CNN 2010-05-27

This story gets to a lot of us. I just can't let it go. We've talked about this new crackdown in Arizona, the crackdown on teachers' accents. Too thick, you are out. There's the door. Have a nice day. I just don't understand how some measures accent thicknesses. It's not like there's a breathalyzer for it. Let's hear from a teacher though, who's holding her breath as higher-ups check her accent and from the superintendent¹ who thinks these accent checks are needed. Check out the story from CNN's Thelma Gutierrez and then let's talk.

Some people are saying that teachers like me should not be teaching students who are learning English.

Some teachers like Kristina Parsons in Tucson, believe they are being targeted by the Arizona Department of Education, because they have accents.

A state monitor came into your class.

Yes.

They audited³ you.

Yes. They just walked in, in the middle of class.

Parsons who was born in Brazil has taught ELL – English Language Learners for more 20 years. She has two university degrees. This is the first time she has been audited. And she resents the extra scrutiny⁴.

You could have a Ph.D and be a bad teacher.

State School Superintendent Tom Horne says as part of 'no child left behind', he has been monitoring ELL teachers for bad grammar and mispronounced words for the past eight years.

Are you going after one particular accent?

We are not going after any accents including Spanish accent. It has to be faulty English. If students are being taught English. And they are gonna referred to a 'comma' as a 'coma⁵'. People are gonna misunderstand them.

English professor Roseann Gonzalez disagrees, saying studies actually show that non-native speakers make better English teachers.

Are you saying that a teacher's pronunciation of specific words is not important?

That's right. Because language is very contextual, we depend on the context to understand what words mean.

You would tell somebody who could not be understood that they need to go into another profession.

Of the 1,500 teachers who are monitored last year, 25 were found to have pronunciation issues. That worries teachers Charles Collingwood from Trinidad and Ian Keith from Ireland who wonder who's judging.

You can't say there's one way to pronounce anything in American.

Seeing what kids are learning. Those are more important thing than if I, I say, think instead of think.

Horne's critics says he is going to after immigrant teachers.

It's totally idiotic⁶. I grew up in a house where my parents spoke⁷ Polish. And they certainly spoke English with a heavy accent.

But here you are superintendant.

Right.

So, it didn't hurt you?

No, but my teachers spoke proficient⁸ English.

Kristina Parsons says she is also proficient. 

The Arizona Department of Education gives us a certificate saying yes. You are certified⁹ to teach after that they say no, I don't think you can't do it, so I'm going to go into the classroom and see if you are doing a good job.

Let's go.

Parsons is still waiting results of her audit². If she doesn't pass, she could be reassigned to another position somewhere else in the district.
 

1 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

2 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

3 audited   

v.审计，查账( audit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The accounts have to be audited by a firm of external auditors. 这些账目必须由一家外聘审计员的公司来稽查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• E. g. few if any charities collection publishes audited accounts. 例如很少义款收集有公布经过查核的帐目。 来自互联网

4 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

5 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

6 idiotic   

adj.白痴的

参考例句：

• It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
• The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

9 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。