<p>Thanks for clarifying that bit on the last name, sorry!</p>
<p>I love college so far in my first month- I've met a really cool group of people in my dorm that I instantly became really close with. Classes are definitely a lot of work with all the reading and essays, but I guess that's just college in general. Haven't hit the snowy months and I already think the 80 bus is a godsend, haha.</p>
<p>Math is a universal language that is easily taught no matter what the native language is. It's great that students have an opportunity to learn such subjects from professors and TAs around the world, especially at a Midwest university such as the UW. It's a shame to let such a little thing as the "language barrier" interfere with one's learning. Writing a letter of complaint to the department is a little counterproductive considering that it the department themselves hire professors based on their credentials and experience and the professor selects the TA from a pool of well qualified candidates. Students are in college to expand the mind, additional hours reviewing material covered in class shouldn't be considered taking the lectures twice. A proactive student will take up her concerns directly with the professor during his office hours--perhaps the concepts in class may be clarified on a one-on-one basis. Otherwise, it will be a long semester.</p>
<p>I am a senior at the UW and have gotten into the habit of reading the assigned material before coming to class to get a better understanding of what the professor is stating during lecture. Please note that this is an acquired habit--something freshmen do not come in knowing. Because I took the time to learn the material beforehand, I wasn't struggling with grasping larger ideas taught in lecture--I am also able to tailor questions specific to what I did not understand in the readings. I took Math 222 as a freshman and I made it a point to review the textbook before coming to lecture and working through a few of the exercises myself. My math professor was Russian and spoke with a thick accent but that didn't take away from his brilliance. Though I didn't quite yet have a firm grasp of the new material, I had prepared well for it and while sometimes I didn't catch what he stated, lectures were easy to follow along. My math TA was also Chinese and soft spoken but I didn't let that deter me from learning the material. </p>
<p>I see a lot of underclassmen telling parents that their failed exams weren't their own fault but their TA's because the class wasn't taught well or their professor's fault because they couldn't speak English. Next time ask your student how they prepared for these exams. I've seen students come through with a 5 on their AP calc exam straight into 222/234--who are obviously good math students but still fail exams in college due to poor preparation. This is different from high school where it's easy to determine the good students to those who could use improvement. Every student at the UW was that "good student" in high school and it's very competitive. Please make sure you and your student attribute their academic success to well preparation and regular use of the many resources available to them on campus rather than something trivial such as a "language barrier." After all, it's your responsibility as a student to learn--it's no one's fault but your own if you are not able to grasp the material.</p>
<p>I for one do not believe that when you are paying out of your own pocket for a tough math class that a language barrier is "trivial". I am insulted that you question my daughter's study habits. She told me that several students dropped the class the first week because they could not understand the professor. My daughter stuck it out and as of mid-terms is doing well because she sought out others to study with and attended tutoring. To me that states volumes about her maturity and study habits.</p>
<p>Be honest with yourself. If you an english first speaking person selecting a tough math class and the notation next to the class states english as a second language for this professor are you more or less inclined to select them? Even the most brilliant (which he may well be) professor's instruction will be diminshed if they cannot communicate the material effectively.</p>
<p>I agree that all professors, TA's, et al should have good English skills. When they are hard to understand due to language/accent problems the dept should be notified. The dept can only rectify the problem if people inform it of a problem, the language skills are only one part of the hiring process. Students should prepare for classes, but not catching concepts due to a language barrier is different. I remember having Fadell teaching from his own Calculus textbook eons ago for 2 semesters, then another calc prof (American born) using the same book (btw- I still have the early 1970's book, I had noted the $13 purchase price) far less successfully despite the fact that his language skills were good.</p>