THE FINAL DAY HAS COME!

Today my students of the ninth grade put on stage LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. At first, they were very nervous. But as time passed, they started to feel more comfortable with the play. I was afraid that the wouldn't bring their costumes and that they would have forgotten the dialogues. But they did not. The costumes were simply adequate and extremely beautiful. The wolf ws so funny. And Little red Riding Hood was so nice. The grandmother too. She was perfect for the part.

Doing this kind of presentation took time anf effort but it was worth it. They really enjoyed it very much. And, more importantly, they learnt a few things as well. I think that they were able to see that they do not be proficient in the language in order to perform plays in English, or read plays in this foreign language. In addition, working as team helped strengthen their peers' relationships.

It is amazing when you realize all the things that a teacher can learn from the students. Today I was proud of my students.

How Benefitial or Damaging can Internet be?

During our languages classes, a classmate of mine talked about Bulimia and Anorexia, and about an Internet website which was created by teenagers who are suffering from these diseases. They use this website to share their daily experiences with the these illnesses. This page is used as a sort of catharsis. But is this good or bad? I cannot truly say. But I beleive that Internet has a lot of good benefits for people, but also can be used to make harm to others. In this case, there is anything beneficial for these girls who have bulimia or anorexia because all they do is to talk about how skin they are, how much exercise they have done, how much water they have drunk. And the worst thing is the photos they have published. They are really shocking because you can see their naked bodys so thin that scares you. And my classmate said that if you tried to say to them that they were ill and they needed some medical treatment, they will not allow you to interact with them.
These girls need instant help. But they say that being bulimic or anorexic is a personal choice and a way of living. They are completely blind. In this case, other girls who see this kind of website can feel the innert compulsion to look the same and follow this trend, or just ignore it. Nevertheless, this kind of websites should be controlled by somebody. Otherwise, the can do a lot of harm to the minds of innocent teenagers who use Internet to be connected to the world.

The Importance of Appearance

Looking perfect and nice has always been a duty for women and men. The importance of feeling confident by showing a good image is very important for a person´s character. Nevertheless, problems arise when our image is distorted, and we start to think that our body is not perfect and the need for a change becomes an obsession. When this happens, eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia appear. These two mental diseases have become very popular in societies around the world. They have to do with a wrong perception of the body that can lead to eating disorders and several physical damage. They can even cause death if they are not treated in time.
The question is who is to blame on this issue? I mean, whose fault is it? Is society oblishing women and men towards perfection in order to belong to it? or Is it just an internal obligation?
The truth is that both are connected. In the modern world, sometimes happens that an employee is not only given a job for his or her qualifications, but because he or she looks extremely sexy, or has a good looking body. Studying in the best universities is not always a chance for success in business. Something else is needed.
On the other hand, Television and its programmes have a powerful effect on this issue too. TV programmes are filled with acrtors and actresses who have the "perfect body, the perfect face" which are not very common for the rest of the population. And viewers tend to imitate their appearences. As if this was easy. How come that on MTV there is a programme that helps the viewers have plastic surgeries in order to have the face of their favourite celebrity. Are they crazy or what? What are we doing to our teenagers?
Tenagers are in their search for identity. For this reason, they tend to feel identify with these fake "idols" that appear on their favourite soup operas. But they are not "real" characters. It is all a matter of a lot of makeup and some plastic interventions. The human body, as time passes, suffers changes and they are normal. Not all of us have the body of a super model, but it is our body and that makes it special. We are unique. And that makes the difference. We have to accept our body because is the only one we have. Not matter how bad it looks.
After all, it is somebody else´s creation.

Oral Presentations

Yesterday, in language, my classmates and I had to give some oral presentations for our language classes. To tell the truth, this oral presentations help us a lot in the developing of our speaking skill. Also they are good for loosing shame when talking in public.
This kind of talks are very interesting as well because you get to know many new things related to different issues. Moreover, there is some research that has to be done in order to prepare your presentation, so it is a taugh work.
In yesterday's meeting, important issues were shown. Jesi talked about bulimia and anorexia. Two important diseases for our time. She did an excellent research on a website that teenagers have created to tackle their eating disorders. The pictures that we saw of these girls were shocking. It is unbeleivable that been so skinny they see themselves as cows.
Mauricio presented something about psychodelics drugs. This topic is very interesting too because many people use this kind of drugs, which can be harmful for your health.
Raquel talked about good shoping habits. That is, how to buy correctly. It was very helpful to know something about this because not only we have to know what we buy but also what we eat.
Juana presented something about Shiwi girls who live in a small towm in Egypt, and how bit by bit they are recovering their freedom. As most eastern women, they are submitted to men's authority. But know they are able to choose their husbands, to earn their own money and to be more independent. This is just the beginning some say. I hope this goes on in the future.
I talked about recycling. This is atrend that should be apply in our country too because it helps to protect the environment, and it is good for diminishing the amount of garbage we produce.
Everyday we can learn new things. So the process of uducation is never over!

Honesty is the best policy

We live in a country which is embedded with corruption. We vote politics that pretend to be what they are not. Their sole purpose when entering politics is getting as much money as possible. But this corruption is not only in the political field. It exists everywhere. Even in families. I have a friend who has received money because her mother´s house has been sold. The problem comes when she found out that some relatives of her sold the house but with a different price than the one mentioned in the papers. Therefore, she got fewer money than she had to. I cannot describe how angry she was. She could not beleive that her own family has stolen money from her. I do not know if this is very common. I have not heard of it before. But it is beyond understanding.

I think that if one wants to get profits from a wrong doing he or she will not get it in the end because there is someone who is watching from above. Stealing or killing someone you know is the worst crime.

On the other hand, there is a big problem now in the Junta de Clasificacion Media because people who have only a certificate that says that he/she did a course in an institute is able to teach in public schools. Can this be true? Yes, of course. Only in Argentina this kind of things can happen. And students who are in the last course of the teacher trainning cannot have access to the system. This is not right at all. The national government should control this kind of mischief. Moreover, teachers do not have a job because they did not have the chance to register in the public system. This shows us that if people lie and go the wrong way they will get what they want. Nonetheless, I beleive that honesty is still the best policy after all.
There is always a light that shines through, and enlights the way.

Under Preasure

This week has been terrible for me. Working and studying at the same time is not an easy way of living. I guess for me. I decided to work because I wanted to and also because I needed the money. I had the need to be independant for oncein my life. Therefore, I started to work in one school. The hours I had were not that many, but suddenly they started to increase and I could not refuse. And so, I found myself teaching English in EGB 3 up to Kindergarden. It is very exhausting but fulfilling as well. After a few months, I was offered a new job in another school. This time was in Primary school. Without thinking, I accepted. What I did not measure was the lack of time I would have for doing my own homework for my subjects.
Some people say that working and studying is good because you have already achieved your gold. But I have my doubts. I feel I am under too much stress and I do not know how to handle it. Some days I do not have time for eat or rest, which are fundamental in any person´s health. Moreover, I cannot see my family much as I am always out.
On weekends, this nightmare is not over because all I do is prepare classes, homework,and things I need for the rest of the week. I do not know if this happens because I do not organize myself or because I am obssest. Last Saturday, I took a look at myself and I felt sorry because I imagined my friends going out and having fun, and I was sitting in front of a computer typing with no stop for nothing.
Maybe, it is the time of the year. But I am under pressure. I hope to be able to continue with this. Otherwise, there are things that I will have to give up if I want to keep my sanity. I know some people that went through the same and are still alive and kiking. In the end, it is all about sacrifice. Nothing is for free.

Plays in the classroom

This year is the first year that I work with plays in my English lessons. I suggested the idea to my 9th grade students and they accepted the challenge. At first, I was a bit scared to do this kind of activity because I was not sure about the way in which teenagers were going to react. Contrary to my own prejudices, they were eager to do it. What is more, they took an active role in the organization.
They also adapted the play and gave it a different ending with their own ideas.
The play was familiar to them in Spanish so that helped a lot. The story of Little Red Riding Hood is very famous in the Spanish Literature. In this way, they felt free to make some changes to it.
One big barrier that students had to overcome was stage panic. In most cases, they did not want to act in front of students from other courses. I said it was compulsory so they were oblished to act.
We have a big stage at school so everybody could look at the play. Some parents were invited too and the school authorities as well.
What I enjoyed most about this activity was the fact that the students used English naturally and learnt new vocabulary and language expressions. And above all, they had fun doing it. So I strongly recommend this type of tasks. Teachers will not regret it.

Memories

Last Saturday night, some friends from high school and I got together in a bar to have some drinks. We do this whenever we have time because most of them are working or studying or something of the sort. In my case, high school time was the best time ever. My friends and spent wonderful moments. We shared some bad ones too. But we grew up together and so knew each other well.

We used to make jokes aboutour teachers. Boys were really terrible. they misbehaved all the time. They did not study much either. I think that the best time came when we travelled to Brazil. We only went 11 and we were 40. All the same we had a lot of fun. We danced a lot, visited new places.

We still remember those moments and we wish to live them again. When we go back to the past, it seems that we still are those noisy teenagers that filled the classroom of a public school at 7.30 in the morning. The best time ever!

A Little Love

I am fond of working with songs with my students. Today, we worked with a song called A Little Love by Brian Adams. It is a beautiful song indeed. The main theme of the lyric is the fact that a little love can change things, even the worst moments in life.

A little love would have prevent countries from going into war some of my students concluded after they worked with it. And it is true. The hole world would change if instead of killing we devote more time to loving one another. There are times in our own life that we think we are in the darkness but there is always a light that shines through, and it helps us go on. And that is love.

I was happy today when I saw that teenagers are eager to change the world a little bit. After all, they are the future generation. I hope we encourage them enough to do it. And we teachers have the power to do this in our classrooms.

Teaching Practises

Now that I am working as a teacher I can see the way in which our teaching practises affect students. Today, I went into the classroom and I started to speak in English but they seemed lost in the horizon. They did not get a word of what I was saying. And I felt frustated. We went to a seminar on Saturday and a repetitive topic was mentioned. Namely, that we have to speak in English all the time because the students need to receive input.
I hope that my students get used to the use of English in the class because this is the only environment in which they can be in contact with the language. And this is the only way in which they will learn it.

Whenever I have the chance, I go to other teachers´classrooms and I am amazed to see that they use very little English. The students only know how to greet the teacher and ask for permission to go to the toilet. I thought this is so because most of my collegues are a bit old and do not care much about the fact that students need to hera English spoken in class.
But then a sudden thought goes into my mind, and that is: I am going to be old some day too. What about my students at that time. I truly beleive that this profession is a vocation. And teaching practises should be on a constant change. Moreover, teachers in any department should work together, not in isolation. For instance, in my department we are four teachers. Two are old and two are younger, and the younger are working with plays and shotstories that the old have about because they do not want to take the time to prepare it. So, they miss the chance of teaching them many other things apart from verb to be.

As Esteban Cresta said in his Saturday talk, in our trainning teaching career we learnt about History, Geography, Literature. We have to transmit this knowledge to our students too.
And in this way, we teachers can work in accordance with teachers from other subjects as well.
Working as a teacher demands a lot from a person but a teacher receives much more than a poor salary once a month.

A Secret World

Once upon a time, there was a small village near the Atkinsons mountains. In there lived few families. The villagers knew each other well. They shared meals, jokes as well as sorrows and pain. The best time of the week was Sunday´s picnics. They gathered together in the woods and contemplated the beauty of nature. Laughter and joy invaded the scene.

One day, one of the families decided to make a trip to the city. They wanted to see the world. A world which was unknown to them. The departure came and so they went. When they arrived to the city, they were amazed to see all the people there were. But there was something that called the attention of these visitors, and that was the fact that people came up and down but they did not know each other. And the faces were filled with a seriousness that provoke strangeness.

As they were walking by a group of women, they heard that they were arguing on some things that some other peolpe did and they were passing judgement, and more importantly, they talk without measuring the consequences of the lack of love. They said to themselves that they had to accept others. Not matter what they did.

After a few days, this family decided to go back to the place they called HOME. As soon as they arrived, they started to tell the other villagers what they have seen in the city. They said that citizens lived differently because they did not have time to share with others, that they talked about the actions of others as if they knew everything about the other person´s life. And that what was more frustating was that the faces of these people did not have a smile. Friendliness was not around.

All the village families concluded that the way in which they lived was a bit better than the city life. Not only because they had so many things to share but also because they cared about living.


(This little "shortstory" was written by me. The place and the characters are completely fake) I am a frustated writer. Please, understand me.

Sad Faces

As I was walking by last night, I saw something that called my attention. There were a group of three boys sleeping in the street. Their only bed was an amount of papers and some other stuffs. Not heat at all.
Since then, these three kids from the street are in my mind. I do not know why.
With the cold weather and the poor conditions in which they are living, I started to think about how do they survive. What is the future ahead of them.
I also thought about responsibility. Mine and others. Is it society´s fault or is it their parents´fault? Does the government see this reality? I do not know much about governmental policies to take these people out the streets. What I do know is that w have to do something. These are kids who do not go to school, who have not enough food to eat, and, more importantly, who do not have a family to live with.
Once I heard a mother oblishing their children to go into the street to ask for money. She was sending her children to beg and she was sitting with the rest of her kids waiting for money to appear out of the blue. I was so angry that time and I wanted to go back to her and tell her that what she did was wrong. But I could not because I was going to get into troble because these kind of people do not listen.
Sometimes, you do help children who are on the streets but you know that the money goes somewhere else. Parents do not want to work. They only want to receive money for doing nothing. And put the heavy load on these innocent victims who are not the ones to blame. They are not responsible for having being born in this kind of world.
Anyway, I wish this changes some day. Childhood is the best period in a person´s life. And kids deserve to live it the best way possible. They need to play and have fun. NOT WORK.

Our Planet shouts for Help

I work near a sugar cane factory. It is terrible to see all the waste that is sent into the air because they do not have filters to prevent this from happening. During the active period of harvest, the air is filled with dirt. I think that government should do something about it.
Global warming is affecting us also, as we contribute to the pollution of the planet.
Businesspeople do not want to invest in new startegies and ways of avoiding thrush to go out. But this is a pivotal need for the welfare of nature and of us too.

I read in The Economist yesterday that one of the ideas to encourage enterpreneurs to pay taxes based on the amount of CO2 they produce. Personally speaking, the same idea should be apply in our country too. Otherwise, this trend will continue to grow and the life expectansy will start to decline as contamination rises.