15988: Barthelemy: Re: 15868: Walton: RE: 15847: Dorce: Re: 15811: Magloire:School to be taught in Fre nch (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: rudy barthelemy <kreyolconnection@yahoo.com>

You said it well, Walton.  Just in a few words, your
point couldn’t be more concise.

Sincerely trained and dedicated educators know the
difference between bilingual and foreign language
programs.  Their frustration can be so just when
occcasional impostors posing as school administrators
use the pun to only excuse their public ignorance or
validate their personal biases.  One as to be a
teacher or share the daily reality of a classroom
instructor to understands the feeling.  The practice
is deceptive, simply, and as such, may cause an
educator’s intelligence feel insulted.

Parallelly, the dichotomic nature of the two terms
makes it very easy to confuse on the outside world of
pedagogy.  There is indeed a huge difference between
instruction “OF” a language as a subject matter within
the general scope of a curriculum, and “instruction
“IN” a language as an application tool to a core
curriculum.  People will be glad to be reminded such
difference but they will not care too much of how
fundamental it is in the field of teaching.  After
all, this is such a low-paying field, why bother?

Here's a funny poem about this:

I’d rather be commentator!
Who knows, with some luck, I can be an anchor,
Before being promoted to coordinator.
My floating experience will make me a senior.
In a few plots, I will be assistant director
And with some plucks, later, a real director!
Thank you, Lord Jesus, my Savior,
I’m really an experienced administrator!
Now I need to pray hard for my supervisor,
And get that new title.  Now I got enough to pay for
That PHD of… Whatever! Anyway, doctor!
After sometime, I’ll show my true color!

-What's your true color? Professor?
-No, Bňkňr!

Well, Bob, the irony of these verses has nothing to do
with the important seriousness of your points.  I
guess we have no choice but to laugh where we cannot
dare to cry!