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Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/education/being-taught-in-english-undermines-local-identity

The article highlights a few disgruntled teachers, but doesn't show any sign of a national outrage. It's been almost six months since the government announced that classes would be taught pretty much 50-50 English/Arabic starting in primary school. I guess I'm a little surprised there wasn't stronger resistance months ago.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Key paragraph:

We have good teachers here who are qualified and most importantly who speak with the students in their mother tongue," Ms Ali said. "These students speak in Arabic at home and when they come to school they can barely communicate with the teacher, so how will they learn?" She said she would prefer all subjects to be taught in Arabic. "English can be a second language that can be improved through good teaching material and teachers."

And we have all seen exactly how well this has worked over the last 20-30 years... But, let's not fix it... let's just keep doing the same thing and maybe next year it will work. Rolling Eyes

VS

trapezius · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:46 pm Post subject:

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 2:33 am Post subject:

Ya know...we discussed the "losing (of precious) identity" ad nauseum when ADEC first came out with the idea and came to the conclusion that it was unadulterated bull$hit. In order for Emiratis (and probably ALL other Gulf Arabs save Yemenis and, possibly, Omanis to "lose" their "identity", they'd have to:

-stop driving like lunatics

-buckle up their kids

-stop polluting like all get out

-stop treating 3rd World nationals like thankless slaves

-actually go into a small market for their friggin' cup o' tea instead of sitting outside in their cars honking like Canadian Geese in heat

-show consideration for others rather than just themselves

-start coming to class on time and not resent you for marking ( not MAKING) them absent/late

-start doing their own homework instead of copying others' or just not being bothered to do it

-stop slouching in classroom so much that they look they're about to puddle out onto the floor

-start to realize that you CANNOT cram an ENTIRE semester on the last night before finals

-start to realize that their failing grades are, most likely, an outcome of them not studying

-stop asking the teacher to repeat nearly every blessed thing because they couldn't be bothered to pull themselves away from their IM's the first time around

-stop taking notes, when forced to, on Post-Its, stenographer notebooks built for a toddler's hand, or hurriedly snatched pieces of paper out of the printer that you KNOW will be discarded at the end of class if not just left behind

-actually re-read the ungrammatical, bizarre crap that they produce instead of the teacher going through each one carefully marking the errors only to have them eagerly chirp the corrections when they see the markings when yer tryin' to explain the problem only for you to suddenly realize that they couldn't be bothered to spend a few minutes more and revise their own work

-learn that they SIT with their family in the evening instead of "setting" with them and that they don't just "set with my family"...but they actually TALK to each other

-people cook in the kitchen... NOT the chicken

-and on, and on, and on...

When they give up these little peccadilloes, instead of actually learning English so they can stop terrorizing newbies who come to the Gulf with the expectation of actually teaching will there be any danger of "losing (their so precious and hard-earned) identity"... Rolling Eyes

Seriously...gimme a break!!!

NCTBA

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

LOL, love it, NCTBA.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 5:40 am Post subject:

Oh, I've got loads more...my bucket o' $hit has been overloaded for years. I jes' thought that it wasn't quite full. That is, until, I discovered the caustic crap at th' bottom had jes' corroded a hole in as the $hit never seems to end!

NCTBA

trapezius · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:28 am Post subject:

Wow, great job NCTBA. I was planning on writing something like that, but once I start, I have to write it all, and I just don't see the appeal in writing several pages which would have no effect on anybody on the internet.

Kipling

You made the day

Of Mr K

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Sadly true...

VS

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 3:23 pm Post subject:

Oh...there are blogs for that! Wink

And, really, if you think about it, my name in itself is quite a statement for if someone never ceases to be amazed after as long as I've been around, you know that there's some astounding $hit constantly happening!

NCTBA

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 5:49 am Post subject:

Asda · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 231

NCTBA should write a book in a Michael Moore tone of voice...

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

Wallah, sehr! Having put in 5 years at DWC, all I can add is... &%#@ their identity.

Oh--and &*$@ the Land Cruisers flashing their headlights behind me.

Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

I spent 3 months back in the US this summer. As I left I thought, "Wow, not once did someone flash their lights."

Also, I'm pretty sure I go over more speed bumps in a day here than I did over the entire summer in the US.