A challenge!!

Well, after weeks of uncertainty, a bit of stress and some soul-searching, things are a bit clearer...at least for the following school year. 

It seems, at the moment, that the only way I can keep my job is to get Czech Maturita! I know, it's crazy, and indeed, the law says that as a native speaker I don't even have to use Czech at all in my job - but as there are no studies available for native speakers in CR, then I find myself in this Catch 22 situation.

So, as from the end of August, I will not only have a full-time job continuing my teaching at SGO, but I will also begin 'distance studies' at another Gymnazium. Because some of my studies have been accepted as proof of a certain level of education, the good news is that I only have to study for one year, and then hopefully pass my exams! And if I'm successful, then (I hope) that should be the end of my problems with the Czech Ministry of Education...

Of course, I will have to do the English State Exam - this is a great irony, not just because I'm a native speaker & it really shouldn't be a problem...but mainly because I have already done a course on how to examine in this exam!! :-) I shall have to resist examining the teachers!!

Czech will be the biggest challenge for me - I have already had a look at the list of books & have some ideas of what my 20 titles will be, but I'm dreading Czech poetry ;-) But it's encouraging to know that I know quite a few of the books, being a keen reader, and I've even read one of them in Czech :-) However, it is the written exam that will be a problem for me - the essay & the 'didaticky test' - 3 students failed this year, so I know it's a tough one. At the moment, I have set myself the strategy of keeping a diary in Czech, which my wonderful wife will correct (we'll need more red pen refills at this rate!), and I therefore hope to be able to learn to express myself freely in the written form of Czech. My speech is littered with grammatical errors, but I'm sure the one will help the other, and I'm more confident in speaking in Czech than writing. During the summer, I shall also begin to work through my list of books (I aim to read them in Czech, if I already know then in English, and in English first, then Czech if I haven't read them before). 

As for the other two subjects - well, I've still got the summer to think about them - but I'm leaning towards Geography (which I always enjoyed at school), and perhaps the Theory of Physical Exercise! (not available at SGO!).

It looks like I'll have to reorder my life for one year to combine my work & studying more intensively - but as one of my colleagues said, I have to consider this one year as an investment to last me until I retire, perhaps? It's good to have a goal & motivation - and this is a sound one. 

At this stage in my life (coming up to 56 years of age), it's hard to imagine that I have to be studying to keep my job, but such is life in CR. In England, we tend to go with the experience that a person has in their job - here, it seems that you can be incompetent & not care much about your work, but if you've got the signed & stamped piece of paper, then you can do anything! That is VERY frustrating for me! 

But, in the end, what else is there to say?

Why I won't be able to examine during this year's Maturita Exams...

Rather than post this on my FB profile, I have chosen to do so here - for if you are interested, then you have taken the time to find out the reason.
It is a long story, and it is still continuing - but basically the Czech Ministry of Education have made a law that excludes me from examining (and, in the longer run from teaching), due to my lack of suitable qualifications. It matters not that I have been doing this job for the last 9 years - without having a Czech Maturita (or whatever the equivalent of it is), then I am unable to examine this year. 
It is as simple, and as deeply disappointing as that. I won't be able to help in any capacity at all.

This is not the most ideal way for me to communicate this to the students who I have helped to prepare for these exams, I know, but being as all of my classes have now finished, there is no other real way to let you know. Face-to-face would surely have been better, but I only discovered this today.

I wish all of my students the VERY best in ALL of their exams, as well as in English (of course). I remain confident that you CAN do it!

1. LEARNING ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES

Well, this is actually a very hard one to find songs for - I really can't remember anyone singing a song about learning English, though there are plenty of classics that I'm sure students know from their early adventures in English, such as these:

One suitable song, judging by the way some students seem to forget the basics, is this classic:

However, over the years I have collected a large amount of videos, some of which I use in my lessons, which are fun and from which you can also get some ideas of what to talk about with this topic. Here is a selection:

The History of English in 10 minutes (a very useful & funny overview of how English developed):

The German Coastguard (a funny example of why it is hard for foreigners, especially Germans, to use the 'th' sound):

Inspector Clouseau -(the problems the French have!):

The Super Interpreter (how other languages sound to the English!):

Alex Rawlings - (a young man who has learnt 11 different languages!):

Pronunciation Poem (to help with some common mistakes):

How German sounds compared to other languages (great fun, and good to compare the other languages!):

And last, but not least, if you feel that (as a Czech) your English is not very good, then this guy will make you feel MUCH better ;-)

Preparing for the English Maturita - using music & video clips :-)

Recently, I had a conversation with a student (Štěpán Zendulka, to be exact ;-)). He was very sincere about trying to correct his regular mistakes in conversation, and wondered if I could help him by pointing him to some suitable websites etc. Truth is, the internet is FULL of useful websites - too many even for me to surf! But it reminded me of something that occurred to me a while ago - that I believe it is possible to prepare for the English Maturita in a fun & informative way, with the use of music (or in some cases, video clips). 

Music is a great way to learn pronunciation (though not always grammar!): 

And with many, if not all of the themes, it is possible to find some interesting, perhaps even thoughtful song(s).

And so, as Maturita draws ever closer, I will attempt to prove my point on this Blog. I only hope that Štěpán and other students will find it helpful, and therefore, some feedback would be great - or even some suggestions. Who knows? This could prove to be an invaluable resource ;-)

Happy studying!
Mr E

Winds of change....

Life has been very busy lately. Since Christmas, which was very refreshing & relaxing, it has been pretty much a non-stop blur of activity - teaching, planning for lessons, English Olympiada, teaching outside of school, and also preparing for the International Student Leadership Institute (I.S.L.I.) which will be in Germany in March (for which I'm also the European director). Some things have gone smoothly, and others not so....

On top of all this, there is the normal life which I live outside of school. I guess teachers don't talk a lot about their private lives. I let out some snippets from time to time, and am quite happy to be open about sharing what's happening in my life, but all too often, time & the school curriculum  do not permit it. (In case you were wondering...I have a wonderful wife, a wonderful marriage, but there are family concerns elsewhere...as well as friends who are seriously ill too...) 

We teachers are not robots, though I confess, the behaviour of one or two does concern me at times ;-) Life affects us...and so do changes at school.

Since I began over 9 years ago, I have seen a few colleagues leave from the English Dept... Miss Eichlerova (who became Sykorova), Miss Kohoutkova, Mrs Greplova, Mrs Cesalova...and the first day back at school, we discovered that Mrs Tihelkova had given her notice in... One of the 'pillars' of the English section, after over 20 years of teaching at SGO, is going to finish at the end of March...

The news is still fresh. All of her students now know. I'm not at liberty to say why she is going. That would be for you to ask her. But let's just say that I'm not happy about the circumstances surrounding it ;-) 

Change is an unavoidable part of life. Some people don't like it, they resist it, even forcefully...I think the most important thing is how to respond to it, for change must surely come... Some things will not be the same - it might be better, it might be worse...it's all a question of how we face it.