SPanglish :(

So, I have been very busy with tests, and soon I will be writing my exams – my first set of exams in a trillion years (I exaggerate, my first set of exams in 5 years).  I do apologise about my absence online, I am not really good at the online thing anyway.

Anyhow, I am writing today, because I felt that I absolutely needed to share what is on my mind.  I am actually at work right now, and should not even be engaging in personal activities, let alone social networking (is this even social networking?  Well, I think it is).

So, I have been in this job for a year and a couple of days, and it’s been good and bad – mostly good (but I think I was blinded by the fact that I actually love the kids whom I’m surrounded by).

Thing is, my interview was conducted in SeSotho, Afrikaans and a tad bit of Afrikaans.  The requirements – well, one of them –  for the job were that I be conversant in English, Afrikaans and SeSotho.   I understood the reason was that the management wanted to accommodate students from all walks of life, and make the centre accessible to those who struggle with English and Afrikaans.  As a bonus, I know Xhosa, thus I am able to also converse with Zulu; Swati; Sepedi; and Setswana speaking people.

Great, right???

Nope, not what my boss said this morning.  He walked into my “office” and told me that as of today, the only language that I ought to use with the students is English or Afrikaans.  His reasoning was that their vocabulary  is lacking.

Wait, what?

You get these kids into a culture where they can feel comfortable in their home language when inquiries, and a year later, you tell them it’s no longer okay to express yourself in your language.

I am sorry, but I do not get how this is to work.  I see how he believes that this will grow their working use of the language, but in truth, it is very awkward to unteach someone something that you had already taught them was okay.

I am able to just switch from one language to the other, but these kids struggle with English in class, and now they must struggle with it in a setting where they need to be comfortable enough to inquire about the things that they are too scared to ask their lecturers about?

And how about we also stop speaking Afrikaans completely as well?

Please help me with this, I think my boss has lost his mind.