Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Speedy Rant

If English-language-learner-Ellie, who claims to understand about 60% of anything coming out of my mouth, can get the assignment right by simply copying the instructions off of the board and plugging in the parts, for the love of french toast, why can't the rest of the snowflakes get it right?

I know, this is a logical fallacy on multiple levels, but it still applies: if language is a barrier that can be overcome, can incompetence also be overcome?

The end.

19 comments:

  1. introvert.profOctober 10, 2012 at 2:18 PM

    No, it can't. Especially when it is coupled with laziness, or the idea that "I didn't get it right away, so I'll never get it; why try?"

    ReplyDelete
  2. CrayonEaterOctober 10, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    Aaarrrrrgggg! This stuff makes me crazy! Just did my first round of handing back papers-after I had them do the school evals( ;) ) Gave a foreign student an F and asked on her paper if she had handed this into the wrong class.

    Explicit instructions on handed-out schedule, emailed link to a specific source, a week showing comparisons in a picture-filled lecture on Hamster Appreciation. S/he approached me after class and said the assignment wasn't made clear to her. Told her that I was sorry that she did not grasp the assignment, recounted what I had done to facilitate the assignment. Turned away to deal with other students.

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    Replies
    1. The Contemplative CynicOctober 10, 2012 at 3:13 PM

      My experience is the opposite. The nonnative-English-speaking student got it right. NO ONE ELSE in the class did. It was an easy assignment that didn't (obviously) require any knowledge of the English language.

      Delete
    2. CrayonEaterOctober 10, 2012 at 3:44 PM

      Rats, read the first part of your commentary wrong. I am finding though, that the non-native-English-students in my classes are becoming increasingly as bad as the born-here students, at least within the past 3 semesters.

      And I, in hindsight, believe that I was cruising for a good vent from events yesterday, and your topic set me off. I feel better now.

      Delete
    3. The Contemplative CynicOctober 10, 2012 at 4:02 PM

      Vent away! I, too, worry aboutg the ELLs who are doubly incompetent.

      Delete
    4. The Contemplative CynicOctober 10, 2012 at 4:03 PM

      I think (and I'm biased) that we should have a regular "speedy rant" :o)

      Delete
    5. CrayonEaterOctober 10, 2012 at 4:37 PM

      Quick shots! :)

      Delete
    6. AnonymousOctober 10, 2012 at 5:44 PM

      What hurts is when the ELLs look around at what goes on around them, and learn that incompetent, unprofessional, childish, and profoundly stupid behavior is normative, and start emulating it. It may be normative, but in the real world of employment, it won't be OK.

      Delete
    7. The Contemplative CynicOctober 11, 2012 at 1:13 AM

      Frod: EXACTLY! I hate when that happens. HATE IT. And it does happen.

      Delete
  3. Mikey G.October 10, 2012 at 4:51 PM

    I always have a few students who seemed overwhelmed by instructions or who struggle with reading comprehension in short-answer problems, and I ask myself if perhaps I worded things too difficultly. Then I see (without exception) that the ESL students understand everything, and I remember that this is a snowflake problem.

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  4. CrayonEaterOctober 10, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    I had another student yesterday who had just arrived back from missing 3 classes in a row. I asked him if there was anything wrong and his reply, "My girlfriend and I decided to go visit family for awhile."

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    Replies
    1. The Contemplative CynicOctober 11, 2012 at 1:13 AM

      That's better than saying he had something better to do, I suppose.

      Delete
    2. Edna ExpatOctober 11, 2012 at 4:43 AM

      I don't ever chase my students about attendance. I just mark them absent and get on with class. When their grade suffers down the line, I point to my records and the syllabus, and that's that.

      Delete
    3. CrayonEaterOctober 11, 2012 at 7:23 PM

      With only 23 students in each of my classes, the absence sticks out. I still keep records and a tight syllabus, nevertheless.

      Delete
  5. Edna ExpatOctober 11, 2012 at 4:50 AM

    Claiming that a shaky command of English is the root of an unfinished/late/misunderstood assignment is probably the biggest form of flakery I get out here. While it's true that their levels vary considerably, and the really good ones don't ever pull this excuse, what galls me is that those who know they aren't as good at the language still wait until the last minute to address their questions, and they cite the language issue as their main crutch instead of owning up to the real culprit: piss-poor time management.

    Then there are the students who always pester me to squeak at them in Capybara, at least socially, which even if I could (my Capybara is far, far worse than the worst of their English), I would refuse. I keep reminding them that someone is paying a good chunk of money to have a cadre of highly educated native speakers around for them to learn from and converse with, and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't hold up my end of the deal.

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    1. The Contemplative CynicOctober 11, 2012 at 11:50 AM

      And my retort, because I have this background, is to let them know that Capybara was my native language, too, but because I worked harder than anyone else (pshaw, right...), I was able to become fluent in Hamsterlingua. It's not true; I didn't work harder, but it works to shut them up when they start that shit.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousOctober 11, 2012 at 7:51 AM

    I love the speedy rant idea. Fewer than 50 words. Would bring back some of the old school smackdown...posting with a purpose!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The Contemplative CynicOctober 11, 2012 at 11:52 AM

      Me, too! Let's lobby for it: Speedy rant! Speedy rant! Speedy Rant! :o) Or, we could just post Speedy rants.

      Me thinks the Moderators are too busy fielding the rape story fallout today to be hit with a new idea. :o)

      Delete
    2. The Contemplative CynicOctober 11, 2012 at 1:22 PM

      I was wrong! I was wrong!

      Wow--Cal, that's some serious moderating taking place today. How do you do it without starting a blog complaining about this blog?

      Delete

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