 We're here to talk about something you already do, something that's a common everyday practice for most of the world, but one that not all teachers appreciate. Code meshing is an approach to communication that assumes that all dialects and languages are equal in their complexity and value. In practice, it acts exactly as the name suggests, combining or meshing different codes within one context. Code is a linguistic term that refers to the dialectal and vernacular words that make up language. Students typically adhere to the conventions of standard written English and consider other codes of language to be appropriate only in casual or private use. In many classrooms, teachers enforce a specific set of grammar rules, disallow the use of vernacular phrases that have meaning within specific cultures, and ask students to write in what teachers believe to be the only code appropriate for academic, formal, or professional context. Code meshing, on the other hand, challenges the idea that standard written English is correct or formal and instead considers English to be a global and fluid language. It embraces the idea that we can use multiple dialects within a single essay, for example. And it begins to address some of the language imbalances between minority communities and the dominant cultures that tend to dictate students' educations. In the past, code switching was promoted as the ideal method of navigating cultural and linguistic differences. Code switching means that people will switch back and forth between different languages or dialects depending on their situation. While code switching allows people to adjust their language use in different contexts, it still promotes the idea that one code is more appropriate than another. Code switching looks at language as an either or scenario. It limits the type of language used in specific situations. For example, a teacher might tell students that it's okay to use slang and casual writing assignments, like a journal submission, but that to earn an A in more formal assignments, like a research paper, they need to switch to the right way of writing, by which they mean standard written English. The issue here is not that the teacher is asking for a different code to be used. It's the teacher's assumption that one is inherently better than the other, and that only one code is appropriate for an audience's expectations. Code switching considers all dialectical choices as inherently equal and doesn't assume one is more standard. It attempts to cultivate spaces where there's no right or wrong use of language. Instead, it promotes the idea that language is complex and that its variations can coexist in all forms in any context. And in practice, code-meshing can result in extremely powerful and engaging speech and writing. We see it from creative and academic writers like James Kelman, Vrushan Ashanti Young, and Gloria Anzalua, but also in less formal writing and speaking. But let's be clear, code-meshing isn't just a literary or linguistic experiment. It is a very real way to assert one's identity, your identity, in all its various cultural expressions. In many ways, choosing how to code-mesh in your own writing is a very personal process, dependent on your own voice and experiences. But regardless of how you might choose to code-mesh, it's important to understand and appreciate the beauty of code-meshing as it is already used all around us. Where have you seen code-meshing? Where do you code-mesh? Let us know in the comments section.