Funnies from the Test :-)

I recently did a Test with my final year students, based on material I had done with them about London & Great Britain. 
The majority of students said that my test was hard, a couple even likened it to 'hell' (which I thought was a bit mean! ;-)) 
However, much as I loathe doing & setting tests, it is good for a teacher to be able to assess just what the students have been learning, listening to, registering in their conscious/sub-conscious. 

On the whole, the results were good, much better than some of the students expected them to be, for sure. I am reasonably satisfied that most of the important things were communicated. 

But the other joy of the tests (for me) are the amusing answers. Here is a selection of some of the best, to bring some cheer in this festive season:

• I did anagrams for famous places in London - 99% got 'DARK HYPE' (Hyde Park)...except for the 1 who put 'HARD PYKE'!! And no, I have no idea what they were thinking of! (Even a quick search on Google will show you it doesn't exist! :))
• To the question: 'What is the name of the current British Prime Minister and which political party does she represent?', some felt sure it was still David Cameron (even though I gave a clue with a 'she' ;-))...but even more scary were the couple of students who suggested 'Margaret Thatcher!! :-O
  
• ...and try as hard as I might, though I stressed that the Conservatives & Labour were the 2 main political parties in Britain...some students are convinced that we do have Republicans & Democrats there ;-)
• I also asked students to tell me 2-3 interesting things about the Isle of Man - 1 told me it was in Ireland...and another said it was 'looking for the Isle of Woman' :) (Surely a keen sense of humour!)
  
• Oxford's nickname (city of Dreaming Spires) is 'city of Nerds' ;-)
  
• Hadrian's Wall was built by Alexander (who obviously didn't like naming things after himself...though it turns out he has one in Causasus!), and at least one student thought it was in Wales... (good job we don't test them on Geography, though they should know some basics!!)
  
• ...and finally, Nelson's Column was named after...Nelson Mandela... :) 
  

And on that note, I wish all of my readers a very happy Christmas, and every blessing in the coming New Year!

Miracles can happen!

A few weeks ago, a student was telling me a talk about a turning point in her life. Actually, it was a very recent, fresh & major t so turning point. She was at a night club on the weekend, a week or so before this talk, and her mobile phone was stolen! 

You need to understand that this young lady had been very addicted to her phone. I had seen her using it in lessons & she'd had the 'yellow card' treatment from me. 

I often observed her, walking down the corridors, head down & utterly engrossed in cyberworld...

Of course, it was a big shock for her, and I assumed that she'd automatically got another one. 'No', she replied. Was it because she couldn't afford one? No.

She then went on to tell me (& the class) that after 3-4 days without a phone, she suddenly discovered a new sense of freedom. She found that she had a lot more time...to do other things! She started to live again :-) It is a minor miracle these days!

My reaction was 'Wow! My prayers have been answered!' - it was meant as a joke...but really, I am greatly impressed that a young person can just walk away from such an addiction. It is not easy.

Since the talk, I haven't seen her with a mobile phone. I sincerely hope that she continues with her new-found freedom. It is a very real battle to walk in that freedom.

It's a dog's life...

A student told me an interesting & unusual story today. She said she was really angry with people, and this was why...
She was travelling by train from Mohelnice - the train had come from Šumperk, and was continuing to Olomouc. She noticed that there was a large dog, without a collar, and apparently without an owner. 

The ticket collector came, saw the dog, and without asking anyone anything, he kicked (not literally!) the dog off at the next station (Moravičany). The student was furious. She really felt that the inspector could have at least tried to hand the dog in to some kind of authority (police?) who could have perhaps taken care of it, or investigated as to if anyone from the Šumperk area had lost a dog.
She was sure the dog was lost.
I find it very strange that a dog was travelling - alone! - on a train. Very odd. And maybe the inspector kicked it off the train because it didn't have a ticket?? Who knows...?

This is today's mystery (or, Mr E) story ;-)

A bit of a dumpling :-)

Discussing food & drink with one of my classes last week, I was reminded of the true story of a Japanese businessman who had been invited to dinner by his Czech hosts. They wanted to make a good impression, and so decided to treat their honoured guest to the national meal of vepřo knedlo zelo - Pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut :-)

Being as it was a very posh restaurant, the pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut were all served in separate dishes. The Japanese man was asked to serve himself. He suddenly reached out, took a dumpling, and to the great surprise and embarrassment of his hosts, wiped his face with it! Apparently, he mistook it for a face flannel, which is a common thing at a meal in Japan :-) 

Of beetles and cats and dogs...

One of the real bonuses of my job is being able to set a choice of topics to talk about that sometimes result in a great story.
Yesterday, one of my students related a story from her childhood. Her grandfather had taken her rowing on a lake. As they were rowing, he suddenly stopped. In the water, he saw a very rare beetle, struggling to survive. Being a keen insect enthusiast, he carefully fished it out of the water, and then rowed back to the lakeside.

Gently, he placed the beetle on a rock so that it could dry in the warmth of the sun. He was so excited & happy that he could rescue this rare specimen, and he was eager to take a photo of it. Grabbing his camera, he looked in the viewfinder...but could no longer see the beetle! Where was it? Had it crawled or flown away? He stepped back to take a look, and heard a soft crunch under the sole of his shoe... :-(

It reminded me of a famous story, about a news report on ITN News at Ten. At the end of the news, they usually liked to end with a happy, funny, or uplifting story. Reginald Bosanquet, the newsreader, told a story about an old lady whose cat had got stuck up a tree. She rang the army (as the fire brigade were on strike!) to come & rescue the cat, which they duly did. She was so grateful that she invited them all in for a cup of tea & a piece of cake. When they left, they reversed the truck...and in the process ran over the cat! Mr Bosanquet couldn't contain himself, and got a lot of criticism from cat lovers for sniggering after reading the story!

And finally (as the newsreader would say!), I'm reminded of another story which my wife's doctor told her a few years ago. She knew someone who had bought a very expensive chihuahua, a very small dog. After the purchase, she & her husband were driving home and they needed to put some petrol in the car. While the husband was filling the car, the wife took the dog for a walk on the piece of nearby grass, off the lead... Suddenly, a bird of prey (probably a goshawk) swooped down & carried off the dog!!! Their very expensive pet disappeared into the heavens, never to be seen again...

Isn't life strange? :-)

 

Life after Maturita...

There is life after Maturita! :-)
I apologise for being absent from my Blog for soooooooooooooo long - around 4 months!! :-O
I deliberately took a break from most things after the strains & stresses of a demanding period in my life.
However, seldom does a day pass by without my wife or I commenting: "Milacku, you (I) don't have to do any studying!" It is a moment still to be savoured, and neither of us tire of it. It is a deeply satisfying feeling.

Since June, the holidays came - the High Tatras, and the death of my walking boots at Jahnaci Stit...working at the cottage, and fulfilling my dream of cycling back from the cottage - all 124 kms of it - and what a wonderful trip it was. It is like a video recording in my mind, and I frequently play the movie. So often, we move in life from one thing to another, and at this stage in my life, I'm learning to savour the moment more.

The holidays were a time of watching films and reading books that I wanted to watch & read...as opposed to a year ago when I was working through my Czech Literature list!
And since school began, I've been to Wurzburg, Germany for the preparation of ISLI 2017, and my wife & I enjoyed a 4 day trip to Paris - a reward for her tremendous help during my studies - she pretty much learnt everything with me!

And I have some old classes, some new classes...but all of them good! :-) I absolutely love my job, and am extremely satisfied in it...I only hope it shows during my lessons ;-)
So, life since Maturita has been, and continues to be - GOOD!

On reflection, I did learn something about discipline. Last year, I had to study 3 or 4 times a week (if not more?), and it seems a shame to lose that sense of discipline, and to drift in inactivity.

So, I have determined myself to study what I want to study (the Bible, and preparation for my work), and also to stir up my writing juices again. I love writing - and another of my dreams is to write a book (books?), mainly concerning my life, true stories etc...which I always find more fascinating that fiction :-)
And hence...the Blog is back...and more posts will follow... :-)

Thoughts on Czech Maturita - Geography - Out of Africa!

And so to the last exam! Just to give an idea to non-Czechs what it's like:
I arrived at 13.00 - at 13.15 I went to the exam room & chose my History question  - after 15 mins preparation I tried to talk for 15 mins on the subject. Then I had a 20 min break, then chose my Czech Literature question, 20 mins to prepare, then 15 mins to talk. Then a 25 min break, then chose my English question, 20 mins to prepare, and then a 15 min talk. So, finally, after a 15 min break, I went into the examining room & chose 'Africa' for my Geography question!

Immediately, I felt very confident. It's a HUGE topic, and my teacher (Mr Sis, who some SGO students have since told me did his 'praxe' at SGO) encouraged me to say whatever I knew about Africa. My 15 minutes preparation time flew! I filled up an A4 piece of paper with lots of random details about Africa - geography, history, trivia etc.

I came to the table & told Mr Sis & his colleague that I had a bit of a goulash - it wasn't so structured! 'I like a good spicy goulash!' was his encouraging reply, and so I vomited it all out! :-) 

It went well, though I was a bit vague on some of the more 'geographical terminology, and my lack of expertise in Czech was always a handicap. The other thing I noticed was that right from the start of the exam, the table started to fill up with all of the teachers from the other subjects, as the final marks panel would meet to decide my (& other students!) fate after this, my final exam! I felt I was playing (more like performing!) to an audience! 

It is a great feeling to realise, after over a year of stress, pressure, and hard work, that you are running the final lap of some great race...and that actually, you are going to do it! This is probably how Ussain Bolt feels, running to the line in the 100/200 metres, and being able to look over your shoulder, and to know that you've got this race in the bag! Well, that's how it felt. And I began to get casual...and to talk some rubbish...

I wanted to mention the film 'Out of Africa', but I couldn't remember the name of the film in Czech. So, I asked my examiners if they knew it - they didn't. Then I asked the examining panel & the other teachers - and one of them remembered it (a famous film starring Robert Redford & Meryl Streep) - 'Vzpominky na Afriku'! :-) 

And I blathered on... 'In Africa, there are lots of animals. There are lions, rhinos, giraffes, and tigers, and....' 'Tigers? Aren't they in Asia?' said Mr Sis. 'Oh yeah, of course...!' 

And...'In Africa there are mosquitoes, which is why I don't want to go to Africa, because they like my blood.' 
Well, I got some laughs, at least. 
But it was over...
Mr Sis was very kind - I got a 1 (though I thought a 2 might be good)...and the ordeal of the Czech Maturita Exams was over for me!

Thoughts on Czech Maturita - English :-)

This was the ONE topic that I didn't really have to prepare for - indeed, I teach ALL of the subjects through the year, it's my 'native language', and I also have a certificate to examine in this subject!! :-) How hard could it be?

Well, the didactic was easy enough. I finished with 1/2 hour to spare (I had to finish early, as my parking ticket would have run out before the exam...I had no choice, the car park was limited to 2 hours! :-)), and only 1 question gave me some concern (a trick question, to do with maths, of course!), and I duly corrected it & got 100%! However, I must say that it was extremely EASY!! Indeed, I heard that the lowest marks were 75%, and 1 teacher tried it with some younger students, and they ALL passed! My wife felt beforehand that a monkey could do it. Well, I deserve a banana, I guess ;-) Compared with the intricacies of the Czech Didactic, this was a walk in the park, with a picnic.

The essay was an interesting lesson in Mathematics! It seems to me that the main aim is to be sure of how few words you can use to express yourself, perhaps in order that the teachers don't have massive essays to correct (unlike the Czech one!). The themes were ordinary, unadventurous...boring. My main aim was to fulfill the tasks within the word range...which I thought I did... However, I later discovered that I only got 33/36! Somehow, I dropped 3 points...and as yet, I have no idea why?! Even some of my students did better than me! :-) I aim to look into it, not because of my pride/ego, but because I am curious HOW I lost 3 points? Too many words? Surely not my spelling?? It seems I lost 1 point on the longer essay, and 2 on the shorter one. I will take it as a lesson in humility :-)

However, the oral exam was FUN! :-) I had to do the State Exam (consisting of an introductory topic - Interpersonal Relationships, then comparing pictures on a theme (shopping), then 5 minutes on the main topic (Australia), and then role play (buying things for a trip to Italy). My wife, who was watching, said that I didn't let them get a word in edge-ways! It was like a chat show performance :-)


However, what was really cool was that one of my examiners was an ex student of mine (Lucie Lugerova)! Isn't that amazing? How many students ever get to examine their teacher, especially for a serious exam?! A very nice touch.

The time flew quickly, and I think we all enjoyed ourselves :-) A '1'.

Thoughts on the Czech Maturita - Literature

Thankfully, Petra was with me to help me compose myself after the traumatic History exam - next up was Czech Literature - and I picked J.R.R. Tolkien - Fellowship of the Rings! :-) What an awesome choice. The confidence I felt was fantastic after the nerves of my 'blank wall' experience! A book that I knew well, and a film that I've seen many times :-)

My 20 minutes preparation time flew by quickly, and armed with an A4 paper full of relevant notes, I breezed through the exam. I can hardly believe that I did that, and that I'm able to write that I did that!! Yes, there were some grammatical errors - I have never professed, and likely never will, that my Czech is perfect - but my ever-patient teacher was looking for detail & information, and that I had a grasp of the main themes, context etc, which I clearly did! 

Petra said that she could see that my teacher was very happy with my performance. What my History teacher failed to see in my performance, my Czech teacher gained! Out of all my exams, this was the MOST rewarding, and it gave me a real buzz. I knew then that I could do this! 

To get a 1 at the end, for this oral part, was a great joy - and a reward for both my teacher & I. Indeed, she mailed me the week before to say that having done the harder written exams, this would be the cherry on the cake - and it was :-) 

Interestingly, 4 students from my school failed in Czech Literature - and the reason? Simple - they didn't read the books! (One of the books was '1984' by George Orwell, which I find very hard to understand...!) 

And when I reflect back on previous failures in Czech Literature, it has always been the SAME reason - failure to read the book, or even watch the film! :-O Stunning...So, dear students who are reading this, and whose exams await them...learn the lesson! When you choose, yes, voluntarily choose! - your list of 20 bests, then make the effort to learn something about them, and all should be well ;-) Failure to do that is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with your exams...

Thoughts on the Czech Maturita - History

A week later, and the feeling of relief lingers...strongly! Oh, the sweet smell, taste, sound, sight of success...wonderful!! Finally, I have time to write - it'll come out in splurges. I will probably be vomiting stories for sometime to come.  

Of all the exams that I did, perhaps the biggest disappointment was History. My teacher & I had worked SO hard together. I had gone as often as I could to see her & go through a topic that I had prepared...sometimes every week, others every fortnight. Indeed, I had covered 'Early Middle Ages' with her, & when I first sat down to look at the topic, I thought, 'I know this...' 

I made a confident start with my notes...and then I went blank! I really hit a wall in my mind. So when the questioning began, I quickly used up my pitiful ammunition, and then fired blanks...and finally resorted to waving the white flag...! 

My teacher tried so hard to help me, but unfortunately, she led me up a difficult & unhelpful track...to do with church orders etc...when what I really needed was 1066, or the Vikings!! Of course, when I got home, I checked my material & was horrified to see all the stuff that I could have talked about. However, believe me, I was VERY, VERY happy to get a 4 (5 is a fail) - it was that close. 

At least now I have an awareness of how it feels for my students. It's an awful feeling - like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a juggernaut, bearing down on you a 100 m.p.h. I never thought I would panic so much - I just froze. A few commiserating words from my teacher afterwards gave me hope that I'd done enough to survive.

One thing that I have appreciated from this year of studies has been a developing interest, verging on love, of history. I've found that the older I get, the more history is fascinating to me - especially the history of this country that is now my home. If I'm honest, it's been a tough year & I'm so glad I don't have to go through it ever again - but at least a new sphere has been opened up in my life. A Polish friend has sent me a list of WW2 books that he thinks I should read...it's good to be able to read something that I want to read! :-)

I wonder...have I made history myself? Am I the oldest 'student' to pass the current (or any Czech Maturita)? Am I the oldest Englishman to do it? :-)

The day of reckoning approaches...

Dear readers,

Sorry that I have not written for so long – basically, I have been busy with work & studies, as you can imagine.

However, this is a brief update, mainly to inform you of progress, and about the important dates.

Monday 2.5. - 13.00 - English Essays

Tuesday 3.5. - 8.00 – Czech Didactic

13.00 – Czech Essay

Wednesday 4.5. - 8.00 – English Didactic

(the results to these exams should be by 18^th May!)

Monday 23.5. - (afternoon, from about 12.30/13.00) – oral exams in English, Czech Literature (talking about 1 of 20 books), History (talking about 1 of 25 topics), & Geography (talking about 1 of 25 topics).

As for my progress:

• Czech language in general – I have made a lot of progress, but am certainly not proficient by any means. However, I feel more confident about the Didactic Test (I've passed 7/8 tests from recent years, only failed 1 by 1 point!). My comprehension is much better. However, the Czech Essay represents the greatest challenge. We have prayed about it & have found a way to at least improve my syntax.

• Czech Literature – I have read all of my list of 20 books, and seen films too. I have read 5 books in Czech & 2 poems...and I also read Animal Farm in Czech for good measure! I feel much more confident in the oral exams, and have done some trials with my teacher – and she is very pleased with my progress & knowledge. Being older, I have an advantage ;-) And last Saturday, I finally finished 'Babicka'!! It was hard going...but I did it!
  
  
  

• History – I have been seeing my teacher regularly. It's been hard work, especially to remember lots of information, and ALL of it in Czech – but again, my age & knowledge has been a great asset. I'm confident I can pass, but still have a lot of revision to do.
  
  
  

• Geography – again, I have seen my teacher regularly and progress has been good. In the more technical parts, I need a bit of work, but the geographical knowledge etc is fine. My teacher is very happy with my progress.
  
  
  

• English – well, I will treat it with respect, but it certainly holds not fears for me! Indeed, I do have a certificate to examine in this exam, so I should be ok... The really interesting thing is that it looks highly likely that one of my ex-students could be examining me! :-) What a cool twist to these exams!