----- Original Message ----- From: Esther Revivo - estherrv@xxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Jennifer and Barry' posts Hello! I am one of those poor "friarim" that Fruma mentioned. With no money to vacation abroad, alas I am still in Netivot (participating in the on-line HOTS course.) So Jennifer, I read and agreed with almost all of what you wrote. As you said, "Pupils who read, read, and improve all their skills enormously. But how many do?" Midway through the year we junior high and h.s. teachers can walk into one of our classes and point to, "...these 12 kids read, these 18 don't." This is one result of the techno-world of m.p.'s ; I.C.Q.; Facebook ; twitter; etc. (twitter????? peep, peep :) The sad fact is that in many homes with both parents slaving away at work all day, kids no longer see their parents read as much as they used to when for instance yours truly was a child in the Middle Ages. (In the 1960's Mom's didn't as a rule go out to work, and mine was a bookworm.) Especially if Dad/ Mom are hooked up to THEIR laptops at home..... the result is that which you mentioned: college age pupils in college without appropriate skills. Barry, as one of the religious teachers on this forum, I had a hard time explaining to my non-English speaking Moroccan hubby why I couldn't stop laughing 15 minutes ago. ( "I wonder how many jobs can you shoot if you get a license?/ Would you buy a book from this man? /25 copies of signal CQ, 25 copies of Sig, If one of those copies should manange to fall, 24 copies of CQ on the wall...!" ) Did you ever try applying as a writer for a stand-up comedienne? For those who don't understand why I prefixed the bit above by "...as one of the religious teachers on this forum," I simply was referring to the fact that this week when the fast of 9 b'Av falls, we generally refrain from song, dance and laughter, and are more or less in what I'd describe as "shiva mode" for the two Temples destroyed on that date. As I wrote Fruma, "If our country's educational system is in the sorry state it's in despite us EFL "FRIARIM," can you imagine what it would be like without us? ** shudder** All the best- Esther Revivo ----------------------------------------------- ** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org or - http://www.etni.org.il ** ** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx ** ** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** -----------------------------------------------