Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: My Colleague Speaks Broken English In my school we practice team teaching. One of my colleagues and I share the same students. She teaches Science and Social Studies, while I teach Math and Language Arts including Reading. Because we teach lower elementary students—2nd grade—I pay special attention to modeling correct use of English in both writing and speaking in my lessons. This is where my problem begins. My team teacher is an immigrant from Korea. She speaks English well, but she makes mistakes regularly. I can see some of my students making mistakes in their speech and writing that mimic the mistakes I hear from my team teacher. What should I do about this? I do not want her to get in trouble because she is a very good teacher. If I inform her about what I have observed in her speech, would I be culturally insensitive? How should I tell her about this? I am at a total loss. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Though I can see how you think it might be culturally insensitive, I don't think you mentioning it to her that the students are picking up on it and mimicing what they are hearing is culterally insensitive. I think if she truly cares about her students, she will appreciate the concern and it will help her be more aware of her broken English. It's nothing she is doing intentional so it shouldn't offend her. I would just sit her down and talk to her, even show her the papers from your students. I don't think it will be a big problem if you just talk to her.