Was It Something I Said?

Correct Your Italian Blunders: The concept is good, but the execution is not quite right. The idea behind the book is to look at the common errors made by people learning to speak Italian and show how to correct them. So far, so good. But the layout of the book undermindes its purpose. The blunders are prominently highlighted, so that the eye is drawn right to them. The corrections should have been printed right next to the mistakes, so that readers could immediately see the solutions to their problems. Instead, the corrections are not highlighted, but are simply listed, along with the explanatory text which appears above and below those attention-getting blunders. The end result is to make the mistakes more memorable than the corrections.

At some point during the first week of American history class I thought, this is a story I have heard many times before. Told by different people in different contexts, the details have varied, but the plot and characters remain the same. As the story progresses, I already know who’s who and what’s coming next.

But for some people in this class, this is a new story. There are young people who didn’t grow up here, for whom these are new names and places. They may have heard of George Washington (or perhaps not), but just about everything else is completely unfamiliar. (When Queen Victoria was mentioned, one person had to ask what country she ruled.)

After a test which included some information about the Mexican-American war, one student was complaining because the spelling of some place names didn’t seem to match the pronunciation. I told him that if he studied American history he would also have to learn a little Spanish. “I’m still learning English!” he said in frustration.

I don’t know the reasons all these students are here. Possibly to become Americans, possibly just to get an education. American history is a graduation requirement, so being here doesn’t necessarily mean they care. Having known this story all my life, I can’t properly imagine what it is like to hear it for the first time. At the end of one class, the professor gave a very moving speech about why our national anthem is the best. I wondered how it affected those who grew up in different places with different songs. Later, one of the young men for whom all this is new told me what a great speech it was and how it excited him. Once again, I was able to see hope for the future.

Michel Thomas Speak Italian for Beginners: This isn’t the usual kind of language program with questions or prompts followed by blank spaces where the student speaks. Here, we are eavesdropping as Michel Thomas coaches two students. Nobody pauses for us, the listeners, to fill in the blanks, although we can certainly play along. (On the first CD there are sound cues which prompt you to hit the pause button if you wish.) The two students make mistakes similar to those made by typical language students, as Thomas works to coax the right answers from them. Gradually, they improve. The most interesting part is listening to his explanations of Italian words and grammar and the way he thinks about the language. The last two CD’s in the set are also very helpful because they contain a review of all the words and phrases in the previous lessons, using only Michel without the students. The Michel Thomas method is apparently very popular among celebrities and others who can afford to study with him in person. The audio program is really just a taste of that.

When I told my 10-year-old niece I was going to summer school she was shocked. “That’s for under-achievers!” she said. At her grade level it is true that hardly anyone goes to summer school unless they need to make up a failed class or put in some remedial work. A high achiever herself, she hasn’t yet been introduced to the world of super-achievers who take extra classes so they can graduate early, get two degrees in the time normally needed for one, enter medical school at age 12, etc. In the summer, she goes to a series of “camps” which focus on a variety of topics. She has been to ballet camp, art camp, circus camp, CSI camp, veterinary camp, and a host of others, many that I would really love to attend. In the meantime, I realize I’d have gotten a little more respect if I’d told her I was going to “history camp”.