As I have already boasted many times, I have the best job in the world. However, I have recently become aware of an occupational hazard that, I'm afraid, is affecting the people around me. For that, I would like to apologize.
In order to effectively communicate with my Spanish 106 students, I find it necessary to adapt my speech in several ways. For example, I have to talk a little bit slower than natural, I incorporate charades at every opportunity, and I frequently repeat myself. Last week I was talking to a co-worker who speaks Spanish better than I do and I used the word correr, which means to run. I felt more than a little bit silly when I realized that I was unnecessarily running in place in the middle of the hall. On a later occasion, I found myself speaking rather slow Spanish to my supervisor who, once again, speaks better Spanish than I do.
So, if on any occasion you have felt that I was insulting your intelligence by talking down to you, by insinuating that you needed help to understand the simplest of words, I'm terribly sorry. Force of habit. If you would be so kind as to point it out to me, I would be more than happy to put my hands in my pockets and speak more quickly and with more intellectual words.
Now I'm scared to see what happens to my communication skills if/when I become a stay-at-home mother of small children...
I totally do the same charades thing. I also feel like my voice projects more right after teaching. But then again, it always does that.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can always tell those elementary school teachers because their voices are always pitched so high and cutesy-like and usually end their sentences with, "...good job!", or "....super!" They're also guilty of the charades thing. Very animated people.
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