Comments on: Olives, & pedagogy http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/olives/ Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:14:51 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Obama, or “el presidente negro” [El País] « This Analog Life http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/olives/#comment-28 Obama, or “el presidente negro” [El País] « This Analog Life Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:32:43 +0000 http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/?p=146#comment-28 [...] Teaching - Féria - Hometown tourism - Cultural differences Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Olives, & pedagogyElection DayBits And Pieces Of Pre-Christmas MinutiaSchool Days Posted by Jim Sligh Filed in Essays, Extranjero [...] [...] Teaching – Féria – Hometown tourism – Cultural differences Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Olives, & pedagogyElection DayBits And Pieces Of Pre-Christmas MinutiaSchool Days Posted by Jim Sligh Filed in Essays, Extranjero [...]

]]> By: John B. http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/olives/#comment-19 John B. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:35:36 +0000 http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/?p=146#comment-19 Reading this brought back a flood of memories from my teaching days twenty years ago (!) in Durango, Mexico. There and then, the system was different from what you describe, but since then it has changed so that it's closer to Spain's. Also, I taught a range of ages (and abilities) during my two years there. But, like you, I taught what amounted to a cross-section of the city's youth: everyone from the sons of candidates for governor of the state (two of whose sons were in one of my classes) to kids in secretary school training for jobs somewhere, anywhere, in a city where I knew of people with law degrees who washed cars to help make ends meet. The well-off were already set for life, proficiency in English or no; the kids in secretary school were required to take English by the government, as were all students who continued their education past the mandated grades, and so varied in their enthusiasm for English instruction. But somehow, out of all that and despite the fact that I had no formal training in teaching, let alone ESL instruction, I figured out I wanted to teach. Go figure. Reading this brought back a flood of memories from my teaching days twenty years ago (!) in Durango, Mexico. There and then, the system was different from what you describe, but since then it has changed so that it’s closer to Spain’s. Also, I taught a range of ages (and abilities) during my two years there. But, like you, I taught what amounted to a cross-section of the city’s youth: everyone from the sons of candidates for governor of the state (two of whose sons were in one of my classes) to kids in secretary school training for jobs somewhere, anywhere, in a city where I knew of people with law degrees who washed cars to help make ends meet. The well-off were already set for life, proficiency in English or no; the kids in secretary school were required to take English by the government, as were all students who continued their education past the mandated grades, and so varied in their enthusiasm for English instruction.

But somehow, out of all that and despite the fact that I had no formal training in teaching, let alone ESL instruction, I figured out I wanted to teach. Go figure.

]]> By: Jackie http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/olives/#comment-16 Jackie Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:10:34 +0000 http://jimsligh.wordpress.com/?p=146#comment-16 Your students must be getting an excellent musical education with ERS in the background. Good choice. Your students must be getting an excellent musical education with ERS in the background. Good choice.

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