Schools cannot change the language of children; the entire social structure is involved, particularly our patterns of social mobility and the values of lower class culture. At the early elementary level, children should be encouraged to use their own language to the fullest extent. Reading instruction for these youngsters should concern characters and experiences they can identify with. Having readers in the dialect may only further confuse the reading process. Standard English-as-a-second-dialect is a definite asset in our society but kindergarten or even earlier is not the place for drill to start. There has to be desire and inward motivation on the part of the individual to switch his/her dialect. Until a youngster is old enough to reason and conceptualize the consequences involved in either acquiring or not acquiring the standard dialect, drill per se is a worthless endeavor on the part of the elementary school teacher. (Author/VM)