Imagine yourself at 19-20 years old. You couldn't get into college in your country, so your parents decided to send you overseas to study English. They already paid $5,000 to guarantee you a spot in an American junior college that if you study hard will get you into a prestigious university. All you have to do is attend a private language school and pass their tests and be labeled as a "high-intermediate English speaker". Your parents have also decided to give you a bottomless bank account and a $5,000 allowance per month. What would you do?
Today, I found out that two of my students who haven't been to class in almost two weeks got stupidly drunk and drove off an embankment. They rolled the car three times before it finally stopped. I'm not sure what is the extent of their injuries, but they did go to the hospital, were treated and released.
The driver is 19 years old. The legal drinking age in the States is 21 years old. Nobody was killed. There was no major property damage, just a totaled car. The passenger of the car got into an accident himself a few weeks before. Again, he got stupidly drunk and ran his car through somebody's brick wall and into the front yard of someone's house. So, what do you think was their punishments? Do they even deserve any punishment?
Well, the driver who rolled three times has his license revoked for one year. The passenger did a switch-a-roo when the police came and a sober person in the group got the blame. I have absolutely no idea if their parents know anything. I asked my boss what will happen to them in terms of school. Technically, they both violated the terms of their student visa and broke the law. My boss just shrugged her shoulders and said as of now, they're still students at the school.
At the end of the day, I don't work at a school but a business. If the students (customers) are not happy, then they won't recommend the place to any of their friends. Most days, I like what I do. I get to teach international students and I get to see their progress as they increase their abilities to communicate in a foreign language in a foreign place. However, today, I left work feeling disgusted because the company I work for is more concerned about making money than a student's well-being.
Should someone be rewarded for breaking the law? I have a friend from Brazil who really wants to return to the States to visit her family and friends. The first time I met her, she could barely string a word of English together. Two years later, she's now an English teacher. However, the US consulate denied her twice because she doesn't have enough money and may end up staying illegally. Why isn't she allowed a visa while these two morons who has spent the last 6 months in the US drinking and crashing cars have visas?
I just have to keep telling myself there is a light at the end of this tunnel. It will all end in a few months, and I will embark on something new, exciting, and scary. I just have to ride out the storm first.
