One of My African Students Went on A Rant About America Today. It Was Hilarious and Fitting

[ProudLib72]

First, some background. In this particular class is a row of three students from Africa. One is from Uganda. Another is from Cote d'Ivoire, and the last is from Togo.

After class this morning, I was outside the building talking to my student from Togo when the Ugandan student raced up and began ranting. First he wanted to know why American schools didn't make students wear uniforms. I told him that a few did but not all. He said that, in Uganda, all students had to wear school uniforms and cut their hair a certain way or they wouldn't be allowed in the school. "It makes them learn how to dress properly," he stated with the conviction of a curmudgeonly old man making observations about "today's kids". Next my student ranted about how Americans spoke English. "What is with you guys saying 'I'm gunna' or 'I wanna'; how do you even spell that?" He made it very clear that, in Uganda, everyone grows up speaking proper British English, not like in American where everyone is lazy and doesn't enunciate each word correctly. The student from Togo proceeded to tell a joke about the complexity of English in America. They both laughed at how seemingly uncultured Americans are.

All I could think of during this was "This is 'MURICA", speak English", and "shithole countries". Did I ever mention that I love teaching at this community college where the population is extremely diverse and everyone feels free to speak their minds?