A few months ago I put my cv on Monster France, and every once in a while I'll get an e-mail from them. I got one today:
Right, so the implication here is that if you can speak English, you have a better chance of getting a job or promotion.
Well, DUH!
But tell that to the hormonal teenagers you're trying to teach and they look at you like "What? What's a job?"
Okay, so I'm exaggerating. But they do look at you like "What?" I've had students say to me, "Why would I need English? I'm French, Madame." (Cocky little fuckers).
Then in 15 years they're going to look like that dude up there, who is obviously saying "Oh my GOD! I forgot to learn English!" (Kind of reminds me of this).
And then they'll pay many euros to learn the English they were too busy to learn in school. And that will employ people like me, who can't find any. other. job. in France.
...and the beat goes on...
Seems like forever since I spoke french. I took 6 years of it in school and two semesters in college. I was happy I read and understood the picture. :)
I wish I would have learned spanish, I think I would have been a better social worker had I done that.
My stepdaughter is finally in a language, I thought they took forever in school to start them... hopefully my younger two I can get in a language before their freshman year.
Posted by: Connie | January 11, 2006 at 12:36
At least it's not just us Brits that can't be arsed to learn another language then. A lot of people's idea of foreign language is just speaking louder. Mind you, I'm ashamed of how little French I manage when I go over, and I did well at school.
Posted by: Katherine | January 11, 2006 at 13:05
Here I thought only Quebecers were like that ;) LOL
Of course, in Canada, French is shoved down our throats from birth. I do regret dropping it in Grade 11 after 9 years though. But ohhhhh, 8th period spare was so much more fun!!! lol
Posted by: Carrie | January 11, 2006 at 18:30
no - you are not exxagerating. It's the same here in Germany. I can't understand that people who have learned english (or french) for about 5 years or more, totally avoid to get later on in contact with these languages anymore. A small description for a programm or machine in english seems to be totally un-understable to them - what did they learn in these 5 years? - (Exactly they learned to totally avoid any further contact to a language they were forced in their early youth) - maybe there could be better ways to learn foreign languages than being forced by schools..
Posted by: Heimo | January 11, 2006 at 22:49
correction:
exxagerating should be: 'exaggerating'
un-understable (which I wanted to write as 'un-understandable' (nice try)) should be:'unintelligible'
& language should be unique to all us earthlings!
Posted by: Heimo | January 11, 2006 at 23:04
Most of my relatives think that learning English is surrendering to the "mondialisation" and make the French language importance in the world weaker.
But, at the opposite, learning a foreign language is an open door on the world, and helps speading out French culture...
Posted by: ColdBear | January 12, 2006 at 06:35
they ARE cocky little fuckers
Why do i need to learn english?
why do i need to lear french?
why do i need to learn math?
why do i need to learn history?
Just teach me how to flip burgers or do heart surgery and i'll get a job...
I admit i'm not a very compassionate person... i look forward to meeting the cocky little fuckers in 10 or 15 years and interviewing them......
me: it says here you only speak english? I assume you'll only want to work in the u.s. okay. hmmm... you dont really know math? well that rules out engineering, science, architecture, and business... well maybe you could... Oh.. no understanding of history? so you're likely to make the same mistakes people have made in the past... Well this is going to be easy. there is a mcdonalds around the corner....
Posted by: doc-t | January 12, 2006 at 08:57
If you teach them nothing else in English, be sure to teach them: 'I told you so'.
Posted by: Steph | January 12, 2006 at 09:25
tellement vrai. Nos momes ne se rendent pas compte.
Posted by: Alain | January 12, 2006 at 15:55
Think of trying to convince students that they'll ever use French! Impossible!
Posted by: Margaret | January 12, 2006 at 20:33
You tell them that knowing two languages will make them eligible to have sex with twice as many people. That's how my high school French teacher got us to concentrate. And she said something punnish in French about, "Les hommes avec les deux langues."
Posted by: Thesaurus Rex | January 13, 2006 at 04:19
http://www.koreus.com/media/do-you-speak-english.html
Funny.
Posted by: blindweezy | January 13, 2006 at 10:31
Thanks, blindweezy! That was funny.
Posted by: Alison | January 13, 2006 at 10:48