In the opening sentence of "The Lesson," Bambara clearly indicates that Sylvia is narrating in AAVE. Here, Sylvia describes Miss Moore as an adult with "nappy hair" (87).
Identity/agency: Heller’s framing of AAVE as pride and resistance aligns with Lysicott’s argument that vernacular resources carry identity and should be leveraged within academic spaces.
. In one class, my 24 students spoke 17 languages. I can tell you from experience that those students were eager to master standard American English — once I explained to them what it is (and isn’t) and how it could benefit them. They saw it as a key that could unlock the world of higher-paying employment.
Access vs. identity: Jenkins emphasizes SAE as a key to employment, while Lysicott foregrounds code-meshing to honor identity and agency within academic/professional spaces. (Used for concept-map edge between Jenkins/Lysicott.)