Hello everyone!

One of my students is going to learn English in the UK, and she found some weird rules at some international colleges, especially expensive ones. I mean, weird for Russians.

If a student speaks during the lesson any language but English or is late for school he’ll be punished with “detention”. Our students know what it is from American films, but it is shown as the time when you are not allowed to go out of the school, and you either talk to other “detainees” or scrub the floor. My student was reading other students’ reviews and, according to them, detention meant “sitting in a room staring at the wall”. Nobody is allowed to talk, to write, and to read.

Why is this “detention” needed? I understand it is one of British customs. Nonetheless, I am sure that this kind of regulations should not be applied to other nations. When you are afraid of punishment you are stressed during the lesson. There should be other ways to encourage foreigners not to speak their mother tongue in class.