Spellcheckin’: Literacy, Improvisation, and Institutional Language

A student recalls a childhood spelling bee and engages with blues improvisation, Wolof orality, and Black vernacular literature to investigate how institutional literacy privileges correctness over meaning. This writer calls for classrooms to recognize language as a lived, cultural practice rather than a fixed standard.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
The English Journal
Published
2026-09-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.58680/ej20261150516
Primary Topic
Multilingual Education and Policy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Spellcheckin’: Literacy, Improvisation, and Institutional Language

FARAH MBAHWE
The English Journal
Multilingual Education and Policy
article

Spellcheckin’: Literacy, Improvisation, and Institutional Language

FARAH MBAHWE
article en

Abstract

A student recalls a childhood spelling bee and engages with blues improvisation, Wolof orality, and Black vernacular literature to investigate how institutional literacy privileges correctness over meaning. This writer calls for classrooms to recognize language as a lived, cultural practice rather than a fixed standard.

The English JournalVol. 115(5)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Multilingual Education and Policy
DOISourceOpenAlex
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Spellcheckin’: Literacy, Improvisation, and Institutional Language — FARAH MBAHWE · The English Journal (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS