Men are a varied lot

Men are a varied lot
Some are nice, some are not
Many are like commercials; you can’t believe a word they say
Some are controversial, a few want to obey

Some love, and others hate
Some become engaged, while others escape dates
They drink from bottles, they rub their tummy
They curse a lot and cry for mummy

Some have nipples, and some are hot
Some have feelings, believe it or not
Some will be polite, and become a volunteer
But don’t tell them you are pregnant or they will disappear

Men are a varied lot
Some are like chocolate bars, undeniable sweet
But others are like old cars, unreliable and rarely neat
Hector is one them, and so is Josue

My Experince of Writing II

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~Vladimir Nabakov


Six months after recounting my experience of writing in the prof, I dare to say that I find myself at a different stage of the process of writing and this is due to:

First, I have written different types of texts such as articles, profiles, biodatas, tales and both opinion and for and against essays. This experience of writing different types of texts is both challenging and motivating. Challenging because I had to learn how to cope with these texts and respect the structure and motivating because I believe that if I had spent the whole year writing narratives I would have lost interest in developing and improving this skill. Variety, without a shadow of a doubt, is essential to keep students motivated.

Second, I consider incredibly fruitful the process of writing different drafts and having feedback from my peers and tutors before having my writing graded by my teacher. I have learnt to pay close attention to range, register, style, organization and content which I had never acknowledged before. Every person in my process of writing has been of great help. What I most value of all of them is that they didn’t clarify my doubts by just correcting grammar or lexical mistakes, they made suggestions, put questions to me so I could reflect on them and reach an answer on my own.

Third, writing used to be a real time-consuming task for me. I could spend days trying to write a narrative. Along the year, I have managed to write diverse texts in less time. In hindsight, I think this was possible because of the structure of the texts. Besides, even though I still disapprove of writing any type of text in a final exam, this year, when I had to write an article and an essay in class-which is similar to writing in a final instance-I didn’t feel under pressure. These experiences were much more gratifying since I had the tools to write, I knew the structures, the topics had been discussed in class beforehand and I knew I had to focus on certain features such as content, range, register and so on.

In a nutshell, though I still believe that I have to work on improving “My third eye” and the layout, I consider it has been a successful experience. I don’t feel panic when facing a blank sheet of paper with a title. I learnt how to catch the reader’s attention-the introductions were the strong points in my writings- and what characteristics a skillful writer should develop.

Discrimination in the classroom

Discrimination is so ingrained in our society that we tend to ignore it or even worse, we tend to neglect it. Though school is a place where discrimination shouldn’t be allowed to enter; where teachers and administrators should guarantee a safe environment in order to achieve their aim, that is to say, to promote learning, very often we can see teachers discriminating against students or students discriminating against their own classmates.

As a teacher, I had the opportunity -or misfortune- to witness discrimination at school. “It is difficult for them to learn because they come from the lower class” or “They can’t even speak in Spanish and you expect them to speak in English”. This is what many pedagogists call “labelling”. A label is like a tattoo on your skin, a mark which is difficult to get rid of. Hence, it is one of the worst crimes that a teacher can commit. Teachers who really believe that their students can’t learn, who expect nothing from them, won’t encourage their students to do their best in order to succeed and achieve high-quality work. Therefore, they will condemn their students to failure. Besides, students are not dumb. They can detect the teacher’s attitude easily. The message that students receive is that the teacher “doesn’t care about them”, which destroys their self-esteem and their self-concept.

What happens when students discriminate against their own classmates? Who is to blame? Most of my students come from Bolivia and, as you may know, the Bolivians are the perfect target for racists. In my class, I’ve heard comments such as “callate boliviano sucio”. I strongly believe that a child can’t reproduce such a comment without having heard it before from his or her family. Children do not discriminate by nature, they learn to do so, either at school or at home. So we adults, are always to blame. In such situations, the role of the teacher is extremely relevant. If the teacher turns a blind eye, she or he will probably contribute to increasing discrimination in the classroom. However, if she or he takes part in the problem, the result can be completely different. Taking part doesn’t mean telling off your students, it implies talking about this issue with them and explaining to them why they did is wrong.

All in all, my advice is: Next time you hear someone discriminating against somebody else, do intercede. No matter if he or she is a teacher or a student and ask your students to tell you if they ever feel discriminated against. To be a good teacher, first we must be a good person.

SCs&AWRs

Language shapes the speaker’s mind

According to some critics who support Political Correcteness, language shapes the speaker’s mind. Political Correctness is a term which intends to minimize offence to racial, cultural, or other identity groups. In other words, PCness is a non-offensive use of language and also of ideas.

A good example would be the expression “Employees are allowed to bring their wives and children” which presupposes that all employees are men, heterosexuals, that they are married and that they have children as well. This expression seems to be leaving out homosexuals, single and childless men and therefore, it would be considered a “discriminatory or offensive expression”. Other expressions such as “horizontally challenged” or “black” instead of “fat” or “negro” have been proposed by PC supporters. The purpose of using inclusive or neutral language is to make people aware of the language they use and make them reflect on the different choices they can make to avoid discrimination.

Contrary to this view, Political Correcteness opponents believe that PCness fosters censorship and endangers free speech. According to them, language, which is ingrained in a given culture, represents ideologies, thoughts and beliefs and should, for this reason, be respected. PCness opponents see PCness supporters as extremists. Hence, PCness opponents usually employ satirical expressions, such as “chronologically challenged” instead of “old” to express their point of view against PCness supporters. These satirical expressions have provoked a number of jokes. As a consequence, PCness is sometimes not considered a serious matter.

Though, the term Political Correcteness is not widely used in Argentina, there is evidence that it is gradually being employed in certain contexts such as public organizations. Some years ago, when someone filled a form, she or he found the following expression printed on it: “El que suscribe” “El Sr…” as if women were not capable of filling any administrative document. Nowadays, it is common to read “El/La que suscribe...”.However, the Argentines still employ offensive language in everyday conversations. For instance, the word “black”, as in many countries, has a negative connotation. For this reason, it is frequent to hear “Es un negro” to refer to somebody who belongs to the low class, or the term “Bolita” to refer to somebody who comes from Bolivia. This may imply that the person uttering the word “Bolita” feels superior to the person coming from Bolivia.

In my opinion, a PC policy should be implemented in different spheres of life such as school or work in order to avoid discrimination. However, I believe there should exist a reasonable use of Pcness to avoid censoring free speech and debate.

SCs&AWRs

A true tale of Argentine life

Uncle Luis


It was a freezing cold night in July, and there were four of us having dinner at granddad’s home: my granddad, my uncle Luis, my mother and I. Since we were not the typical family that was in permanent contact and gathered every week to share our happiness and miseries, that day was considered an unusual one. This family used to be one before grandma’s death and another, completely different one, after her death.

The special night included the saddest anniversary, two years without grandma and believe it or not, Luis’ appearance. During grandma’s last days, Luis had been infatuated with a voluptuous shop assistant, so he would spend his valuable time running behind her whims. He did not even assist his mother in her clinical admission as he was so busy immersed in an uncertain business.

During the meal, nobody uttered a word and we could clearly hear the sound of the wood crackling. After a while, Luis finally did it. Once again he originated a controversy.
“Dad, remember the plots of land Mum used to have in Monte Maiz?” he asked.
“Yes, why are you asking, Luis? Are you planning to move in? Granddad replied.
“Oh no, it’s just that I’m investing some money in a new business. This is the best moment to do so and I don’t want to miss this opportunity. So I thought you could sell the plots and give me my part of the inheritance.”
At that time, my mother’s face went red with anger. Dropping the cutlery, she yelled at him: “Your what? Your father is still alive. Can’t you see him?”

Oh no! My mother is being sarcastic again. Sarcasm is not the only quality that my mother possesses; sometimes Mr. Rage comes to visit her. So my mother, completely seized by Mr. Rage, continued shouting: “You are a spoilt child who only cares about himself. I have an idea! I can also give you MY part (emphasising “my”) so you can pay the food expenditures of your daughter, the one you haven’t seen for two years and you can also afford the treatment for your little problem” That comment was definitely the icing on the cake. The name of my uncle’s little problem was “alcoholism”.

Mum was so livid that she couldn’t measure her words. She blew her top and now she had to face the consequences of her lack of tact. Granddad was absolutely speechless. He murmured some words but we could not understand him. Luis stared at Mum for some minutes and before leaving the house, he shouted: “Who do you think you are?” Seeing Granddad crying broke my heart. That was the last time that Mum and I saw Uncle Luis.

SCs&AWRs

Education in crisis

Is there any way to motivate students?

Despite the changes made in the curriculum in the last years, schools are still in difficulty. Every year, a great number of primary and secondary students do not succeed in obtaining the standardized levels or do not manage to finish school, and those who remain there do not demonstrate any interest in their own learning. Why do teachers fail to motivate students? What can they do to promote motivation?

To begin with, many schools still follow a behaviourist approach whereby students are externally motivated to complete a task by being promised a reward, such as a higher mark for those who complete or submit the task first. External rewards communicate that learning and academic competence are not relevant or valuable; what is valuable is the incentive students are receiving.

Secondly, teachers’ impact on students may either suppress or encourage their motivation. Regardless of undeniable evidence to the contrary, a large number of teachers consider that fear is a great tool to motivate students in order to attain high achievement. Another factor that limits motivation is coercion which many teachers believe is necessary to maintain their authority. Schools are by nature coercive organizations. In such environments, students may succeed when performing what they are compelled to do, but they will probably express little interest in doing high-quality work.

Contrary to this approach, a number of teachers believe that motivation can be effectively promoted and they employ different methods to do so. For instance, by creating a secure environment in which students feel safe and in which they can achieve academic competence. If students feel insecure, they may demonstrate no engagement, creativity or enthusiasm. Creating a cooperative classroom in which students can experience a sense of belonging and connection is another technique to promote motivation. In this case, the teacher should provide cooperative activities such as pair-work. Enjoyment and fun should also be part of the class. An enjoyable classroom does not imply disorder or lenient teachers, on the contrary, it favours learning.

In addition, teachers should develop positive relationships with their students. Teachers who respond to students’ concerns in an empathic way and establish relationships of mutual trust and respect are more likely to inspire them on academic issues than those who do not have personal bonds with students.

Finally, one of the aspects related to motivation which is usually disregarded is related to feelings, more exactly, self-esteem and self-confidence. Students with low self-esteem or self-confidence see complex tasks as personal threats. They focus on their deficiencies and on the obstacles they encounter rather than on how to perform the task successfully. As a result, they lose faith in their capabilities and tend to abandon easily. Since self-esteem and self-confidence are social products because they are shaped and generated by individuals around, the opinion of significant figures, in this case the teacher, may play an important role when strengthening or undermining a student’s image.

To finish, it may be concluded that the role of teachers in promoting motivation is relevant. In my opinion, the reward approach should be avoided and teachers should foster positive relationships with their students. When students feel respected and loved by the teacher, they feel free in a secure place and take more risks.

SCs&AWRs