Supplement Bhadra

Challenges for Teaching English in College Level

English is the most widely used language of the world. It has got enormous prestige as the international language so why almost two-third of the world population is learning English as the second language today. But, teaching and learning English is not a piece of cake as people think. Thus, the major challenges what many college teachers or lecturers have met while teaching English in college level are discussed below:

Background of the students:

The students from community schools are found to be very weak in English as they get less opportunity to speak English and at the same time private school's students are habituated to speak but use erroneous language which creates the problem to the English language teacher later on. The problem will be more severe if the class consist the students from both private and community school background.

Negative attitude of students:

Nepali learners of English generally are found to have negative attitude towards English language as they feel it too difficult for them. Specially, the English textbooks which are prepared for Oxford or Cambridge or other prestigious Universities are prescribed for our students which make them too difficult for our students and in return, they develop negative attitude towards English. In my personal opinion, the negative attitude of the students towards English is the major reason why most of the students fail in English. 

Old fashioned teaching methods :

The society is being modernized and developing towards the post -modern era but still, most of the teachers are using old fashioned teaching methods like grammar translation method (G.T. Method ) and are emphasizing mostly on teaching vocabulary with translation giving unnecessarily importance on teaching grammar rather than the real language use. Thus, the learners lack the interest in learning English. Basically, lack of on job training and seminars are the crucial factors that the teachers are still using old fashioned teaching techniques like lecture method. One famous poet, translator and renown English lecturer, Mr. Manu Manjil, gives the term narration sickness for the use of lecture method .Over Emphasis on Result

This society has record on the learners' mind that only successful people are to live in this society which gives negative impact to the learners that the average or below average students will be discouraged. Especially the first division with distinction is the standard norm for the result for many institutions which neglects real talent of the students besides rote learning . This emphasis on result are compelling teachers to focus mostly on model questions and students are most likely use guide and guess papers instead of learning text book. It in turn makes the students to rote just answers rather than understanding the truth which makes teaching English as a subject rather than teaching it as a language. That is to say it makes students passive towards learning English as a language .

Misconception of college administration

and related agencies:

Now-a-days colleges are being modernized with sophisticated buildings, well-furnished rooms, with other facilities like swimming pool air conditioned rooms, nice gardens, well managed canteens, vehicle parking, etc but they are not being modernized with new concepts, modern teaching techniques uses of email and internet in teaching and uses of new teaching techniques, methods and approaches etc. This way, the colleges around are giving importance and they are competing for physical infrastructure rather and they are competing for physical infrastructure rather than providing real quality education which is required for all round development of the students. The slogan of quality education can't be achieved only through the fulfillment of physical infrastructure. Mostly, they are advertising the results they possessed which in fact may be a norm to measure the quality of college but that is not the only measurement .

The concern agencies are seemed to be blind to check and balance the colleges their infrastructure, their results, their product etc. Thus, the theory of reward and punishment seems to be failure here. This way, the whole education system is misguided now by so called top colleges let alone the matter of teaching English .

This way, teaching English in college level is being a great challenge for English teachers and lecturers. Besides the aforementioned major challenges there are many other factors which contribute to make the job of teaching English a challenge like lack of trained manpower, very limited salary scale, no provisions for research and publication works, emphasis on marks rather than the performance of the teacher, no provisions for trainings and salary scale, no provisions for research and publication words, emphasis on marks rather than the performance of the teacher , no provisions for trainings and seminars for the college teachers, no provisions for continuous evaluation system, dependency on annual examination only for assessment, misconception of guardians and students , etc. This way teaching English in college is being a great challenge now.    

To My Best Friend

– Barsha Thapa

You are my best friend

My present, future and past

I have no doubts that

Our friendship may have lost

When I was hurt or sad

You made me smile

And no longer feel bad

Whenever I need you

You were always there

You need not say anything

I know your care

I know your love

It was you who Mended my heart

It was you who

Help me from the beginning

Thanks for being

Such a great friend

Thanks for being

Always till the end.

Crime  Story

Once upon a time there were five friends - Someone, No-one, Mad, Fool, and Brain. They all live together. One day Someone killed No-one. That time Brain was in the bathroom. Mad calls the police.

Mad : Someone killed No-one.

Police : Are you mad?  Mad : Yes.

Police : You don't have brain ?

Mad :    No, Brain is in the bathroom.

Police : Are you a fool ?

Mad : No, Fool is reading this text.

-          Dhiraj Chaudhary

-         Jokes  corner         

Cow and Grass

A teacher asked his students to draw "A cow eating grass" Everybody drew the picture and show to the teacher but Shyam didn't.

The teacher asked, "Shyam, why didn't you draw a picture ?

Then Shyam replied, "I drew the picture but the cow ate the grass and went away."       

-         - Reecha Pokharel

Very Simple

Teacher : Ram you can call your mother mum. Tell me what you can call to elder sister of your mother and younger sister of your mother.

Ram : Its simple sir. If my mother is mum, then her elder sister is maximum and younger sister is minimum.

-         - Deepa Phuyal

Proposal

Mahesh : Without you everything is dark and dearly... the clouds gather and wind beats the rain … then comes warm sun... You are like rainbow

Seema: Is it proposal or weather report ?

-         – Nayan Gajmer