[etni] Fwd: Renee Wahl's letter

From: ETNI list <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Etni <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2014 20:36:30 +0200
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From: Jenifer Byk <byk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Renee Wahl's letter

Ouch!!

That was hitting the nail on the head, and I absolutely agree with
you, except for one thing.  The problem doesn’t start, for many
schools, in the 11th and 12th grades.  It starts in the 10th.  This is
simply outrageous!  Many of the schools in my area have gone straight
to teaching for bagrut in the 10th grade, using module ‘E’ unseens and
starting the the literature program with the short stories.  The class
marks reflect the unpreparedness of the students for this approach –
averaging in the 49s and low 50s, except for the native speakers.

How do I know?  I am one of that maligned  group known as private
teachers, so I have a wide view of what is going on in a number of
schools.   Renee is absolutely right; the students and their teachers
are drowning in work, but what is worse for all of them is that the
students really aren’t learning English. I spend (waste) lessons
trying to elicit answers in correct English, constantly having to
remind them about gerunds, phrasal verbs, that malicious English “S”,
and any number of things which neither they nor the teachers have had
any time to work on in their three years of High School.  And, like
Renee, most of the students I work with are highly motivated and
excellent.  Why, then, are they taking private lessons?  For two
reasons.  First of all, their teachers are so harried and hurried
that they just want to reread the texts and go over them slowly.
Secondly, it appears that many of their teachers today are just
starting out on their careers, and, try as they may, seem to be
finding  it difficult to find the right level.  And I am not talking
about the teachers like  Rachel, who started this thread, and whose
students thought she had never taught literature before.  I find
myself in exactly the same boat, despite my love of literature and my
MA in English literature; sometimes I am left scratching my head and
wondering what on earth the answer  is supposed to be.

Unlike Renee, I would be loathe to see literature go, but once upon a
time it was an integral part of the exam, and learning English was not
sacrificed to it.  This was in the 1950s and early 60s if I am not
mistaken.  It had its problems; students came to university unprepared
for academic texts, but this is certainly something that can be
remedied.

My suggestion. Perhaps David could make the next survey a yes/no
question.  Do we agree with Renee or not?  Is this what is happening
in the classroom today?  The results should be sent both to the
Ministry and to Shai Piron.

Jennifer Byk
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[etni] Fwd: Renee Wahl's letter

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