Should Standard English be taught in schools?
     Language is and has always been a major part of our lives. We think, communicate and often even dream in language. This is true for all members of the human species, regardless of their gender, origin, or social status. However, different variations of language do exist. Differences are not only found between diverse countries and cultures but distinctions can also be made within a certain language. The English language offers many examples of local or social variations. Regardless, it is the mother tongue of millions of people and it is being learned by many other millions as a foreign language and therefore is taught in schools all over the world. Thus, the question which variation should be the norm for language learning appears almost automatically. 
     In many European schools English is taught accordingly to the Received Pronunciation, also called “The Queen’s English” or “BBC English”. Regardless, with the growing economic influence of the United States, the influence of media, and the impact that the World Wide Web has on today’s global society, the awareness about different variations and dialects of the English language plays a role in the teaching of English as a foreign language in European, especially German schools. It results in openness toward especially American English and English as the Lingua Franca. 
     Still, two questions persist: First off all the uncertainty about which off all variations should be treated as Standard English, and secondly, if Standard English should be taught in schools of English speaking countries at all. 
     To start with the first problem, I should like to mention that the globalization and the connected internationalization, as well all the different varieties due to location or social environment within an English speaking country require some kind of norm to make communication as unambiguous as possible. Agreements about lexicon, grammar, orthography, and partially pronunciation have to be made in order to create and maintain a standard. It appears that Standard English, which is mainly used for the broadcasting of news, in politics, in education, and above all in many written documents, is, according to David Crystal (1995; p. 110) a “minority variety…which carries most prestige and is most widely understood.”
     The question if Standard English should be taught in schools of English speaking countries finds supporters as well as opponents. On the one hand it seems important that students who acquire their literacy can find support and security by being able to fall back on a standard norm that is considered as being “correct” and that is therefore accepted throughout the country. On the other hand students might have great difficulty in learning Standard English since it is, as mentioned above, a minority variety and consequently most likely to be unnatural in comparison to the local variety spoken in this particular area. Students might especially have problems with the orthography and the syntax if the disparity between Standard English and their particular variety is wide-ranging. Supporters of Standard English, however, might bring forward the argument that language often implies the level of education. For that reason it is important to have a standard against which the students’ language skills can be compared in order to understand how advanced their language education is. This again is important widely beyond school, since many jobs and careers depend on sophisticated language skills. Thus, to prepare students for the “real world” it seems just fair to teach them the standards which later on will often be required. Since in today’s society people are often judged by their or their parents’ occupation and/or where they come from, it would help many people to learn Standard English in order to be able to compete with their contestants. Standard English in this sense would have a similar function like a school uniform where especially social differences are covered in order to provide everybody with the same starting point. 
     In addition to that it must not be neglected that despite of people speaking Standart English, either acquired in their homes or learned in school, this variety might not reflect their real language skills and the sophistication of their thinking skills. A person who doesn't speak Standart English can also be able to express highly complex thoughts and the person might be far more advanced in the knowledge of vocabulary and grammar than the person mentioned above. However, the variety of the latter carries the impression that this person is less educated, since society does not acknowledge deviations from the standart norm equally to the standart. 
     Opponents, however, might argue that the teaching of Standard English as the only correct English will create categories of upper and lower classes and as a result might create prejudices against people who speak in a different and to them more natural variety. Another argument against the teaching of Standard English in schools reveals the importance of preserving different varieties; some varieties and therefore a part of culture might be endangered to disappear over time .Therefore it is important to give the students an insight into different varieties by giving examples and explaining the various patterns. In contrast to the prescriptive approach mentioned above this descriptive approach would help to acknowledge differences. The concepts of lexicon, syntax, morphology, orthography and pronunciation can be taught in a probably even more insightful way by using examples of different varieties. In addition, these examples are likely to be more meaningful to the students if examples of their variety are chosen. 
     Considering both points of view I come to the conclusion that Standard English is important especially in a time of globalization and internationalization because a norm makes communication easier and less ambiguous. I also agree with the argument that education can in most cases be measured by the sophistication of language use. I therefore consider it as important to teach the younger generation the usage of one of our most important tools, language, in a way that helps them to master their lives and careers in a successful way. Regardless I would like to emphasize the importance of acknowledging differences and encourage the attempt to understand them. Often the way people speak reveal the ways in which they think and therefore offer a great source of different perspectives from which others can learn. Standard English should not be considered as the only correct variety but as one that might be of advantage in modern life.