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.