This debate essentially boils down to whether you believe that schools should prepare pupils for the way the world is, or the way it & #39;should be& #39;. Whether schools should be mirrors or windows.

1/5 https://twitter.com/oldandrewuk/status/1297072047642812417">https://twitter.com/oldandrew...

I think lots of teachers have sympathy with the view that standard English shouldn& #39;t be held up as & #39;better& #39;, or even & #39;correct& #39;. However, they are acutely aware that it is a necessary tool for navigating and getting ahead in the world. It& #39;s a responsibility we take seriously.

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It doesn& #39;t do a kid any good to send them into the world under-equipped in terms of language with a consoling "Gosh, the world really shouldn& #39;t be this way."

Schools are the safeguard against certain rules of grammar and language types dominating.

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Schools, where language is taught effectively, have democratised what was previously an exclusive & elitist system of making judgments about some groups of people. That& #39;s no longer the case *unless schools refuse to teach it*. That would be a huge own goal in terms of equity.
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So,

Do: teach standard spoken and standard written English really well. Gift pupils with proficiency in these forms of speaking and writing.

Don& #39;t: say, or imply, that it is & #39;better& #39; or & #39;more correct& #39; than other dialects or language forms.

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