AAL, Spanish, and other languages are valid and rule-based.

Code-meshing = combining languages in writing, not separating them.

Recognizing linguistic diversity builds equity and student voice

Teachers can support code-meshing with mentor texts, rewriting activities, and asset-based assessment.

Code-meshing supports identity, cultural pride, and literacy growth.

"Good writing" doesn't have to mean only DAE. Multilingual writing can show higher thinking and awareness.

This challenges traditional grading that penalizes nonstandard English.

Flossie and the Fox, The House on Mango Street, and Chato's Kitchen.

Letting students see bilingual/multilingual books helps them feel their languages belong in school.

Teachers can also remix monolingual stories; add home languages to make them culturally relevant.

Jacobi's line "My mom is the prettiest when she smile" shows AAL grammar rule: no "s" on verbs after third person.

Ana and clarita mix English and Spanish in their wrestling story, similar to author Garza's bilingual text.

Students show audience awareness; they know their readers understand both languages.

Code-switching = changing between languages depending on setting; code-meshing = mixing them together freely.

Code-meshing helps students express identity and creativity, not just "fit in" to school English.

This belief connects to racism and classism; society labels "White middle-class" English as "standard." "Which languages or language varieties are deemed 'standard' has more to do with who is speaking them."

The idea that language = power is important. It shows why some students' voices are silenced in school.

The teacher, Ms. Raniya, chooses to write exactly what Jayda says. This is an example of code-meshing, mixing AAL and DAE.

Interesting how the teacher respects Jayda's dialect instead of correcting it.