Teacher's accent...would you? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Teacher's accent...would you?

184
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 12:49

Would you be worried if your child's teacher had an Indian accent? (No offense against Indians). She is in KG1. She is in a really nice school, I really don't want to change school because of the teacher. I don't want her to change class either because she loves her friends. I don't know what to do!!! She is the type who takes a long time to settle. What would you do?
<em>edited by tahm563 on 30/01/2011</em>

130
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 11:22
Oh FFS!! It's her choice she does not want her child to speak English with an Indian accent!! Is it ok to want to learn Italian with an Italan accent? Would it have been racist if the mother did not want her child to learn Italian with a French accent? Gawwwwwwd! I was pointing out to the OP that it could be considered as racist by some to discriminate against a person based on his or her accent. That's all. zedzee, you have issues. Going to my nest now
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 11:21
Is there anything wrong with being racist? (dont gun me down) Yes of course there is. Racism is different from prejudging someone (which I think is the issue OP is more concerned about re: the accent her child adopts while here). Racism is a belief that people of a particular race or nationality are inferior or superior (depending on what is being said). Most people prejudge others based on looks, accents, style of dress, etc. However, thinking someone or something MAY be a certain way is different from believing (unequivocally) that it IS a certain way. I agree with you gleekfamily. Racism and prejudging are totally different. But its a thin line when you are prejudging someone on the basis of an accent (or how they look or any of those factors) that you consider inferior for whatever reason. But I do get that the OP was not being racist in this situation. And chick chick I think you're just trying to stir the pot so go back to your little nest, would you? edited by zedzee on 31/01/2011 zedzee, perhaps you should be retreating to a nest right now, since you brought up the racist card, not I
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 11:18
So if a white person does not like black people, I would have said they are racist, even if they have no basis for their feelings. Is it wrong to not like an accent? Is it being racist? WHy? I am not trying to stir a pot here, just someone mentioned racism and I want to know why and what etc
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 11:07
Is there anything wrong with being racist? (dont gun me down) Learn your punctuation.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 11:02
Accents are very important to me. I am french and for instance I don't like the accent from the South of France, does this make me a racist person ? of course not ! I understand your concern about your child speaking with an accent you don't like, whether it is an indian or a scottish accent ! My son goes to a french school and I would be disappointed if he was taught french by a teacher with an accent I don't like. By the way he is being taught english by a lebanese teacher for 2 years who was not able to pronounce the "r" in english properly. And now my son pronounces the "r" the same way when he speaks english... My daughter went to a english nursery when all the teachers were from India or Philipines. She used to say seben instead of seven, and once again this bothered me because this is not correct, that's all. But my daughter really enjoyed this nursery so...
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:46
Is there anything wrong with being racist? (dont gun me down) Yes of course there is. Racism is different from prejudging someone (which I think is the issue OP is more concerned about re: the accent her child adopts while here). Racism is a belief that people of a particular race or nationality are inferior or superior (depending on what is being said). Most people prejudge others based on looks, accents, style of dress, etc. However, thinking someone or something MAY be a certain way is different from believing (unequivocally) that it IS a certain way.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:39
Hmm, I thought he was an SA of Indian descent, especially with that name. Trust me, I know an Indian accent when I hear one but to my ears he sounds very South African!
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:36
have to agree with Tuesday, nothing South African about Rakesh's accent.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:35
It's human nature that there are just some accents we like to hear, and some we can't stand. Nothing wrong with that. Like my example of Cheryl Cole and Colleen Rooney. I had no idea their accents were considered "working class", just didn't like the way they spoke. Same for the radio, there is one guy on the radio in the morning "Rakesh" or something like that, he speaks with a very strong South African accent that I just can't stand. Switch him off. How he got a radio job is anyone's guess. The news on Dubai One had one presenter who strongly emphasized the last word of every sentence. Just couldn't bear to listen to her, found it completely irritating! I always thought Rakesh's accent was Indian. He confuses 'V' and 'W' isn't that an Indian thing?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:21
Oh FFS!! It's her choice she does not want her child to speak English with an Indian accent!! Is it ok to want to learn Italian with an Italan accent? Would it have been racist if the mother did not want her child to learn Italian with a French accent? Gawwwwwwd! agree. racism is despicable, but it is also true that people of colour often jump to conclusions that the intentions of others are always racial when it is not so at all. meanwhile discrimination within those countries among their own people reach gigantic proportions and little is said to the outside world about that. citywoman,In this case,I was pointing out to the OP that it could be considered as racist by some to discriminate against a person based on his or her accent. That's all. I agree about the discrimination within countries but aren't we as expats (and I don't mean you and I, I am just generalizing) perpetuating the problem? By hiring maids at lower salaries, by not treating people with the respect they deserve, by classifying a person by their accent and not by their qualification?[b'>Is there anything wrong with being racist? (dont gun me down) [/b'> do you like men who hit women? do you like people who abuse children? do you like getting less money than a male counterpart in the same job? do you like getting ripped off at the veg market because of being white? do you like being refused entry into a park because of being black? do you have any idea what you just said when you asked whether there was anything wrong being racist? why would you make such a statement if not to incite a massive attack and then you still have the nerve to ask not to get gunned down. <em>edited by citywoman on 31/01/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:16
It's human nature that there are just some accents we like to hear, and some we can't stand. Nothing wrong with that. Like my example of Cheryl Cole and Colleen Rooney. I had no idea their accents were considered "working class", just didn't like the way they spoke. Same for the radio, there is one guy on the radio in the morning "Rakesh" or something like that, he speaks with a very strong South African accent that I just can't stand. Switch him off. How he got a radio job is anyone's guess. The news on Dubai One had one presenter who strongly emphasized the last word of every sentence. Just couldn't bear to listen to her, found it completely irritating!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:14
Oh FFS!! It's her choice she does not want her child to speak English with an Indian accent!! Is it ok to want to learn Italian with an Italan accent? Would it have been racist if the mother did not want her child to learn Italian with a French accent? Gawwwwwwd! agree. racism is despicable, but it is also true that people of colour often jump to conclusions that the intentions of others are always racial when it is not so at all. meanwhile discrimination within those countries among their own people reach gigantic proportions and little is said to the outside world about that. [b'>citywoman,In this case,I was pointing out to the OP that it could be considered as racist by some to discriminate against a person based on his or her accent. That's all.[/b'> I agree about the discrimination within countries but aren't we as expats (and I don't mean you and I, I am just generalizing) perpetuating the problem? By hiring maids at lower salaries, by not treating people with the respect they deserve, by classifying a person by their accent and not by their qualification? that is my point. people of colour often thinks ito racial issues first before they would even consider other societal factors.
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:12
LOL oooops I guess :) ....by "non-native" I mean not the accent you are usually used to. I stand corrected on that one. Citywoman I think they are taught american accents because that is more understandable (as against believable) to the guy calling the call center from the US. edited by zedzee on 31/01/2011 Actually there has been a great deal of research done on accents and how they are perceived by the listener.....marketing companies advising companies which operate in fields where "trustworthiness" is a major issue, banks and financial services etc rate accents for their effect on the customer. I recall once reading that the East Coast Scottish accent was regarded as most "trustworthy" and the least was....... the.Liverpool accent, followed by Birmingham. (Apologies to any ladies from there, just repeating the findings) Many people do have preconceptions about accents, and to imagine otherwise is pointless.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:00
Oh FFS!! It's her choice she does not want her child to speak English with an Indian accent!! Is it ok to want to learn Italian with an Italan accent? Would it have been racist if the mother did not want her child to learn Italian with a French accent? Gawwwwwwd! agree. racism is despicable, but it is also true that people of colour often jump to conclusions that the intentions of others are always racial when it is not so at all. meanwhile discrimination within those countries among their own people reach gigantic proportions and little is said to the outside world about that. citywoman,In this case,I was pointing out to the OP that it could be considered as racist by some to discriminate against a person based on his or her accent. That's all. I agree about the discrimination within countries but aren't we as expats (and I don't mean you and I, I am just generalizing) perpetuating the problem? By hiring maids at lower salaries, by not treating people with the respect they deserve, by classifying a person by their accent and not by their qualification?Is there anything wrong with being racist? (dont gun me down)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:51
Personally I think that you have chosen the wrong school for your child. If you want them to pick up a particular accent then you should target a school that you know has 'British' accented teachers and I know there are some.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:48
Thanks tahm ...in the morning light I do realise it was not meant to offend. and I get what everyone is saying. However I would like to share my experience. My son is 5. He has been going to preschool/school since he was 2.5. He has had 4 teachers so far in his little life. Two of which were non native English speakers, very very heavily accented. One was from Mexico, the other from NZ. His other two teachers were American. His best years have been with those two non native English teachers. He has learnt so much from them and not their accent. His current teacher is the one with the thick NZ accent but she is the most amazing wonderful teacher I have ever seen (and I have an older child so I've been doing this for a while). I feel that if I only looked at her accent my son would have missed out (yes missed out) on a wonderful teacher. She is everything you'd ever hope for in a kindergarten teacher and more. Yes she talks different but she is qualified (over qualified really) for the job and she is dedicated and hard working. LOL Zedzee you made me laugh out loud! Most Australians would agree that Kiwis are not native English speakers!! Lol same could be said about Australians ;) And it frequently is!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:36
Thanks tahm ...in the morning light I do realise it was not meant to offend. and I get what everyone is saying. However I would like to share my experience. My son is 5. He has been going to preschool/school since he was 2.5. He has had 4 teachers so far in his little life. Two of which were non native English speakers, very very heavily accented. One was from Mexico, the other from NZ. His other two teachers were American. His best years have been with those two non native English teachers. He has learnt so much from them and not their accent. His current teacher is the one with the thick NZ accent but she is the most amazing wonderful teacher I have ever seen (and I have an older child so I've been doing this for a while). I feel that if I only looked at her accent my son would have missed out (yes missed out) on a wonderful teacher. She is everything you'd ever hope for in a kindergarten teacher and more. Yes she talks different but she is qualified (over qualified really) for the job and she is dedicated and hard working. LOL Zedzee you made me laugh out loud! Most Australians would agree that Kiwis are not native English speakers!! Lol same could be said about Australians ;)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:35
I'll never forget a conversation I had with a 5 year old when I first started teaching here. I knew very little about English geography..... LB 'Where do you come from' Boy 'England' LB 'Where in England?' Boy 'Ul' LB 'Pardon?' Boy 'Ul' LB 'What????' Boy 'Ul!' and so on.... LOL That would be HULL would it?
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:34
Thanks tahm ...in the morning light I do realise it was not meant to offend. and I get what everyone is saying. However I would like to share my experience. My son is 5. He has been going to preschool/school since he was 2.5. He has had 4 teachers so far in his little life. Two of which were non native English speakers, very very heavily accented. One was from Mexico, the other from NZ. His other two teachers were American. His best years have been with those two non native English teachers. He has learnt so much from them and not their accent. His current teacher is the one with the thick NZ accent but she is the most amazing wonderful teacher I have ever seen (and I have an older child so I've been doing this for a while). I feel that if I only looked at her accent my son would have missed out (yes missed out) on a wonderful teacher. She is everything you'd ever hope for in a kindergarten teacher and more. Yes she talks different but she is qualified (over qualified really) for the job and she is dedicated and hard working. LOL Zedzee you made me laugh out loud! Most Australians would agree that Kiwis are not native English speakers!!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:22
DH speaks to the children in English (most of the time) and he is not English, nor is it his native language, plus he has a very strong accent. The children have not picked up his accent (they mostly laugh when he mis-pronounces something), they have however picked up accents of their teachers. DD picked up a strong Louisiana accent from one teacher, which even though she no longer has it, certain words have remained (we do not mind this) and DS had an Irish teacher and a lot of his words have an Irish twang to them. My point is that children are quite likely to pick up their teachers accent. It might not stay forever, but some words will.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:16
Oh FFS!! It's her choice she does not want her child to speak English with an Indian accent!! Is it ok to want to learn Italian with an Italan accent? Would it have been racist if the mother did not want her child to learn Italian with a French accent? Gawwwwwwd! agree. racism is despicable, but it is also true that people of colour often jump to conclusions that the intentions of others are always racial when it is not so at all. meanwhile discrimination within those countries among their own people reach gigantic proportions and little is said to the outside world about that.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:11
sorry but i think judging people by the way they speak is just shallow... i disagree strongly. we do NOT live in an equal society. such a society does not exist at all. people are judged upon their looks, wardrobes, grooming, cars, friends, homes etc on a daily basis, whether we agree with it or not, whether we like it or not, it is the reality. a well spoken person ALWAYS stands apart. our social world consists out of many different tiers, each with a strong identity and politicians, business people, sociologists, economists, journalists all know this, approach the groups differently, report about them differently, handle them differently. indians working in call centres are being taught to sound like americans since studies showed that an american accent is more believable to the public. maybe you don't like this, but this is how the social world functions.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:10
dunno what everyones on about now...everyone knows kiwis don't have accents. Is rest of world that speaks funny! :D True bro true!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:53
dunno what everyones on about now...everyone knows kiwis don't have accents. Is rest of world that speaks funny! :D yes dear.......
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:50
dunno what everyones on about now...everyone knows kiwis don't have accents. Is rest of world that speaks funny! :D
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:46
I'll never forget a conversation I had with a 5 year old when I first started teaching here. I knew very little about English geography..... LB 'Where do you come from' Boy 'England' LB 'Where in England?' Boy 'Ul' LB 'Pardon?' Boy 'Ul' LB 'What????' Boy 'Ul!' and so on.... LOL
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:29
Zedzee NZer's are native English speakers they just have a different accent just like American's, Australian's Canadian's and every area of the UK has it's own accent. Just some quick facts about NZ http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand?wasRedirected=true Personally the accent a teacher has doesn't matter as long as grammar and pronounciation are correct. I heard a story the other day of a little girl who came home from school as proud as could be and said to her mummy "mummy mummy I know what an otter is!" "what is it?" asks mummy "a person who writes books!" replies 4 year old. <em>edited by starsouthern on 31/01/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:17
Yes your accent is not strong. I imagine the NZ lady was a native English speaker... Just maybe not the Queen's English as they say!!!!! lol. I am a teacher and have taught with a whole range of accents. I have softened my own accent (not on purpose, it just seemed to have happened being an expat) and it makes it easier for those children/parents who speak English fluently but it is not their first language. Like you ZedZee, I hope that the fact that I am a good teacher will outweigh my occasional twang and any minor Australianisms the children I teach will bring home!!!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:03
My high school Geo teacher in Ottawa was Indian (and I don’t mean native Canadian) he was small in stature had a thick heavy accent and the first thing out of his mouth was don’t judge me by my accent but by what I teach you at the end of the year, we had a great year and a great teacher, decades have past and his words are still with us.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:03
He has been going to preschool/school since he was 2.5. He has had 4 teachers so far in his little life. Two of which were non native English speakers, very very heavily accented. One was from Mexico, the other from NZ. Is the lady from New Zealand Maori???? lol. Hope you're well Zedzee LB xx
 
 

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