The purpose of this presentation is to encourage college teachers of writing, inside and outside Appalachia, to look at dialect-based errors in a more expansive way even as they help students to make better choices about standard usage. The discussion, which is presented within the context of a socio-cultural perspective on bias in perceptions of error, is intended to invite teachers to be more tolerant of diversity as they guide students to use "Standard American English." Errors illustrating the discussion have been adapted from the writing and oral speech of students from southern Appalachia and are analyzed within the context of linguistic roots and language evolution. Linguistic analysis of errors includes the common "had went" contrasted with a more archaic yet "correct" usage, as well as nonstandard verbs and participles. Related attention is given to how oral pronunciation can invite biased perceptions of error. The presentation concludes with advice on how to be sensitive to diversity issues in the classroom.