Do you people really want to learn?

I “love” my students. That means that I really try hard to like all of you. I really try to do my best to teach my students, but sometimes I wonder if all of you do your best to learn.

Let’s face it; there is only so much one little professor can do. I can not sit in a chair and memorize vocabulary for you. I care about my students and I want you all to speak English, but I can’t force you to bring your photocopies back to class or make you be on time. I can only give you a bad grade because you are always late and forgetting your materials. Is that stupid mark the only tool I have?

What motivates all of you?

A friend told me to tell all of you that if you can’t speak English you will not be able to get a good job after you finish school. That, however, is NOT TRUE! Some of you young people come from very privileged families and your daddy is just waiting to give you a job in his company. I know that what I just said is not true for all of you, however.

Maybe I should tell you that you need English to be part of the European community– to become a normal adult living in Europe like all the other Europeans. I know that English is not an easy language to learn perfectly, but I am not even asking you to speak it perfectly. I would be happy with a comfortable level of International English called Global English, and heaven forbid that you accuse me of asking you to become like Americans. I think you should all know by now that I love my family back in the USA, but that I don’t believe that the USA is a model for all of humanity. 

Neither is France for that matter. Is there a perfect country here on earth? NO WAY!  Let’s be humble. I am one of the stupidest people on earth. 15 years ago I thought France was an Eldorado for someone like me who likes history, good food,  good conversations, old buildings and museums, and meeting interesting people. France can be a huge disappointment. The French food is getting worse and worse. Fortunately, I like to keep a positive outlook. I try not to see that cultural activities, museums, and books are becoming more and more expensive and exclusively reserved for an elite. There is also another kind of culture that is reserved for voters. The policy is: “Let’s keep everybody busy with loads of activities, then they can’t see what is happening and who cares if taxes go up and resources are wasted.” Fortunately, there is also a new movement of culture: self-culture. You don’t need to go buy a book anymore. You can write your own book for you and your friends on the Internet. What’s more it’s all free and the sky is the limit. You can do what you want and be who you want on the screen. It’s like scrapbooking. You can keep souvenirs of your own life in a ZAP book and also on screen. You can be the actor of your own life.

So is that what can motivate you? Can I manage to show you that you should be afraid of nothing? That you shouldn’t be afraid of speaking English in front of other people? That in my class, if you make a little mistake nobody will mock you? And even if we like to laugh a lot in class that nobody gets hurt? Can I show you that we can laugh together? Can you learn to laugh at yourself like I have learned to laugh at myself?

What about serious topics? Does anybody want to talk about anything serious? Or would you all like to exist in a cushioned de-sensitized world? Are you students fed up with talking about the world we live in? Should we just talk about happy topics and see the world through rose-colored glasses? Pollyanna all over again?

And my final question? What is the right mix in terms of business topics? Do you want to do any simulations of meetings? What percentage? 50% / 50%? 40%/ 60%?  The first percentage being for general topics and the second for business topics.

So, finally, do you really want to learn? And what do you all want?  The final choice, however, will be up to me because I have to love what I do, my job etc. and I know that no matter how hard I try, someone will always complain.

Take care all of you. Carpe diem and all that. I’ll enjoy reading your comments.   If I made any mistakes in my typing of this, I would be pleased as punch if you pointed them out to me. (Trust me, the punctuation is terrible, but I simply don’t have the time….)

Your Professor.

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