[etni] Fw: cantankerous versus thrilled

From: "Ask_Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:38:45 +0300
----- Original Message ----- 
From: byk - byk@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: cantankerous versus thrilled


Barry Praag has certainly brought up something I find rather odd.  Of the 
people who have actually taken the course, the number seems to be pretty 
evenly divided between the fors and againsts.

I'm definitely for literature being taught, and perhaps, even, for a bit 
more order being put into the way it is taught. It is also clear that not 
all teachers are equally at home teaching it, and that those on this list 
may well represent those who read a lot and have taken degrees in 
literature, and therefore don't need extra guidance.  Perhaps this explains 
why so many teachers want to remain with the 'old faithfuls' that they have 
taught or were taught for so many  years.  (In fact, like All My Sons, since 
Shakespeare was dropped sometime in the sixties or early seventies.)

However, since I am now mainly a private tutor, I see a great many different 
teaching styles (through my pupils) and demands, and also a great many 
different levels, classes and learning abilities.  Although many of my 
pupils are native or near native speaking pupils, the level some of the 
literature requires guided reading.  What, then, of those pupils who need 
every second word explained?  What English is this teaching them?  Should 
they be struggling with texts which are way above their language level? 
What about the basics?  I am finding more and more pupils whose grasp of the 
language is getting weaker. Perhaps this is because both the pupils and the 
teachers, bogged down with projects, book reports (some of which get more 
and more unwieldy and defeat the purpose of extensive reading), and what 
not, don't have time to devote to improving the language.  Some pupils can 
barely writea decent sentence, though their comprehension is good.  Many 
find it hard to read the simplified books.  They can't really understand 
what they read on the internet, though they are great at copy/paste and 
downloading  projects.

I'm sure there are many teachers who will contradict me, and say that all is 
for the best in the best of all possible worlds.  I can only report what I 
see happening right here in the centre of the country, in the land of 
well-heeled.

And then there is the situation of the teachers, who must accopmplish all 
the miracles in 4 hours a week, less all those deducted for trips, 
ceremonies, other teachers' exams etc.  They start the  year, more or less 
standing upright, and finish it on hands and knees, battered by principals, 
parents and pupils.

How much more can they take, and is it any wonder that they are not too 
thrilled by the thought of more work for less gain.  Not everybody is 
thrilled with projects, and many school libraries have tens of thousands of 
shekels worth of books for extensive reading which are not properly 
exploited.  These are the poorly thoought out innovations of the past years. 
Is it any wonder that not everybody feels that this 'innovation' is going to 
get us to the golden fleece.

Jennifer Byk



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[etni] Fw: cantankerous versus thrilled

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