Why we teach? #WorldTeachersDay

Once, a one-to-one student had the “boldness” to ask, during our first class: “So, are you a real teacher or you just do it for fun?” I was obviously very angry, but I kept my chill and politely explained that, yes, I own a degree and a master in teaching, and, yes, this is my everyday job. That anecdote became popular at my school among the teachers, and sometimes, through very hard problems and stressing periods, we say “but we do it for fun, right?”

However, I wonder, why are we teachers? Being a teacher is one of the most complex activities. We are with people in their best and in their worst; we see them as themselves most of the time. What I mean to say is, in the classroom there are no social roles, nor status. Everyone is the same, facing the same problems, overcoming the same fears. And here we are, the teachers, knowing people as they are, understanding their personality without any walls. You have to be mad to survive this job!

So, in the end, we are teachers because we like it! Obviously, there are days in which we question our whole existence, and want to go back in time and choose another profession. But those days are not as important as the days when we feel powerful, when we see our students overcoming all their fears and mistakes. Those days when your students come to you with their best results, being it an exam or a job interview, passing the subject in school or getting the level required to move abroad, those are the days!

So maybe that insensitive student was right. We do it for fun! And it is about time to admit it!

On Business English

Let’s face it, we, English Teachers, are full of random knowledge. We can discuss virtually everything with fluency and somewhat accuracy. I realized that on my many one-to-ones and group classes that involved business English.

And business English was at first a whole new world for me! I was never interested in it, in fact, I don’t really like it until now. All these terminologies, concepts, theory, it’s all boring and tiring for me. But somehow, I am fully able to discuss it in class, teach vocabulary, impersonate different roles and even show a tiny bit of excitement! Obviously, the first time I was confronted with it, I was overwhelmed! I didn’t know where or how to start.

Then, I discovered the glorious world of English for Specific Purposes books! I took them as my own at first, studying and learning the units with a great interest. My favourites are the Oxford English for Careers, the Cambridge Professional English in Use, and, for general knowledge, Market Leader from Pearson. The first two are very specific and straightforward, with defined units divided by topics, while the third follows the structure of a course book, tackling different areas of business.

I also started to pay more attention to the news, trying to understand the concept behind them. The Economist, for example, went from this dry magazine to a highly motivating reading. Of course, I don’t pretend to understand everything in it, and I really don’t. But at least I can decipher some of the articles and include them in my own array of knowledge.

So, in the end, teaching business English is not only a question of preparing classes, but also of getting into the topic, and adding this knowledge to my own life.

Rambling for the first time!

I've always wanted to write, but never found the context. Lately, I've been seeing many articles encouraging teachers to write about their experience, to share their skills but also as a self-evaluation tool. For me, I plan to write mainly for the second reason. Also because sometimes I have the need to let all that steam out. I don't know if people will ever read this, but I don't mind, I'll take it as a personal diary. I’ve started this blog with the purpose of sharing materials and ideas, but I found it extremely time consuming and, also, not unique. Let’s see if I can shake things up a bit!

In September 2016 I've started my third school year at the same English school. Every year, I stress over the anticipation, but I must admit that experience makes it easier. I'm much more confident, I have many more tools and lessons prepared. But the first day of class is always terrible! That feeling of "what will they think of me?" haunts me during the first week, until I realise that I'm in a comfort zone.

This year, I've got only one primary class, around 10 years old. My first reaction was panic, but they're all lovely. They're too many, 10 kids, but I cannot complain. Two pairs of twins, which makes my memoir works extra hard, but mostly I have fun.

I've got two groups of teenagers, one in a B2 level (meaning First for Schools exam in June) and the other in a C1 level, with kids that just took the FCE last June. The latter is a challenge: they're boring! I know, we shouldn't say that, but it's true, they are BORING!! Also, playing a little psychologist here, they're the kind of teens that I'd be scared at school when I was their age. Pretty, popular, party animals... all that I never was, thank God! So I believe it is normal that I don't feel comfortable in this class. On the other hand, the B2 class is amazing, I know some of them from previous years, and it's a great group. They’re motivated, they're always in the zone, they have a great level. I hope they continue like this!

Now turning to adults, here's where the fun begins. I've got B1, B1+, B2 and two groups of C1. Meaning that I go from teaching past continuous to inversions; everyday vocabulary to complex academic. Yes, it is exhausting! But overall, they're good groups, with good people. No annoyances or bored students.

Looking at all these groups on my screen makes me realise the amount of people I've got coming in and out my class. And the amount of people being somehow influenced by what I say! Isn't it terrifying?

Wear my hat - Reported Speech Song

Wear my hat – Phil Collins

Well he came looking for me with her arms open wide like some long lost friend of mine
She said, "Excuse me, but do you remember me?"
I said, "No, I don't believe I do"

So she looked me up and down and undressed me with her eyes
Then she said, "You've got everything I need, you’ve got everything I want", so I said, "Okay"

[Chorus]

"You can wear my hat, you can have my coat
You can take my shirt 'cos I don't need it
You can wear my shoes, you can take my socks
Come on take my bag, it's yours"
"If you love it
You can have it if you love it
Ain't no problem if you love it
Come on take it if you love it"

So her friend came up to me with a pen and paper in her hand, expressing some interest in the number of my room

She said, "Excuse me, but do you remember me?"
I said, "No", she said, "Can I appeal to you?"

So I looked her up and down and realizing her insinuations I blushed
She said, "Listen to me, you don't know me, no, you don't know me but you owe me"

"And I love you, yes, I love you
Put your arms around me 'cos I love you
And I got all your records and I love you"
So I suggested

[Chorus]

Well later on that day this guy came to me with a scrap of paper in his hand
He said, 'Hey buddy, can you sign your name for me?"
I said, "Why, do I owe you money?" he said, "No"
I said, "Listen, pal, do I know you? Have we ever met? Why do you want my name on this little piece of paper?
He said, "I love you, I don't know you but I love you, like my brother, I love you, put your arms around me 'cos I love you"
I said, "Hey let's not rush things"

[Chorus]



1. To what type of people is this situation possible?

2. Have you ever met a celebrity and tried to get an autograph?

3. Select some sentences of the song and transform them in reported speech.

Racism and the Oscars

1. Read the following article about the 2016 Oscars ceremony and the topic of racism, and then answer the questions. (Adapted from http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/29/chris-rock-at-the-oscars-youre-damn-right-hollywoods-racist )

Chris Rock at the 2016 Oscars: 'You're damn right Hollywood's racist'

Oscars host Chris Rock opened the show on Sunday night with an opening monologue that tackled the controversy about the lack of black acting nominees head-on. “Is Hollywood racist?” he asked. “You’re damn right Hollywood’s racist.” Rock qualified his comments by saying that the industry was not “burning cross racist ... it’s a different type of racist”.

However, Rock also mocked Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, high-profile boycotters of the event. To a roar from the audience, Rock said: “Jada got mad, she said she’s not coming. Doesn’t she have a TV show? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties – I wasn’t invited!”

Rock had begun his monologue by pointing out that he could “count at least 15 black people” in the opening montage, before welcoming viewers to the Oscars, “otherwise known as the White People’s Choice awards”. Rock added, in a reference to last year’s host: “If they nominated hosts I wouldn’t even get this job so you’d be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.”

The comedian went on to make direct reference to the many calls for him to resign in protest from the hosting job. Rock joked: “I thought about it really hard but they’re not going to cancel the Oscars because I quit, and the last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart.”

Rock added that it was strange so much controversy had attended this Oscars when, presumably, many of the previous ceremonies had been all-white. “It’s the 88th Academy Awards which means this whole no-black-nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times. You got to figure that it happened in the 50s, in the 60s, one of those years Sidney [Poitier] didn’t put out a movie, and black people didn’t protest because we had real things to protest at the time. We were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer. When your grandmother’s swinging from a tree it’s really hard to care about best documentary foreign short.” Referring to the wave of protest against police brutality against black people in the US, Rock added that, this year, the In Memoriam section should be “black people that were shot by the cops on the way to the movies”.

He joked that the Oscars could have specific black categories, saying: “You have men and women, there’s no real reason for there to be a man and woman category in acting – it’s not track and field; you don’t have to separate them. Robert De Niro’s never said, ‘I have to slow this acting down so Meryl Streep can catch up.’” Rock sarcastically suggested one of the new categories: “Best black friend – Wanda Sykes for the 18th year in a row.”

Rock concluded: “We want opportunity – give black actors the same opportunities as white actors. That’s it. Leo gets a great part every year. What about Jamie Foxx?”

a. Watch the video available on The Guardian website of this article and underline the sentences you hear. There is one that was not included in it.

b. Find the following synonyms at the text:

i. Presenter:

ii. Challenged:

iii. Ridiculed:

iv. Apparently:

v. Hanged:

vi. In sequence:

c. Transform the following quotes into reported speech:

i. “Is Hollywood racist?” he asked.

ii. Rock added, in a reference to last year’s host: “If they nominated hosts I wouldn’t even get this job so you’d be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.”

iii. Robert De Niro’s never said, ‘I have to slow this acting down so Meryl Streep can catch up.’


2. Watch the following extract of the 12th Academy Award ceremony in 1940, when the actress Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “Gone with the Wind”, becoming the first African American to win an Academy Award. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7t4pTNZshA)

Fay Bainter: (…) and, really, specially Hattie that I’m chosen to present this particular plaque. To me it seem more than just a plaque of gold, it opens the doors of this room, moves back the walls and enables us to embrace a whole of America. An America that we love, an America that almost alone in the world today recognizes and pays tribute to those who’d given their best, regardless of creed, race or color. It is with the knowledge that this entire nation will stand and salute the presentation of this plaque, that I present the Academy Award for the best performance of an actress in supporting role during 1939 to Hattie McDaniel.

Hattie McDaniel: Academy and Motion Pictures, Arts and Science, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests. This is one of the happiest moments of my life. And I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of the awards. For your kindness, it has made me feel very, very humble. And I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race, and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel. And may I say thank you. God bless you.

3. Compare both speeches and discuss your opinion on the matter of racism in Hollywood.

Cabin in the Woods - Speaking practice

Cabin in the Woods

Imagine you have to stay in this cabin for the entire month of January. You have all the food and water you need. You have enough firewood to keep a fire going for the whole month. You can also take anything you want for entertainment, except access to internet, electronic gadgets (cell phone, tablet, etc) or TV. On the 31st of January you walk out the door with € 100,000.

What would you take with you?


Describe your routine there.


Would you really do it? List the advantages and disadvantages of accepting this challenge.

Kate Winslet advice for young woman – BAFTA 2016

1- What advice would you give for people younger than you?

2- Have you ever received a bad advice?

3- Watch the video and complete the script

You know… I often, in a moment like that one, I find myself afterwards thinking: “Oh, I should’ve said something, I should’ve…”

You know, when I was younger, when I was only 14, I ___________________ by a drama teacher that I ______________ do ok if I was happy _____________ the fat girl parts. Look at me now! Look at me now!

And so what I feel like saying in those moments is, you know, any young woman ____________ has ever been _____________ by a teacher, or a friend, or even a parent, just don’t listen to __________. Because that’s what I did, I didn’t listen and I kept on going, and I overcame all of my fears and I ____________ a lot of insecurity. And just keep doing it, and ____________in yourself, you know, that’s what I felt, like I really had to dig deep and do. And so, I would dedicate it to all those young women _______________ doubt themselves because you ___________ be doubting, you __________ just be going for it.



4- What was the bad advice Kate Winslet received?

5- How did she overcome it?



Script:

You know… I often, in a moment like that one, I find myself afterwards thinking: “Oh, I should’ve said something, I should’ve…”

You know, when I was younger, when I was only 14, I was told by a drama teacher that I might do ok if I was happy to settle for the fat girl parts. Look at me now! Look at me now!

And so what I feel like saying in those moments is, you know, any young woman who has ever been put down by a teacher, or a friend, or even a parent, just don’t listen to any of it. Because that’s what I did, I didn’t listen and I kept on going, and I overcame all of my fears and I got over a lot of insecurity. And just keep doing it, and keep believing in yourself, you know, that’s what I felt, like I really had to dig deep and do. And so, I would dedicate it to all those young women who doubt themselves because you shouldn’t be doubting, you should just be going for it.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscars speech 2016

1. Who does Leonardo thank at the beginning of his speech? Tick all that apply.

[ ] His friends

[ ] The Academy

[ ] His parents

[ ] His fellow nominees

[ ] His brother

[ ] Tom Hardy

[ ] The producers at Fox and New Regency

[ ] His team

2. What does he say is the essential meaning of The Revenant?



3. What happened during the production of The Revenant?



4. What are the solutions he gives to climate change?



5. Read the script and discuss the meaning of the bolded words and expressions.

Thank you all so very much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to all of you in this room. I have to congratulate the other incredible nominees this year. The Revenant was the product of the tireless efforts of an unbelievable cast and crew. First off, to my brother in this endeavor, Mr. Tom Hardy. Tom, your talent on screen can only be surpassed by your friendship off screen … thank you for creating a transcendent cinematic experience. Thank you to everybody at Fox and New Regency … my entire team. I have to thank everyone from the very onset of my career … To my parents; none of this would be possible without you. And to my friends, I love you dearly; you know who you are.

And lastly, I just want to say this: Making The Revenant was about man's relationship to the natural world. A world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow. Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this. For our children’s children and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed. I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted. Thank you so very much.

What is a calorie? - Ted Video

This lesson was made based on the TedEd video "What is a calorie?" by Emma Brice. It can be used with teenagers and adults, from an intermediate level onwards.

What is a calorie?

Calories are:

A. The same as fats

B. Units we use to measure the amount of energy in our food

C. A way of heating water

D. Special proteins

Where is the energy stored in our food?

A. Within its chemical bonds

B. It's only found in fats

C. In the soluble parts of our food

D. In fibre

How many calories are there in:

A. A pizza slice:

B. A piece of bread:

C. An apple:

How much energy is used in:

A. Digestion:

B. Physical activity:

C. Basic functions of organs and tissues:

What is the definition of Basal Metabolic Rate? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How many calories an average man needs? And a woman? __________________________________________________________________________

Calorie estimates for people are based on:

A. How healthy people are, on average

B. How much sugar we need

C. How much exercise people do on average

D. Average weight, muscle mass, physical activity, and other factors

What does the calorie count on nutritional labels means?

A. How much energy the food contains

B. How much energy your body will obtain from the food

C. How many vitamins there are in the food

D. How much energy you will use in digestion

What do we need to know to work out exactly how many calories each of us requires?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CAE Essay model

Prepare to write: spend 5 minutes doing an outline and brainstorming ideas. Don’t start writing without planning.

Main question: Role of individuals in air pollution.

Using public transport:

a.       More usage, more offer, less carbon emissions

b.      Active role

      Making homes and workplaces energy-efficient

a.       Expensive in a short term, cheaper in a long term (renewable energies)

b.      Effective not only for air pollution

c.       Not dependant on individuals – passive role

      Putting pressure on authorities

a.       Democracy, should work but not always

b.      Not always effective – passive role

After the brainstorm, choose TWO points that you think you can develop, compare and provide reasons. For this case, I chose the first and the second.

Model answer:

            The issue of air pollution is one of the main preoccupations[p1]  of governments today, and many believe [p2] that individuals do not have the responsibility nor the power to improve this situation. However, not only are authorities concerned, but also every citizen[p3] , who[p4]  can take a clear stand in favour of the environment.

            Firstly[p5] , it is true that not all processes regarding diminishing[p6]  air contamination [p7] can be taken by individuals in an active way. For instance[p8] , improving the efficiency of energy consumption in houses and workplaces[p9]  is a decision that must [p10] come from above, since it involves high expenses [p11] and specific legislation. However[p12] , if the high authorities changed these issues, many citizens would support this decision[p13]  and be more aware of the environmental crisis of today.

 Nonetheless[p14] , some decisions can[p15]  be made by individuals[p16] , with great impact on air contamination. The preference for public transport instead of private may[p17]  drastically[p18]  change the situation. The more usage of public transports is made, the better offer will be available[p19] , which[p20]  would lead to less carbon emissions in large scale. And this choice lies only in the hands [p21] of the citizens, who[p22]  are the only igniters[p23]  of this development.

            To sum up[p24] , the environmental turmoil[p25]  we are now living is a matter of great urgency. As members of the community, it is our turn to take a stand and it. Even though [p26] some decisions cannot be done as easily as it looks, little habit changes, as seen above, can have a great impact in large scale and give our world a chance to return to its perfect conditions.

---

 [p1]Vocabulary

 [p2]Impersonal

 [p3]Inversion

 [p4]Relative

 [p5]Connector

 [p6]vocabulary

 [p7]synonym

 [p8]connector

 [p9]-ing subject

 [p10]modal

 [p11]vocabulary

 [p12]connector

 [p13]2nd conditional

 [p14]connector

 [p15]modal

 [p16]passive

 [p17]modal hypothesis

 [p18]vocabulary

 [p19]comparative

 [p20]relative

 [p21]expression

 [p22]relative

 [p23]vocabulary

 [p24]connector

 [p25]vocabulary

 [p26]connector