Lesson Learned: Don't Complain!
This semester I have started teaching other students besides those concentrating on interpreting and translating. I was excited at first, but that dissipated into an annoyance whenever I have to walk into the classroom for one of those courses.
The English levels are noticeably lower, if even existent, and students are more… disruptive, probably as a result of just not understanding or caring. English is not their field, so why cares about learning it, or listening to this lady who only speaks it?
It’s hard for me to justify simplifying a lesson about culture to college students because of language abilities. To me, that would be the equivalent of making hand turkeys with them or construction paper jack-o-lanterns. They are 19 and 20 years old. There is no reason to dumb down the material, just to take it slow and explain in simpler terms and use Russian when all else fails.
Several students remain interested, but it is increasingly difficult to psyche myself up for these classes. The last time I met with one group, only one student paid attention and I lost my gasket and yelled at all of them asking, “what am I doing her [in Ukraine] if you don’t behave or pay attention?” Sure, I felt like an asshole saying those things, but it’s also like admitting what they already suspect: that life is better at home. Of course, my definition of better is probably not what they would imagine. It has nothing to do with making more money, having a car, etc, but simply being able to communicate with anyone on the street. To not feel like an idiot or avoid people and/or situations where you possibly have to explain something you have no idea how to. My job is what keeps me in Ukraine. I enjoy my work and especially my students. Whey they act like jerks, it gets my attention and I cease to want to be in the classroom, therefore meaning to me, why am I here?
After this class, I went back to my coordinator and told him flat out that I hate that group and that they can’t speak English. To prove my point, I told him that one of the students did her homework (to bring and talk about a news item from the States) in Russian. I asked her to translate it and she could not do it.
It’s a combined group or second and third year students, as my other non-interpreter and translator group is. My coordinator asked “the third years too?” I admitted that they were better. A fury of discussion in Russian ensued between him and the head of our department. Of course this was all about me, but without me understanding what was going on. The head from the department of the students in question was called in and they talked as well. From what I could understand, it seemed that he agreed with me. They (my coordinator basically) then sought for me to substitute a new course, the 2nd year interpreters and translators for 160 minutes every other week. This is now in addition to keeping the first course, minus the second year students who could not speak, so it’s really not a substitution at all. Essentially, I felt duped into this as it was all decided in Russian without my approval. I already teach one half of this class 80 minutes a week without structure, and now I’ve got to figure out some sort of new thing to teach without starting one of my typical courses, because they’ll probably have me next semester or next year for those.
Needless to say, I will never complain about getting a class that can’t speak again. I’ll simply make an agreement with them in the beginning and we’ll all make construction paper pilgrim hats and learn how to order cappuccino’s in English.
The English levels are noticeably lower, if even existent, and students are more… disruptive, probably as a result of just not understanding or caring. English is not their field, so why cares about learning it, or listening to this lady who only speaks it?
It’s hard for me to justify simplifying a lesson about culture to college students because of language abilities. To me, that would be the equivalent of making hand turkeys with them or construction paper jack-o-lanterns. They are 19 and 20 years old. There is no reason to dumb down the material, just to take it slow and explain in simpler terms and use Russian when all else fails.
Several students remain interested, but it is increasingly difficult to psyche myself up for these classes. The last time I met with one group, only one student paid attention and I lost my gasket and yelled at all of them asking, “what am I doing her [in Ukraine] if you don’t behave or pay attention?” Sure, I felt like an asshole saying those things, but it’s also like admitting what they already suspect: that life is better at home. Of course, my definition of better is probably not what they would imagine. It has nothing to do with making more money, having a car, etc, but simply being able to communicate with anyone on the street. To not feel like an idiot or avoid people and/or situations where you possibly have to explain something you have no idea how to. My job is what keeps me in Ukraine. I enjoy my work and especially my students. Whey they act like jerks, it gets my attention and I cease to want to be in the classroom, therefore meaning to me, why am I here?
After this class, I went back to my coordinator and told him flat out that I hate that group and that they can’t speak English. To prove my point, I told him that one of the students did her homework (to bring and talk about a news item from the States) in Russian. I asked her to translate it and she could not do it.
It’s a combined group or second and third year students, as my other non-interpreter and translator group is. My coordinator asked “the third years too?” I admitted that they were better. A fury of discussion in Russian ensued between him and the head of our department. Of course this was all about me, but without me understanding what was going on. The head from the department of the students in question was called in and they talked as well. From what I could understand, it seemed that he agreed with me. They (my coordinator basically) then sought for me to substitute a new course, the 2nd year interpreters and translators for 160 minutes every other week. This is now in addition to keeping the first course, minus the second year students who could not speak, so it’s really not a substitution at all. Essentially, I felt duped into this as it was all decided in Russian without my approval. I already teach one half of this class 80 minutes a week without structure, and now I’ve got to figure out some sort of new thing to teach without starting one of my typical courses, because they’ll probably have me next semester or next year for those.
Needless to say, I will never complain about getting a class that can’t speak again. I’ll simply make an agreement with them in the beginning and we’ll all make construction paper pilgrim hats and learn how to order cappuccino’s in English.
posted by Molly | 2:58 AM
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