Another email from K – it may have already appeared here but I repeat it just in case it didn’t. It is important and describes many of our colleagues:
Mr. Slavic:
I need some help. I have a few questions, that there might not be answers to but please let me know what you think:
I have known that next year I shall have a different teacher. It’s the way IB works. The other teacher teaches traditionally and has been generally unwilling to try anything else. This is “fine” (not really, but that’s the way things work sometimes). Anyway, she came to our French class yesterday to explain our summer assignment for her class next year. I knew this was coming too. She greets us in French, and when we all respond in French, she smiles…. until she sees me. She looks at me and smiles, but not a real smile, it’s fake and mean-hearted, almost like a disgusted smirk. As she passes out the packets, she says to me, “Next year, I will not tolerate any of that story stuff, I think it’s ridiculous. I respond “Je sais Madame. Je ne veux pas créer de problème pour vous.” She moves on and starts explaining what we have to do, and how important grammar will be next year. A girl from the lunch group asks “Why do we have to do so much grammar? Stories are better. They are easy and fun, and we get to know words that we actually use.” She glares at the girl and then at me.
This girl talked to me afterwards and said that she was worried about French next year, and might not go. How do you explain to someone that they have to do something and basically lie because they still have to do something even if something else is way better? Someone has to be the calm rational adult even if that person isn’t an adult.
I will continue the lunch stories next year since no one can really stop me…. they can according to a few Supreme Court cases about speech in schools, but they haven’t read those. However, my heart breaks for this girl and the others. Stories are better, they know it and so do I. This is (going to an extreme) denying kids the opportunity to have a high quality education where they can learn without hassle. In my opinion, it’s a human right.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Kaley 07.22.10 at 4:48 PM
Just so you know, I will NOT have that teacher described above . I will have one who has watched me with my lunch group , and is very supportive of stories. She wants to try anything I suggest. YAY! However , the teacher described above does still teach at my school.