Warning! Sensitive and irascible souls refrain: this text is deliberately provocative and may cause controversy!
For a year I had the chance to teach Italian to adult beginners the evening classes. Myself starting in the teaching of modern languages (reminder: I am first and foremost teacher of Latin), I sought advice from a more experienced colleague. Which replied bluntly: "Do they ever speak French, still Italian! . What I did. And at the end of the year at 3 hours per week, my students were able to read a newspaper article, to summarize orally and speak on topics of everyday life.
From this experience very rewarding for me, I withdraw the premise that the only valid method for teaching languages is to ban the French language courses, right from the beginning. Language teachers today are they doing their job badly? NO! They merely apply the method imposed on them by ministers, programs, inspectors and advisers (who are not paying!) Teaching. And that the goal is to ensure that our students are bilingual leaving the humanities! What a joke! Only gifted students can accomplish with this method!
But that's not all!
What languages do we teach in the French Community of Belgium? English, of course: it attracts more and more students, but I question their motivations (understanding the songs of their favorite artists?). The English also, beautiful singing language if any (and then there's the Belgian colony in Torremolinos, do not forget!). German is in freefall, as deemed wrongly too difficult. Finally, all our politicians insist on Dutch (while few of them have mastered ... Do as I say, not what I do ...). Without doubting that learning this language is necessary to know the mentality of our fellow Flemish or cultural interest, Dutch is quite useless at the time of European integration and globalization of the economy. Indeed, that weigh about 5 million Flemings and ten million Dutch side to the 80 million Germans, and a half billion Chinese and Brazilians?
learn in our high schools so the Chinese, Portuguese, German, English course, French course. Or as the languages of the new countries joining the Union European. We will train students and capable of facing future challenges of our global society.
insist on Dutch shows the self-absorption, narrow-mindedness and lack of ambition of our leaders in Belgium. Finally opened their eyes to the world!
Following referral (justified by the way) a student of 16 years for smuggling cannabis in the College Cousot in Dinant, the same student showed up Monday morning and was stabbed repeatedly with the director a kitchen knife. See article
The best job in the world is in danger. For years the teachers, all sectors and all networks, demanding more attention from their many ministers. I do not mean a pay increase, but a reconsideration of our profession, the best job in the world I'm sure. Reconsideration of the profession through a decrease in attacks in the press from these same ministers, an increase of coaching in schools and the statement (followed by action) that the student is in school to learn and work, the effort is the condition sine qua non of success, the respect for others (adult and younger) is a fundamental value, as well as listening and mutual tolerance.
Furthermore, the role of parents must be active in an ongoing partnership with teachers, and not just to file appeal in June when they do not agree with the decisions of the class council ( I promise my son / daughter goes to work during holidays). Indeed, it is not for teachers and educators to educate each individual head of blonde or red or brown, but their teaching materials, skills, teach them to think for themselves (oh sorry no, no no, not in the curriculum: now we have to make them competent, but competent in what? mystery ...) and teach them the rules of society.
The best job in the world is in danger. This aggression, though due to the temper and an offender one teenager nonetheless result that we are alone with our students, their parents and all the difficulties of each one.
This is an article irreverent, even offensive to non-youth, understand the more than 25 years, who dare to publish their own ideas in a blog. In summary, this young man barely pubescent finds that there are several categories of blogs. I quote: "A lot of blogs" influential "are blogs on technology, web, marketing, etc.. (...) A lot of bloggers are entrepreneurs, or at least business-men, of senior executives, or consultants who proudly proclaims that "the web is their job," and "passion", etc.. (...) A lot of bloggers is right. (...) Much Finally, and this is the main influential bloggers are old. is what is most striking. Their thirties, forties, professors, lawyers, managers, consultants, marketers: they are nice, but the Internet generation, it is not them. They have no more legitimacy than the hundreds of thousands of skyblogueurs they scoff. They present themselves as the "barons of the web", but they did not grow up with the Internet tool, have not tamed, not born under the star. They have adapted to them, somehow. "
Is it useful to enter into polemics with the rude boy who spends his time insulting the older generation than hers? Does he really have invented the internet? I do not stand up to guide my readers to his beloved profile on MySpace, it's worth gold ... But still, what can we expect better from a Parisian baby who just finished his breastfeed mother?
In the wise hello! ...
And Happy New Year 2007 to all!
