Yes! I teach college. I teach a class in beginning Spanish. I got a call today from the director of Education, asking me to slow down. The class is too hard and the students will drop. Translation: (The college will lose money)
These students get 5 credit hours for the class. The course requires I teach 14 chapters in 16 weeks. This is not going to happen, so I cut it back to 8 chapters, and told them we might not make it that far. So, after the call today, I was told to bring in objects and let the students name them. This is what the last instructor did before me, and she showed cartoons. Students that had her dropped her because she taught them nothing.
She used to teach Spanish 1 and I taught Spanish 2. When I would get her Spanish 1 students, I would have to teach Spanish 1 again and get in a couple of chapters of Spanish 2. Now, the college says, don't worry about the book, just keep them happy. (Paraphrased but the idea is there)
So now I teach, "Dora the Explorer." Two students dropped and the ones that stayed think it's ridiculous to get 5 hours for nothing, but they're willing to stay. I told them about the call. But I'll do as instructed. However, if you want to know the definition of "The dumbing down of America," just ask my college's director. Let's not stress them. Let's take their money and go away happy. I'm not happy, and this will be my last semester to teach there. I'm sorry: I'm stressed out teaching, and as Rhett said, "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn."
Note: The students told her how much they liked me, but they were afraid of making a B.
How sad for America. 
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Comments: 37
My son took spanish in high school. The mexican guy we knew became his tutor for a while and my son almost flunked. The spanish they teach in school has little resemblence to Mexican Spanish.
My son learns Spanish from Dora and Diego, but he's 2 1/2 and we just use it to reinforce the words he's already learned at home. My husband has taught him far more Spanish then Dora and Diego ever will.
Good luck with your class, and finding another school where your talents will be appreciated.
Sad
I wish someone would complain to the administration then I'd get a phone call on why I'm dummying down the class. My husband asked how I could prove it, and my daughter was listening on the phone. Not on purpose, she and I were talking when the call came in. She was appalled. She knows me and said why are you putting up with this? Why? Because what choice do I have. I'll take these guys are far as they want to go. They're a good bunch, and it's not their fault.
Also ask for verification in writing, may not get it, but it's worth a try.
Why can't we teach, and let the grades fall where they fall? Because it's about beans, not about students. Spanish is becoming a necessary job skill, not luxury or fun class.
I read an article in TIME a few weeks ago about failing our young geniuses. At this rate we're failing our young averages, and genius will become extinct!!
the Spanish I class was taught very fast and we were expected to memorize everything but we were not given any opportunity to even try to speak simple sentences in Spanish .... somehow, I managed to pass the class with a "B" but I did not feel like I had earned this grade b/c I did not feel that I even grasped the basics of this language ....
then it was on to the Spanish II class .... this was taught by a different prof .... she went just as fast as the first prof did ......... but NOW, we were expected to pronounce the words EXACTLY like she did ... even though we were not given the opportunity of being coached in speaking sentences .... Again, I got a "B" and did not think that I earned it ....
I then took ANOTHER Spanish class to try and UNDERSTAND what I had supposedly learned ...... and things went the same as before ..... I did not feel that I understood anything well enough to have earned a "B" in these classes and that I had just wasted a lot of time and money trying to learn something ..... but I got my degrees and transferred to University ...... where, guess what? .... I was required to take even MORE Spanish classes to get my Bachelors .......
So .... now I was in University ..... and things would be different .... RIGHT?? .... not so fast ....... I got a decent prof, whose wife was from S. America .... and we had to AGAIN, speak the words ... and pronounce them exactly like the prof did ...... which was TOTALLY DIFFERENT from ANY of the Spanish that I had ever tried to pronounce before ....... the accent was different and the pronunciations were different .....
I don't feel like I learned anything in these classes, either .... but again, I managed to pass the courses with "B" grades ...... and REALLY .... I don't know HOW I passed and I still can't speak Spanish [even though my hubby claims that he KNOWS I must be able to do so] .....
So, Carol ..... don't count on the Universities not wanting this dumbed down ... I think, however, that I would have learned better in smaller doses .... but that's only b/c I'm a non-traditional student with a mind that is not quite as flexible as it used to be ....
On a side note: my one niece actually wound up in one of my Spanish classes at college .... and she was so embarrassed that she was in one of my classes that I was supposed to pretend that I didn't know her ..... and, even though I KNOW how intelligent she is .... she had a difficult time with the spanish class, as well ....
I do have one in another subject that seems really hard and is only 2 units this semester.....maybe I should call and complain???
The students shouldn't dictate the level of difficulty. They are supposed to be teaching us. (Or in your case, you) If it was easy they wouldn't call it college and we wouldn't have to go to get a decent job!
I want points and so do you
I think people really need to read this
Wrong!
I've taught Physics, Engineering and Computer design at several Universities. I was told at each to simplify more so that there were more As.
Castillian Spanish bears no resemblance to Mexican Spanish, except for the syntax. My mother was born and raised in the Dominican Republic (Castillian). She doesn't understand a word of Mexican. I speak enough Mexican to survive, I live in Arizona where almost 3/4 of the population is from Mexico).
I began teaching myself Russian almost 40 years ago for two reasons: a) to piss off my division officer (this was cold war era), and b) to be able to speak with my friend, a Russian Spetsnaz that I had lunch with almost every day while on patrol in Vietnam.
I had 4 years of Latin in school that did nothing for me except allow me to translate the motto on cigarrette packs.
I have a lot of respect or a man who would learn a language just to piss off his division officer. ;=)
About that time, there was an advertisement in the New York City Subways that read: "Go to College. Earn a Good Living. "They left out one important part. It should have read: Go to College. Learn Something! Earn a Good Living.