| There are several reasons why students are | | | | worry about my students learning! The problem |
| approved in without deserving. The first and | | | | is that it is more comfortable to the teacher |
| most obvious reason is financial. Language | | | | to approve everyone than to make graphics of |
| courses need the money students pay to study | | | | grades and establish a goal of success to the |
| there. I believe that, although, most of | | | | class. |
| Language courses are ruled by ex-teachers | | | | |
| whom usually feel so frustrated with teaching | | | | It is important to remember that, in DLLE/DRH |
| (because it does not guarantee a successful | | | | case the students do not pay to study there. |
| financial life) that they forget about | | | | It influences a lot in the way the teacher |
| teaching principles and start thinking only | | | | will deal with her students. At Projeto CEL, |
| as an entrepreneur. Coordinators sometimes | | | | another example that I take from my own |
| force, slightly, teachers to approve some | | | | experience, I do not remember exactly how |
| students who do not deserve be approved | | | | many students I have flunked but I keep an |
| because they fear the students transfer to | | | | average of eight or ten students approved per |
| other language course. It happens, and it is | | | | class. Considering that a class has about |
| quite often specially in Manaus, a place | | | | twenty students, one might think that I am |
| where every corner there is an English | | | | such a perverse teacher. Well, I am a |
| course. | | | | teacher, who does not approve students that |
| | | | do not deserve, but the ones who are approved |
| A possible reason besides money is still | | | | have the highest grades in the next level. |
| related to numbers. The average of approval | | | | What happens in CEL is completely different |
| in language courses might increase or | | | | of what happens in DLLE/DRH because of the |
| decrease the image of the institution. At | | | | level that are provided by the institution |
| "Projeto DLLE/DRH", for instance, there is an | | | | every semester, so, I do not have to worry so |
| image of never reproving a student, everybody | | | | much in making them reach a good level of |
| is always approved. When I first saw the | | | | knowledge. I simply flunk them. |
| results of the tests from my students in DRH, | | | | |
| I really understood why some teachers approve | | | | Another good reason for me to believe that |
| many students without deserving. I faced a | | | | teachers approve students without deserving |
| situation never experienced before. I had | | | | is pure compassion. I saw, with these ethical |
| under my responsibility a group of students | | | | eyes, a student of mine crying after the |
| that apparently fit level 5, but effectively | | | | class, because she got 3.4 in a test and told |
| belong to level 3 most of them. Why did it | | | | her "you must study hard". It is simple, |
| happen? It is a special case in which not all | | | | teachers are not machines, I know, but we |
| the levels of study are offered, they HAVE to | | | | have to understand that if a student did not |
| be pass because there is no level 5 again | | | | study hard this semester, the he will not |
| next semester. It is very uncomfortable to | | | | study more next semester. |
| listen to your students saying, "Teacher, I | | | | |
| HAVE to pass because if I don't I will wait | | | | These are only examples of language courses, |
| until the class level 3 get in level 5, I | | | | there is also the case of public institutions |
| will lose two years of study." My students of | | | | in which students are approved in mass in |
| level 5 suffered a great impact when I got in | | | | order to increase government number of |
| the classroom speaking in English, asking | | | | educated people. This case is very special. |
| them to write at least fifteen lines in their | | | | First because it has no solution, and second |
| writings and not allowing them to use the | | | | because it comes along Brazilian history for |
| dictionaries in their tests. It was a | | | | a long time. This is due to a policy of |
| completely different and hard situation to | | | | covering the truth. If people, the mass, do |
| them. I had three students that gave up after | | | | not know the truth nor the way to find it, |
| the first test. | | | | then, a person or a group of persons that |
| | | | have the truth can overpower the mass. |
| I decided to keep on doing all these things, | | | | Knowledge is a dangerous power that some |
| I do believe in education and especially in | | | | governments, mainly undeveloped countries' |
| approving/reproving system. As I said before, | | | | governments, use to control its people. In |
| their grades were a completely disaster, | | | | our case, it is clear that many governments |
| also, I found out that the texts they were | | | | we elected were not preoccupied with |
| writing to me as a homework (which I rewarded | | | | education at all. It is like a snowball. Once |
| them with 0.1 point in the test) were made | | | | it rolls, it keeps growing more and more. |
| using the Babel Fish Translator. I realized I | | | | Teachers who try to go against this policy |
| was facing a giant pedagogical trouble. After | | | | face big troubles with not only the |
| the first test, some students gave up and I | | | | authorities, but also the students, who are |
| noticed it was not bad, because the ones who | | | | used with this process of 'foolishment'. They |
| persisted got better grades in the second | | | | are not able to see the truth because, in |
| test. Then I collected all the bizarre | | | | fact, they were never taught to see through |
| mistakes they made in their writings and | | | | the government booklets. Unfortunately, there |
| prepared a power point presentation to show | | | | is nothing a teacher can do in public schools |
| them what was wrong in the texts. It was a | | | | to overcome the current situation. When the |
| success, they loved, really. I thought they | | | | subject is teaching to high school, we face |
| were going to get upset but when the | | | | another problem. The continuous entrance exam |
| presentation ended up they said "thank you" | | | | to Universities, students have a continuous |
| because I worried about them and nobody never | | | | evaluation in the end of each year. If a |
| did that so. I do expect them to get over the | | | | student flunks in the middle of the process, |
| bad grades they had in the beginning because | | | | he cannot recover the previous result. Some |
| they are nice people. But I already warned | | | | schools have interest in have their students |
| them not to expect be approved if they don't | | | | approved in 'Vestibular' or 'PSC' because it |
| get the average grade, which is 6.0. | | | | promotes the image of the schools. It is a |
| | | | matter of Marketing. Besides, English is a |
| What I wanted to show is that it is possible | | | | very important subject to appear in the |
| to have a group of students that are on the | | | | schedule but not so important to flunk |
| verge of flunking transformed into a group of | | | | students in the school. When they are not |
| hard students. This way, we avoid the dilemma | | | | approved in Mathematics, Portuguese or |
| of approving or not approving the student | | | | Chemistry, then the student deserved to |
| that does not deserve be approved. The main | | | | repeat the whole year of study, but when he |
| problem is that the teacher has to work in | | | | flunks in English, it simply is discarded and |
| double and most of us do not want our | | | | the student goes to the next year as nothing |
| students to really learn. If I looked only to | | | | had happened. |
| the income I get from DLLE/DRH, I would NEVER | | | | |