Right now, for instance, do you know what I do every Monday and Wednesday from 3 to 4:15 pm? I teach Spanish 101 to 9 students, 3 or 4 of whom are always absent.
Can anybody honestly claim that it’s not completely wasteful to have a tenured professor teach 5 students the names of days of the week and colors? When you can hire somebody with a BA at $15 per hour to do it? And while I do something more valuable with my time? We are in a state that is collapsing economically and we are clinging onto this model? What kind of dumb strategy is this?
Clarissa's Blog 
Here they wouldn’t allow a class so small to run. You’d get 3 full classes.
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It was full at first but you know freshmen. They drop out, place out, change their minds, etc.
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Why are so many students absent? Did they drop? I’ve never heard of a seminar that small let alone a 101 class. Those students who show up are really lucking out. Wait, I was in a class that small for language. The professor didn’t focus so much on speaking, (it was a grammar review class) so much. We ended up reading a lot of French diasporic works. She often didn’t come to class, and I think for one class she had us watch Mandingo, which completely confused me and the other student.
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I think a tenured professor with an extensive knowledge of Spanish literature is the perfect person to teach Spanish 101 as she will be able to find authentic texts that are accessible to and engage the students, and set them on the path to real proficiency via contextualized activities. Of course, if she views this class as colors and days of the week and something that could be taught by a BA for $15, that is what the class will be …😉
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Emoji was supposed to be at the end, not sure why it looks weird!
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“Of course, if she views this class as colors and days of the week and something that could be taught by a BA for $15”
Because that’s what it is. We can attach nice-sounding justifications and fantasies about “authentic texts” to anything but who will be the addressee of these justifications? Nobody will want to sponsor this kind of thing with taxpayer funds in perpetuity. This model of public higher ed was an anomaly and it’s dying. If we close our eyes and prefer not to see it, the reality won’t go away.
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“That’s what is is” because you are teaching it like that. My point is just that you have other choices in your class, should you be interested in pursuing them, and I think you would be good at doing so if you wanted to.
I’m not sure what model of higher ed you are talking about, but I agree there are many structural issues in foreign language programs. In this comment however, I was only talking about your class.
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The point is not to have me entertained in class. The point is to have something to say when the Board of Higher Ed in our state asks us why they need people with PhDs and tenure to teach these courses. And when we fail to provide an answer, we will all be put in the street and the department shut down. This is a structural issue, not personal.
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That’s what is is” because you are teaching it like that. My point is just that you have other choices in your class, should you be interested in pursuing them, and I think you would be good at doing so if you wanted to.
I’m not sure what model of higher ed you are talking about, but I agree there are many structural issues in foreign language programs. In this comment however, I was only talking about your class
…and
The point is not to have me entertained in class. The point is to have something to say when the Board of Higher Ed in our state asks us why they need people with PhDs and tenure to teach these courses
One problem is that if she turns it into a Spanish only seminar, students are unlikely to mention that it was speaking Spanish all the time in their official evaluations. Usually people fill out numbers on a scale and that’s it. I am not sure that the board looks at ratemyprofessor.com evaluations to get an idea of what was actually taught either. Those are usually subjective but don’t give you a lot of real information about the class. Often students downrate the harder classes that they learn more in more than the easy gut classes. And most students would not be pleasantly surprised that the numbers & days of the week course morphed into an immersion course. So if she goes beyond the syllabus, she can’t really point to what she’s done as evidence that a class needs to be taught by a Ph.D. The board just goes by the syllabus. Clarissa can say she changed the class around and maybe point to some changed materials but the effectiveness of that kind of teaching pays dividends in a longer time frame than a semester, which is longer than what the board looks at, I suspect. If it can’t be quantified into some set of numbers, the board tends to ignore it.
I’m guessing.
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There is no need for a PhD to teach these courses. There’s not even a need for a Masters. And what’s worse, there’s definitely absolutely no need for tenure. Of course, one can come up with all kinds of florid narratives to justify this but who is going to be listening? We’ll all find ourselves out on our asses and I won’t even be able to say that it’s unfair.
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If that’s the question, the reason you need people with PhDs and tenure to teach basic language classes is the these are the people capable of developing basic language classes and an overall curriculum that set students up to reach advanced proficiency in the language and be interculturally competent. Students who graduate with advanced proficiency, intercultural competence and the capability to sell their skills get jobs. Everyone wants that. The problem is when the classes are taught like you describe, they don’t meet these goals, and then everyone points to how they took two years of Spanish and can’t do whatever as a justification for language classes and departments being worthless.
I don’t think you can solve the structural problem, but I personally don’t think we can ignore it either and just continue as is, hoping it will go away. I think basic language classes are the place to start reforms, because that is where most students start. Therefore, I would see your 101 class as an opportunity, not a waste of time. That is only my opinion though, it’s your class.
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Problem is, you can reach advanced proficiency and intercultural competence after 3 months of hanging out and going out for coffee with a native speaker. And of course, college classes meet these goals. But what’s the point of paying anybody a professorial salary if it can be done by a person with a BA for much cheaper?
And it’s not about how you or I see 101 classes. It’s about how taxpayers see them. Ask anybody in the town where you live if they want their taxes to go to pay $60,000 – $90,000 for a tenured professor to teach “I am, you are, he is” 9 hours a week.
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Actually, the research shows that many students do not reach advanced proficiency and intercultural competence after 3 months hanging out with native speakers or in many college classes. Some do of course, but many don’t. Advanced is also a bare minimum, your goal is really Superior across all skills to be useful in a job. By Advanced, I mean on an international standard scale, not placing into so-called “advanced” classes.
No, tenured professors shouldn’t spend 9 hours a week teaching basic verb conjugations. But basic language classes shouldn’t look like that anyway, and it is tenured professors who have the skills to change that, especially when their knowledge is as extensive as yours.
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If I ask Miu Miu to design the outfit for me to wear while I do my household chores, I’m sure they’d do an amazing job. The question is, though, whether the expense will be justified, given that I have a great outfit I bought for $22 on sale at Kohls.
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Back in my day there, UChicago only allowed instructors to handle intro math courses. Everything else was taught by faculty, up to and including Saul Bellow and Bruno Bettleheim. One of my classmates became a research assistant to Bettleheim. You just never know what can happen when you connect with someone, and the poorest students from the worst backgrounds can become the most motivated achievers.
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It’s not about making me feel good, which is something I can easily talk myself into. ☺ It’s about justifying the model of paying excessive sums for something that is worth a lot less.
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What would your ideal university level Spanish department be like? What courses? Taught by who (in terms of qualifications)?
(yeah, this might be a better topic for a separate post or posts).
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