Today my German teacher was wrong. WRONG! And I did nothing to correct him.
He was explaining the difference between simple past (preterit) and present perfect in German. To do so, he compared the German to English: The boy went to the store. vs The boy has gone to the store.
Both correct sentences, both past tense. So German teacher says to class "Is there a difference in the tenses of these two sentences? Does it change the meaning?" No one says anything (probably because no one had any idea what he was talking about....Americans are notoriously bad at knowing their own grammar. But don't fret if you're one of them. You can't help it if you're a product of your less-than-worthy-grade-school-English-education).
I, not wanting to appear a know-it-all (I answer too many questions as it is), simply nodded my head. He asks again, I nod again. There is a long pause...and my teacher confidently declares "There isn't a difference! And it's the same in German!"
My eyebrows raise in skepticism. No difference? Excuse me? There is totally a difference. Yes, maybe it's a subtle, picky difference, but it's a difference nonetheless. Could you say I went to the beach last summer and I have gone to the beach last summer interchangeably? If I were to say did you see the movie, you might answer yes, last Saturday. But what would you say to have you seen the movie? Does it sound right to say yes, I have seen it last Saturday. I certainly hope not!
Unfortunately, I didn't say any of that. Instead, I sat there with my eyebrows raised, head shaking vigorously in disagreement, and mind racing. How to contradict/argue with my teacher in the middle of class...I've never been good at that...the blushing that results is always so uncomfortable. But luckily, we have a Russian student in my class who piped up (I think being a foreigner gave her an advantage) and said what I was thinking. My teacher shrugged it off as poor Russian teaching skills. But he did agree to look at one of her English textbooks at a later date, so apparently he's not opposed to being wrong.
I really should have said something. I wanted to. Usually my reason for keeping quiet in such a circumstance is insecurity- I'm never totally sure that I'm right. But this time, I knew I was right. I teach this stuff to my students on a regular basis. I can show him dozens of different grammar books as proof of my rightness. But rightness doesn't matter when you're too silent to answer.
Dang it.
1 comment:
Even I know that. There is a HUGE difference. HUGE! Not just subtle-HUGE. You should have put him in his place. I sure would have. Although I've tried that (ok at a community college...but still) and the teacher was waaaaay older than me, and he totally brushed off what I said, until another student reiterated it. How frustrating, but I loved being right :)
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