English Language and its use amongst students of a kind

‘Considering English is not these students’ first language, the results they gain in their A-levels are pretty good.’

The above comment is one I constantly hear (well not every single time) when the students’ performances in their academic or debates are discussed during meetings or between certain teachers. I am disappointed in those who have uttered this. To me the students we teach have by far better command of the English language than even some of the expatriate teachers and their families. Almost all of the students we have at the college use the English language as their first language even though they are of different races and should be using their mother tongues as their first language.

The definitions of first language and mother tongue remain as they always have been: the former is a language an individual uses from the time they were born whilst the latter is a language used by a certain tribe or race, and it has always been presumed that the mother tongue would always be the first language in any household especially in multiracial and multicultural countries. However, in this 21st century, intermarriages are definitely hard to avoid in societies such as those. Additionally, the environment where one lives makes it hard not to have one’s language intermingled hence our ‘bahasa rojak’. Anyhow, due to the increasing demand our nation should improve their use of the English language, most Malaysian families try their best to use English as their communicative language in their household especially those of intermarriages and those who can afford foreign maids. In other words, mother tongue is now gradually diminishing as THE language used in a household. Instead, the English language seems to have replaced mother tongues as the language for communication. It has also arrived at the stage where it is in stiff competition with BM as the nation’s most preferred language. However, our nation is wise enough to realize the national language will always be BM whilst their communicative language will indefinitely be the English language because they have no choice if they want to be proficient in the language which is the communicative tool in the 21st century global trade and commerce. Additionally, Malaysians also realize that to be multilingual is an advantage in this globalization age. It will get one far ahead, or so I have been told.

The use of the English language as the main communication tool in most households has families introducing all kinds of materials to improve the use of the language. Observing the students at this top notch college, Shakespeare and other classical writers seem to have pervaded most of this students’ world. It was even surprising to see non-literature students singing along to the My Fair Lady’s musical, and students who have not been exposed to literature take such an interest in the subject that they take the initiative to research more in depth about subjects concerning anything they themselves think they would like to know about a particular text. You also have science students who although have just come out of our public schools right after their SPM or STPM adapting easily and swiftly to a whole new language teaching system for their A-levels. How can we forget their performance in their IELTS….we have most of them scoring bands 8 and above which some teachers may struggle achieving.

Why stop only at their academic performance? In their everyday interaction with teachers, these students are mostly conversing in English even the most problematic ones because we encourage them to for the sake of improving. They also make it a point that most of their stage performances are in English, and even if they are doing Dikir Barat or Bangsawan performances, it is always noticed these students have an English translation for the benefit of the audiences they are performing for. And at each and every one of these, the students’ use of the English language is as good as its native speaker and maybe better. Even if there is a glitch in their use, it is their courage and confidence in their proficiency to use the language that should be admired and taken note of, not their flaws.

What is frustrating beyond words is that these teachers would praise these students in private meaning either in person to the student or to me but when it comes to praising them out loud like in meetings or debate competitions amongst adjudicators I hear them saying the students’ use of the language is not up to standard and its because it is their second language. Hypocrites. I want to scream at these teachers but they are all seniors and more experienced, and besides I was still new and inexperience. Be silent, say nothing. It is courtesy. Pathetic.

Being teachers and guides to students, shouldn’t these students be given credit where credit is due? What’s the point of being and saying something else in front of these students and something else behind them? Teachers should bear in mind students are humans too. If you don’t treat them with respect or trust them with the truth, then how do you expect them to trust in you and your teachings? If one wants to be treated with respect, one should earn it. Martin Luther King said that character and intelligence is the true goal of education. Isn’t that what we are unknowingly doing; moulding these students into one character or another? If these students are not given the true perspective of their abilities, then wouldn’t the raw truth hurt when they are out in the real world? And if these students are incapable of using the language as they should do, then would it not be the teachers’ duty to teach and guide them towards it? In this case, the truth of the matter is that teachers who complain about their students performances in the use of the language are actually drying their dirty linens. It just shows their failure as a teacher in his or her duty to help and guide students. Additionally, it is as though the teachers are blaming the students’ natural abilities and efforts in improving themselves to cover up their (the teachers) inadequacies. Besides this is the English language, if a teacher complains then he/she should be good in the language to actually have the right to complain, but to the students’ face; not praise the students to their face and bitch about their shortcomings behind their backs. How is this character building and intellectually inspiring? If this is the case, then what is in the name of a teacher?

For the students at where I teach, they have the energy and they are more broadminded than the previous as the batches keep coming in every six months. They are tough intellectually and they do not care how emotionally disturbing it is as long as their teachers are there to support them and discuss with them their performances. They want control over their destiny and their lives’ choices. We as teachers should be there to help them realize their responsibilities even if it means playing the devil’s advocate. Sometimes to be kind, one has to be cruel but not brutally cruel, more of an encouraging one. These students are at the points in their life where they have to think for themselves including the consequences their decisions will have on them and those around them. If we cannot cope with telling them the truth, then our job as teachers are as pointless as it is made out to be. We have experiences which they don’t. We have to impart them to the students whenever possible. There are so many ways to teaching students and helping them improve in their education. Teachers should help those who deserve it as much as they can. Give credit where credit is due.