After reading the article about the defficiency in English by foreign-born professors, I was completely outraged. I can not believe that someone (Rep. Bette Grande) could be naive enough to set up a bill targeting these foreign teachers. All this person is getting out of this bill is cultural segregation. It clearly has nothing to do about the speech impediment. The studies that were conducted by Donald L. Rubin clearly shows that students are the ones that set up the barriers between learning the material and their foreign teacher.
I must say I understand where other students are coming from. I being able to speak and understand three different languages fluently, gives me an advantage over them. However, it is the students responsibility to learn the material. I myself have had past experiences with teachers who do not speak English clearly. As horrible as this professor's accent may have been, I still did not let it stop me in retaining the material. Students must make an effort out of their part, in order to comprehend the lecture of the professor.
I strongly feel that all Representative Bette Grande was doing was giving students a cheap excuse on why to do poorly in their classes. These professors should not be the ones that have to accustom to our needs. Students need to face the reality that the world does not revolve around them nor the English language. More so, the world is a melting pot of different cultures and languages. In fact, students' participation in such classes are only preparing them for what they should expect in the real world. After all, college is meant to be a step up in preparing students for the real world.
What kind of a real world would it be when everything focuses on one central language? I must say I have to disagree completely with the actions of Rep. Grande. Teachers who do not speak English fluently should not have to comply to students need. If the students did infact want to learn, they would over look the fact of the teacher's language barrier and make the effort to learn the material. I feel that professors with speech impediments are actually helping us to adjust to a world that does not revolve only around fluent spoken English.