Arizona to remove all heavily accented teachers

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/teachers/heavily-accented-teachers-remo.html

I agree completely. Calc 2 was murder due to an Indian professor I had who could not speak, everyone hated him due to poor grades as a result and tried to stay away.
Heavily accented teachers removed from Arizona classrooms

School districts in Arizona are under orders from the state's Department of Education to remove from classrooms teachers who speak English with a very heavy accent or whose speech is ungrammatical.

Officials say they want students who don’t know much English to have teachers who can best model how to speak the language, but, according to The Wall Street Journal, some principals and administrators are concerned that the standards for removal are arbitrary.

The recent move by the department comes during the political firestorm over a new law in Arizona which requires police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally. It is the most restrictive immigration law in the country.

Arizona's education department has sent people into schools to audit teachers on comprehensible pronunciation, correct grammar and good writing. Teachers who fail may try to improve, but if they don’t, school districts can fire or reassign them.

The Journal’s report says that critics of the new teachers policy believe the education department was encouraged by the new law, and that targeting teachers with heavy accents is just part of the anti-immigration movement in Arizona.

School officials say that is nonsense, and that kids should have teachers who they understand.

About 150,000 of Arizona’s 1.2 million public school students are classified as English Language Learners, the Journal said.

Nobody can argue that kids don’t deserve teachers whom they can easily understand, and teachers who use proper grammar. I’ve been in classrooms where I couldn’t understand a teacher, and in classrooms where a teacher’s grammar made me wince.

The issue here is how to determine which teachers really should be in the classroom and which ones shouldn’t be. Speech that one child can’t understand could be completely comprehensible to most of the students.

How does one fairly draw the line on grammatical mistakes? Hardly anyone speaks English perfectly according to the rules of grammar. Quick: Give me an example of the pluperfect and the future subjunctive. Is it enough to toss out a teacher because he or she routinely misuses the verb "to be?"

Uncovering exactly how Arizona goes about this will be most interesting.

What do you think of Arizona’s new policy? What standards should there be for removing a teacher on the basis of a strong accent or poor pronunciation?

Update: Arizona strikes again, with legislation aimed at an ethnic studies program. Read about it here.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,080
136
Thats how I've felt about teaching all along. If you cant understand them, the language isnt important. We might both speak English, but be talking a whole different language.

Having said that, this is obviously another empty political push from AZ and is just going to stir the pot, nothing more.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,684
136
What do you think of Arizona’s new policy? What standards should there be for removing a teacher on the basis of a strong accent or poor pronunciation?

Geez, Zebo- Brown teachers with Spanish accents gotta go, dont'cha know? Jive accents, too, of course. Maybe Boston accents, 'cause they're likely commie pinko terrarist sympathizers, anyway...

If the teacher in question has a rich rural southern accent, or a Kentucky hill accent so thick you'd need a machete to cut it, I'm sure they'll be fine...
 

Mike Gayner

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2007
6,175
3
0
What, this is real? Wow I thought it was going to be a parody thread. Arizonafail again.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
Geez, Zebo- Brown teachers with Spanish accents gotta go, dont'cha know? Jive accents, too, of course. Maybe Boston accents, 'cause they're likely commie pinko terrarist sympathizers, anyway...

If the teacher in question has a rich rural southern accent, or a Kentucky hill accent so thick you'd need a machete to cut it, I'm sure they'll be fine...

Well, that slippery slope keeps getting more and more; on the upside, Arizona should save a lot of money with their new state flag...

All white with two eye holes cut in it....:D
 

Kappo

Platinum Member
Aug 18, 2000
2,381
0
0
Well, that slippery slope keeps getting more and more; on the upside, Arizona should save a lot of money with their new state flag...

All white with two eye holes cut in it....:D

Ive had Indian professors that I couldn't understand (and still made me goto class), spanish ones that I kinda can (I speak some Spanish), and a southern one that made NO sense to me (WTF is DJEETYET? I'm from the south, too...).

IMO, you should be able to speak clearly to be a teacher unless you want me to learn it on my own and be a study guide during off hours via e-mail. Who cares what the accent is, just make it audible.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Geez, Zebo- Brown teachers with Spanish accents gotta go, dont'cha know? Jive accents, too, of course. Maybe Boston accents, 'cause they're likely commie pinko terrarist sympathizers, anyway...

If the teacher in question has a rich rural southern accent, or a Kentucky hill accent so thick you'd need a machete to cut it, I'm sure they'll be fine...

Please. Having standards has no color. If a teacher can't pronounce, use correct grammar and good writing skills how is he/she setting an example or even able to teach well or as well?

Should they even have to speak English at all or is tongue of origin just fine? If so how much?
 
Last edited:

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
10
0
I like the idea of this, after all, who hasn't had a teacher that is hard to understand... but it seems iffy. Maybe they really can't change their accents, and that isn't their fault.
 

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
10
0
Geez, Zebo- Brown teachers with Spanish accents gotta go, dont'cha know? Jive accents, too, of course. Maybe Boston accents, 'cause they're likely commie pinko terrarist sympathizers, anyway...

If the teacher in question has a rich rural southern accent, or a Kentucky hill accent so thick you'd need a machete to cut it, I'm sure they'll be fine...

Not all of us.
 

Patranus

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2007
9,280
0
0
Where does it say that they will only remove heavily accented teachers?

From the bolded part it would appear that a teacher who speaks ebonic would also be removed.
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
33,655
687
126
I hated when I had teachers that I couldn't understand and I think that there does need to be some sort of requirement regarding their ability to speak understandable English, but I think Arizona is pushing it a little bit.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,684
136
Please. Having standards has no color. If a teacher can't pronounce, use correct grammar and good writing skills how is he/she setting an example or even able to teach well or as well?

"Standards" is often just doublespeak, Zebo. The whole thing is based purely on subjective judgement, making it an obvious vehicle for abuse.

Given the current direction of the Arizona legislature and the sentiment underlying it, this just looks like more of the same, if you know what I mean...
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Arizona wants to be bleach white

good luck with that...

Dude both my parents are immigrants one is a retired university professor. Guess what they speak perfect English - constantly reminded us growing up of improper grammar and my mom won university professor of the year twice in California (a record). Don't give me this shit it's discriminatory. People are just lazy and have no standards today.
 

OrByte

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2000
9,303
144
106
"Standards" is often just doublespeak, Zebo. The whole thing is based purely on subjective judgement, making it an obvious vehicle for abuse.

Given the current direction of the Arizona legislature and the sentiment underlying it, this just looks like more of the same, if you know what I mean...

Standards can be good things...if used appropriately.

But..just how does an education department go about implementing grammar and language standards to its teachers...that is what I would like to see.

And, do these teachers get a chance to meet these new standards? maybe test into it? Or are they just handed a pink slip?
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,688
126
This is real? I was pretty sure this was going to be an Onion article when I clicked on the thread. lol @ Arizona. Ok Arizona.
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
LOL... next up, the AZ school board is going to transfer all the students with heavy accents out of the class because the teachers can't understand them.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I majored in mathematics. My favorite & best professor who taught me had an accent that most students would say was difficult to understand.
 

CallMeJoe

Diamond Member
Jul 30, 2004
6,938
5
81
I majored in mathematics. My favorite & best professor who taught me had an accent that most students would say was difficult to understand.

:thumbsup: My all time favorite teacher spoke grammatically flawless English with an almost impenetrable German accent.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
"Standards" is often just doublespeak, Zebo. The whole thing is based purely on subjective judgement, making it an obvious vehicle for abuse.

Given the current direction of the Arizona legislature and the sentiment underlying it, this just looks like more of the same, if you know what I mean...

Most things are subjective and I think you have a pretty good case for termination if the principle could not even understand his teachers as the story indicates.

I agree it looks bad to some in light of trying to enforce immigration laws and whatnot, but I think Arizona is just tired of mediocrity and lawlessness and doing a comprehensive examination and implementation of rules to prevent it.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
I majored in mathematics. My favorite & best professor who taught me had an accent that most students would say was difficult to understand.

Yeah but you know calc 2 with trig functions and word problems makes it a lot harder. I had the same dude for Calc 1 and no problem.
 

AmerDoux

Senior member
Dec 4, 2001
644
0
71
When you think about, it really should be ALL teachers. I mean, wtf? How can we expect our children to learn anything if their teacher has an accent? And while we're at it, what about doctors? How can a doctor properly treat their patient if the patient cant understand them because of their accent?

and nurses
and counselors
and all service providers
waiters/waitresses
etc...

I say we clear them all the fuck out of our country.