Some people would perhaps think that this student was a bit naive or foolish to admit what he had done (but the truth is, the level of English was too good for him, I could see that!!), but on the contrary, I find it very refreshing to see that some students still have some character, which has not been eroded by the cynicism that comes with the almost compulsory cheating that seems to pervade the Czech education system. Such qualities as honesty, integrity, and honour are admirable and should be encouraged...which made me reflect on what I have been trying to do for the last 7 or so years...
It is one thing to teach English - grammar, vocabulary, tenses, pronunciation, sentence structures etc...and on the whole I enjoy that - but it is much more rewarding and challenging to teach about life; which is basically what the student needs to be prepared for after they leave the relatively safe environment of SGO. In recent weeks in some of my seminars, students have discussed and done some talks on homelessness, and whether anything can be done - on 'my creed'; what I believe in and why (one student later told me it was the BEST seminar he'd ever been in :-)), capital punishment - is it effective, and if we have it, then how should people die...and why? In the past there have also been some great talks on what makes a good marriage/relationship. Isn't this what students really need to learn - instead of 15 types of herbs, or (as one teacher was desperately searching on the internet today) are there really 50 islands in New York!!?? (Who actually cares?? :-O )
Surely more relevant teaching is needed; and if it can't be provided in other subjects, then I guess English is the place to begin.
Of course, one of the biggest challenges to this is to encourage students to think, and to have an opinion, and to be able to express themselves. So often, they are conditioned to repeat by rote, parrot-like, lots of information without any sense of actually exploring a topic. After all, you can teach a parrot to speak English, but not to think in the language... :-)
I know there are a handful of teachers who try to get students to 'come out of the box', and I commend them for it - but it can be a long haul...
Perhaps we need to change the Maturita topics for the future?
Maybe such a list would comprise of:
- Love and marriage
- How to handle your money
- How to deal with death/dying
- How to get the most out of your life
- What is really important about life?
- Social issues - can you make a difference?
- How to be effective in politics
- How to build up your character
- Learning to live with your mistakes
Well, that's just a taster :-)
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