Reflections
on the English Maturita 2021 – part two
Some
personal joys
What
makes a teacher happy? For me, it would be seeing (& hearing!)
someone love the language I have been trying to teach them, though in
many cases, I’m sure they just do fine without me :) I realise that
in those cases, I just facilitate their use of the language.
Here
are a selection of personal joys that I experienced during this
year’s exams. Of course, I won’t mention any names, but I’m
sure they or their close friends will know who they are.
Firstly,
there was a large group of students who I gave 2 stars to, my own
little marking system :) There were some 1 stars, and 1+, but a lot
of 2 stars. For me, that means a very high level of English, but also
it was interesting to listen to, informative (they sometimes taught
me things I didn’t know) & creative. I always stress to our
students that there are many ways to introduce or discuss a theme,
and I certainly experienced that this year – consistently! Even
with ‘geographically based themes’, some students could develop
an interesting angle, which I hadn’t considered before.
Most students were able to express
their theme with enthusiasm & energy, even if the topic was 'not their cup of tea'. It’s a drag that we have
to give marks – for me, it’s enough that they can communicate
coherently & clearly – and I believe they all did that.
But
if I must highlight some specific students, it would be the
following:
Student
1
I
had an online consultation session with this student, a couple of
weeks before the exams. During that session, it was clear that they
struggled with the ‘geography’ & fact based topics. For their
oral exam, they chose ‘Washington & New York’!! It really
pleased me to hear that they had studied the topic, but also learnt
how to deliver it in a structured & enjoyable style. This
particular student has a habit of creating words (‘unidenticated’
was a neat creation!), but that aside, it was an excellent exam.
Student
2
This
student was an extremely high level – turbo-powered, cruising with
the language! The theme was ‘Shopping, money & economy’, and
we were introduced to the world of economics, Bitcoins &
cryptocurrencies! Advanced vocabulary was thrown around like confetti
as they espoused on the theme in intricate detail. Faultless. Indeed,
we all wished we’d had more time to discuss the subject more – 15
minutes wasn’t enough! :)
Student
3
This
student was a good worker. I had them in regular lessons, and also in
a seminar. I always admired their determination & enthusiasm, and
their passion for things that were important for them, but...there
were always mistakes in the grammar, the tenses, etc etc...and
usually they would end up with a ‘2’. But not this day! They had
‘London & other interesting British cities’. I confess, I
expected the regular problems – but 15 minutes later, my jaw was
dropping in respect. Not only was the subject comprehensively
covered, but the mistakes were almost non-existent! Sure, there were
a couple of problems with articles etc, but my colleagues & I all
agreed that this student was the biggest surprise during the exams!
The pronunciation was much improved. Later, I asked this student what
was the key to their success – the answer: Netflix!! A saturation
of series on Netflix! And they said that finally, the penny dropped
with the ‘music’ of the language.
I
don’t kid myself. I’m not the answer to a student’s problems
with learning English, and neither is a book. When a student learns
to swim with the language – after much splashing around, and
sometimes a bit of sinking, finally, they get the rhythm & they
swim – and you know what? It’s beautiful when they do. And such
moments become a treasure to me.
Student
4
This
student had the theme of ‘Cooking & Eating Habits’, and also
took the theme to another level. We covered themes such as
Genetically Modified Food, pesticides, connections with illness,
vegetarianism etc. One of those exams where you just wish you could
have more time to discuss the topic – which is surely the goal of
communication?
Student
5
This
student had ‘Health & Diseases & Healthy Lifestyle’ –
not only did they give an excellent presentation, but there was a
massive improvement in their speech. I’d had contact with this
student before in an Olympiada, and while their knowledge was never
in doubt, their clarity of speech was sometimes unclear. One of my
colleagues had had similar problems with this student, and had
suggested to them (with some persuasion) to record themselves, and
not listen to that recording for at least 3-4 days, and then try to
listen to it. It was an epiphany for them to realise that they could
not understand what they’d said! This is a great teaching
technique! And they took it to heart, and we heard the difference. An
excellent talk!
To
all of the students I have worked with during this last year, you
have my respect. Whether I have singled you out (anonymously!) or
not, I have enjoyed working with all of you & only hope that you
can carry the gift that you now have in English with you, as you go
onto the next adventure in your life.
Marks
and exams are never the final judge of your English. Your language
ability can always increase, and I really believe some of you will do
excellent things with it in the future! I wish you every success in
that!
Mr
E
