how are you doing. Throughout high school improper English would transition into my schoolwork, instead of writing I am, I would've wrote I is. Within my writing it would be hard for me to come up with transitions because when communicating with friends and family I never used transition words to formally communicate with others. Another way that limited me to write in proper English was computer and Internet communication like using abbreviated words like write lol in my papers that means laugh out loud. improper English in an academic setting was common for me due to constantly writing or texting to family and friends.
Interacting with my community there was hardly …show more content…
Street –smart people were able to handle themselves in real world situation on the streets, but are not able to succeed educationally. I had considered myself street smart because during high school it was hard for me to stay focus on the readings that were assigned and I didn’t have the motivation to do the writings. I was able to use my knowledge of my surroundings to stay out of trouble with any gang or criminal activities. Experiencing But when it came to subjects outside of education I was able to start conversations and focus in on the