How To Handle This ?

[tamaris]

We have a lady that teaches us a language in the U3A and I think she thinks we are there to listen to her about her family etc etc. She is a lovely woman but we only get 2 hours a week to learn.She has been told about the problems in the class and she said she was going to change, it has lasted about 2 weeks and she is back to square one again, she cant control the class of 12 and everyone talks over every one else. I sit next to her and when I am doing an exercise she talks all the time and I cant get on with any work , it is usually about unrelated stuff or she talks about others talking in class when she should be telling them not me.
I dont want to fall out but she is getting on mine and everyones nerves and it appears that the talking she had to tell her about everyones unhappiness by her second in charge has done no good. what can be done, as I know I am going to lose my temper with her before long ?

[tamaris]

Anyone ?

[bednobs]

are you paying for the class? (not sure how u3a works but i don't think you do?)

[tamaris]

No we dont pay only our subs once a year and coffee money, but we take it seriously and want to learn

[bednobs]

well then i would just leave and find another class

[bednobs]

or screw your courage to the sticking point and talk to her

[tamaris]

But if we all did that , she would have noone left

[bednobs]

well then she'd get the message :)

[tamaris]

Thing is, she was and is a teacher (retired)

[NOX]

If she is a ' lovely lady' and teaching you for nothing then personally I'd just be grateful- U3A is supposed to be fun rather anything else- and if she has to ' control' people in their third age then I think the class might be the problem rather than the teacher.

[tamaris]

I think she looks on it more of getting out from under her husbands feet and a social occassion we dont we want to learn

[tamaris]

No WE all want to learn and we are agreed that if she is doing this , she should be teaching and not talking about all her family problems etc. She seems afraid to hurt any ones feelings

[NOX]

I think though that since it's a free service she's offering you will either have to like her teaching style and lump it or tell her that you don't want to come any more because it's not to your taste. It's not a proper course as such, it IS a combinaiton of social outlet and learning, and it seems to me that you are taking it very seriously as though it were a proper college or university course, which it plainly isn't.

[Canary42]

Sadly she will never change (she's been told, after all) so finding another class would appear to be the only solution.

I do think the class are equally to blame - they shouldn't need "control" at that stage of maturity.

[tamaris]

Another teacher cant be appointed as people offer to do the classes themslves

[NOX]

Well then put up with it or leave, it's a very simple choice, it's churlish to moan about someone giving you their expertise for free.

[coccinelle]

Does she speak English in the lesson or only the foreign language? Does the class use a book which everybody follows?

[tamaris]

She is English and she speaks English all the time in class. We hae a book to follow but she comes in with other stuff alot of it is South American. We are supposed to be learning Castillian