8:56 a.m. - June 09, 2003
It's a lagniappe this morning! One for you, one for me, one for him and him and him
Doing a consultation with two teachers from a nearby school district in a few hours; the scope of this particular consult is to brainstorm ideas and establish a traversable mission for the project I�ve been hired to begin in September. Curriculum re-design to better please WASC is the target and when the district�s rep claims they were caught off guard I nod my head and commiserate when really, all blame should be pinpointed at the principals and teachers for a lack of oversight, communication, and responsibility. But I don�t say that; I merely sign contracts costing them 16k � a drop in the bucket � but by the end of the contracted period (late October/early November) the report will be blistering, my recommendations soothing, and standards developed and implemented.
I always feel a bit odd going into these situations, especially when I see surprise register on their faces; I�ve yet to come across a single administrator who hasn�t asked my age. It�s not that I look like a child or speak like a child, it�s more that I need to develop more of a commanding presence, I think. Admittedly there are very few who do what I do and they know this, even if it�s difficult for them to accept; who wants an outsider to come in, review what�s wrong (based on WASC and ACTFL) and develop/enact a plan for remediation? For me, it�s simple: You don�t offer ASL until the school site, school board, and school administrators know what they�re doing. Yes, I know, it�s the fastest growing language being taught in the country and people can�t get enough, but that does not mean a site can grab any ol� signer and label him/her a teacher and begin offering classes. Unfortunately a lot of schools do that and they always get slammed by WASC (or the other regions� accreditation bodies). Two years ago I reviewed one site�s situation and found out the teacher didn�t even have a bachelor�s degree and was given an emergency credential to teach ASL; I rated this teacher a 1- beginner, meaning she signed worse than a student who�s studied the language for less than a year. She didn�t have a clue what she was doing and unfortunately for her position, she didn�t have a clue who I was when I came to observe her; she was terminated quickly. It�s always surprising to me to see the level of cluelessness demonstrated by those supposedly in the know. A quick run-down: ASL teachers should work towards and possess the national teaching certificate in addition to their home states� requirements, be rated at least a 4+ on the language-skill scale, be proficient with ACTFL�s 5Cs, well-versed in language modality issues and visual acquisition factors, as well as a) having the skill, motivation, and desire to teach, b) having a clue generally speaking.
It is my humble opinion that most foreign language teachers � at the high school level, mind you � should be axed as well as their programs because most schools do a terrible job of teaching foreign languages. Since I�ve yet to become emperor, I realize I may as well jump into the fray and make good money from it. And I�m coming into this meeting irked already; one of the teachers says she began acquiring ASL a decade ago. I want to shake her and have her repeat after me, Children acquire language, post-pubescents learn language, children acquire language, post-pubescents learn language. Basic linguistics, even more fundamental language learning. But hey, I can work with stupid people if their check is good.
I�ve no shame.
A mini-rant here: People, this is a journal, not a pundit�s box. My thoughts as disorganized, befuddled, and peripatetic are just that: Inchoate. Look it up and learn it before you send me emails saying I�m confused and just need to accept being gay. Why you�re so damn sensitive that someone�s checking out the party before dressing in drag and joining the rest of you queens is beyond me. You, you, and you (the trio emailers) would be far more respected were you a bit more like John who leaves thoughtful, limpid questions. In a way I understand where you�re coming from but how easy is it to proclaim self-hatred and self-delusion simply because I�m cautious? My choices or non-choices have nothing to do with you and trust me, if you had as difficult time having gay sex as I (mostly) do, then you wouldn�t be such damn cheerleaders.
Rant over.
Nota bene: Email is far more personal than signing the guestbook. I should have thought about that before posting the email address, eh?
