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