You know, I was walking around my building Friday and in the hallways I heard some pretty sophisticated versions of the English language. And yet, some of those English language experts were, if you asked their teachers, not any good at languages. Hmmm.
The kids I heard spoke English with with total command of not only mainstream English, but also of some pretty complex slang, not to mention another language, typically Spanish, and yet, many of these kids sit through language classes, if they even sign up for them, with D’s and F’s, dropping out faster than autumn leaves fall from trees on a windy day in November. Hmmm.
Am I really to believe that some of these language studs can’t learn another language because they are in some way academically deficient, because they are not smart enough? I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that. It makes me stronger in my belief that the Achievement Gap is an entirely teacher created phenomenon in foreign language education.
The Problem with CI
Jeffrey Sachs was asked what the difference between people in Norway and in the U.S. was. He responded that people in Norway are happy and
