It is no secret that general education courses can suck. Here are some things that I think about in my spanish class.
1. Wow this language is very different from English.
There are so many things about foreign languages that intrigue and scare me. Like I am fully aware that English is said to be the hardest language to learn but I am very confused as to why in some languages you say simple sentences like “No, I do not want any candy” including the word “no” at least 2 times.
2. Oh my gosh, what, wait, say that again teacher! Oh my gosh I know that word, I AM LEARNING.
I have this reaction multiple times throughout my class, even when my teacher says something as simple as the word “verdad” which means “right” in English. Although this may be a rather basic term, I know that my limited understanding of the subject is becoming larger and I am feeling proud of myself.
3. Crap, that other girl just got up to go fill her water bottle, now I can’t go to the bathroom.
This occurs in any normal classroom, but sometimes you just need a few minutes to destress and hear your native language before continuing in the Spanish lecture.
4. Wait, I missed all of that, what did my teacher just say?
It is no surprise that most professors are speaking their native tongues, so obviously to us who have not been speaking Spanish our entire lives… It can be a little difficult to stay engaged in the conversation.
5. I wonder if I’ll ever make a movie in Spanish one day, gen ed’s are supposed to help you in the future, right?
I’m a cinema major… This will actually help me in the future, right? We’re going to go with yes.
6. Okay my teacher lied, that test was a lot harder than i thought it was going to be.
It is as if we are speaking a different language or something!!
7. *says a sentence correctly in language* I would just like to thank my teacher, and everyone in this class for this opportunity.
It is as if I am winning my first Grammy, I would also like to thank my parents.
8. *gets an A-minus on a test* I should just change my major now.
Uhh, no no, I do not think you should go that far. You got one good grade after studying for how many hours? Honey, this is just a gen ed please calm down.
9. Okay clock, just move a little faster, class ends at 11:15 and it’s 11:05.
I am sorry to my family reading this, but some days I would much rather be in my math class than my Spanish class, and I am not good at math.
10. Oh boy, I need to study this more.
That feeling when you get your quiz grades back and automatically flip to the syllabus to make sure there is not a test in the near future because you did not do well.
Let’s be honest here, gen ed’s may be no fun at all, but in the long run, they teach us more about the English language itself and how to study correctly, so from that point of view...don’t completely hate your foreign language class but don’t quote me on this.
