One more story

I was speaking to a Chinese young man yesterday.  I have visited with him regularly for the last 3 months.  He has a good sense of humor, a more-than-average knowledge of the world, and a decent skill in video games.  He comes from a home of privilege in China.  He's currently studying in the U.S.  

I asked how he was doing in school, and he told me about his classes.  But, he said he was failing in English.  We continued talking because I wanted to know what kinds of activities he was having trouble with in English.  It was the usual regimen: novels, short stories, vocabulary, Shakespearean plays, essays, etc. 

 

Before he had come to the U.S. he had taken English in China.  But, he had been poorly prepared.  His listening skills were almost non-existent, but they taught him grammar well enough for basic understanding of simple sentences.  He did well in his studies in China, but has struggled mightily in the U.S. because of the language barrier.  Biology, American History, and English are virtually impossible to understand because of the academic jargon used by the books and teachers.

So, when I thought of trying to read the Elizabethan English of Shakespeare, of trying to slug through 150 or more pages of a novel in a short period of time, of trying to write essays in competition with native English speakers when verb tense, pronoun case, and SVO order pose huge problems, I had to just shake my head in disbelief.  Of course, the school he attends put him in ESL classes.  I think he understands the stigma.  American students in this elite school vie for spots at Ivy League schools and prestigious state schools.  They don't really give him much attention because he's the foreigner in ESL class who won't bump them from their spot in getting ahead in life.

This sad snapshot depicts a really broken approach to education.  It defies understanding that a screening system for international students' understanding of English is not in place for both receiving and sending countries in an exchange program.  And I am appalled that a grading system of averaging would be applied to anyone who has little understanding of the nuances of spoken language and the academic wording of written language. 

 

I am certain that this year's experience will not hold this young Chinese student back in the long run because his spirit and background will allow him to rise higher.  But the picture could have been and should be much, much different.  The stigmas that our schools' grading systems put on people often aid young people in having a less than healthy view of themselves and their capabilities.  At times like this I wish I had a magic wand.