distraction

Sorry, folks, I will be a bit less active in the following months. No, I didn't get sick. No, I didn't get pregnant either. What? Thesis writing? Well, of course, who isn't? But that's not my reason. What happened is that I took a full-time job. Or rather, the job took me. It really has an incredible story how it happened. Out of curiosity, I applied to an online editor job in an IT company, didn't get a lot of effort into many resume, sttil, to my greatest suprise, I was called to the interview almost immediately. I arrived quite tired to the office, because the previous day I had just returned from an overnight trip and I was still knocked out (you know, I am not 20 anymore). I didn't expect a lot, you can imagine. But guess what, the interview turned into something else (no, not a menage a trois): into an inspirational professional discussion, centering on the revelation how much this IT company and I thought alike as far as research and science are concerned. The boss told me that they really want to hire me because they need people like me in their team. Actually, not so much in the editorial group, but in the core, research, team. I said, it's very nice but I have no background whatsoever in informatics nor programming. He said, in a couple of months I can learn into it and he believes I am a better, long-term investment, due to my open-minded character and my wide knowledge in science, than a programmer, who is less flexible and less likely to stay. I was truly flattered, and, although I did have my doubts (me a programmer? oh, com' on!), I accepted the challenge.

So here I am a programmer-to-be. Gee, I used to be a nerd, now I am becoming a geek? Ew, another social stigma to overcome. :-) I must admit, it is unbelievably challenging to find my way in this new world. It is not just the mindset -- to see everything in code -- that poses a challenge but also the community -- my colleagues need to be reminded to _sometimes_
- open the window - drink water - or eat something else than hamburger.  
Sounds awfully stereotypical, I know. Can't help it..

But from challenge comes triumph, the wise man says. And indeed, when I wrote my first code [print("Hello, World")], or when, after days, I solved Fibonacci with recursive functions, or when, after weeks, I put together an algorithm to count the days of your life, taking leap days into consideration, that was heaven. I learned that trying was the only way of mastery. And perfection is just an illusion.

Still at the doors of computer programming, with one foot in and one foot out, I am giving you now something inspirational (beyond this fairy tale of mine :-). Let's watch this short film together and find out who this weird species we like to admire and ridicule...

 

"...who a computer programmer is..."

duolingo

True to the motto of this blog, let me present you another aspect of how every student (and individual) is unique in both how they function and what they need. Many people turn to me with questions regarding language learning techniques. Some emphasize that they need constant supervision and personal contact to keep themselves motivated. They are the ones that come to have classes with me. Some of these people point out that they prefer to have some coursebook and workbook, so they can keep track of their development. Others, however, are bored of language books; for them I prepare individual materials. There are those who demand home work and those who oppose to it. Another, all the more significant, group is looking to find e-learning tools, which can either function as a complement to guided learning (like group or individual classes) or it can even be the way: something they can apply for their own needs, in their own tempo, with their own supervision.

Let us see one such tool in more detail. Duolingo is gaining more and more popularity in Hungary. It is free, it offers extensive English exercises in Hungarian, and if you already speak English, you can learn German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Danish, and Swedish, among others. Naturally, the fact that it was advertised in a free, daily newspaper of ours also contributed to its success. But how does it work?

After an easy and user-friendly registration, you will find yourself on a pleasantly designed and well structured site. Once you pick the language you wish to master, the course begins with a welcome test. The practice is split up into different levels and you can advance only if you manage to solve the exercises with less than 3 mistakes. Your development (as far as levels are concerned) is illustrated on a vertical scale, while your daily performance (measured in Lingot points) is visualized on a graph.

If, say, you want to practice prepositions, the system divides them into smaller chapters focusing on 4-5 items at one time. The tasks include translations, first from English to Hungarian, so the learner gets familar with the meanings. Then the Hungarian sentences need to be turned into English, so the learner becomes able to produce the meanings as well. Then, the same sentences and phrases, with occasional mild alterations, are brought to oral comprehension: the uttered sentences need to be written by the learner. This way pronunciation and spelling are coupled.

The system always gives feedback about the learner's production. If the solution was incorrect, the correct one is provided. At this point I must point out some obvious shortcomings. Even on the elementary level, with simple sentences, I bumped into problematic cases of what is correct and what is not. Occasionally, the system is very (even unnecessarily) strict, while other times it is inconsistent. Why this is frustrating is because once you collect 3 failures, you need to return and start over.

To compensate the rigidity of the system, Duolingo built in a message board, which makes it possible for the language learning community to comment on every task. The above sentence was, for example, widely discussed. Even if it seems a pain in the ass to go back and start the exercise again, it can give you some comfort if you see others found it problematic or unfair as well.

As we see, Duolingo's e-learning system offers a lot, but to stay realistic, it's not flawless. Why I do find it worth trying is because it applies many characteristics of community learning. Not only does it try to give you feedback on your progress -- like a teacher -- but it also creates the feeling of being part of a community -- like a language group. In short, it endeavors to combine the advantages of individual learning (doing it when you want, as frequently as you want, where you want) and the benefits of community learning (doing it with supervisors and peers, in short, with people). To see how it fits your specific needs, give it a (Lin)go.

chinatown

Recently I had a clearly extraordinary experience both professionally and culturally. I was contacted by a Chinese woman whose friend's child, a teenager, wanted English classes. That fact that her English in the email was understandable but very awkward (and I figured, she must be the one that speaks the best English, which is why it was her that wrote to me not the parents) should have been a wrong omen. Even more so, because when we spoke on the phone to arrange a personal meeting, she wanted to change to Hungarian, as something she spoke better. Chinese are known to have this very specific accent when it comes to speaking European languages that few natives understand. Unfortunately I wasn't among those few. It was a real challenge even to agree on the place and time to meet. But then I still thought I liked challenges.

The next day I found myself in a café with a jury of 6 Chinese staring at me. They were very nice and offered to buy me a tea, and then the negotiations started. The first question they made was whether I speak Chinese. Of course the question is valid, but it was a long shot. Then, they were wondering how I was planning to teach the boy who speaks no Hungarian, nor English. Well, to be honest, I had no idea the boy had no prior knowledge, given that I was informed he wants preparation for an all-English high school. I figured, that means a weak intermediate level, at least. Despite my surprise, I managed to wing it, explaining that with pictures, videos, and demonstrations it is not impossible. Surprisingly I convinced both my future clients and myself. The next question of the committee was where the classes could be and whether it was possible to have them at my place. As I confirmed, they went on with the interrogation: how big is my apartment, who lives there with me, what is his or her gender, etc. In my complete surprise, I kept answering but felt rather  puzzled where this would lead. Finally, they spat it out: they wanted the boy to stay with me for the nights as well, kind of like at a boarding school. I was speechless. To try to convince me, they kept repeating: money was not a problem. I felt as if being in some dream: I was offered a job which would make me filthy rich if I was willing to swallow a definite amount of awkwardness. I didn't give an answer then; we only arranged the first session of classes for the next day.

I was very stressed as I was preparing for the lessons. Never before was I faced with such a challenge that I need to teach someone without any common language. I realized, it was an added difficulty that he was Asian, probably not even knowing the Latin alphabet, which for us Europeans is at least a sound basis. It took me at least 4-5 hours to think of the tasks, find out bridging tools, and build a structure to a class (or rather three classes one after another) which I couldn't even imagine how it would go. 

Finally, the hour came, and the real difficulties arose from something I hadn't thought. They didn't know where my place was (despite the fact that the previous day they seemed to know, and I even sent them the address), so they called me on the phone three times for instructions, but neither of us got what the other said; it was a mess. Finally, they made it arriving 30 minutes late. But once we could get down to business, the class itself went very good! He indeed didn't know much English, had problems with the alphabet and writing, but his pronunciation and his will to learn was impressive. After two hours, we started to bond and like each other. I felt triumphant and proud to have met my challenge.

Then, the twist came. I got a call 45 minutes before the end of the class. It was one of the Chinese. I didn't get anything of what she was saying, so I gave the phone to the boy. It turned out the woman was standing in front of the door and I needed to let her in. She brought lunch. I was puzzled why she came at that moment. Was the class over? Otherwise how did she imagine she just comes and interrupts? There was no clear communication to me. In 10 minutes, the whole family arrived and invaded the apartment while speaking over my head in Chinese. I felt undescibably awkward, uncomfortable, and helpless. 6 people spread in my personal space and I had no control. At one point, the one that kind of spoke English said they wanted to stay for the last 30 minutes. I said, it was not a good idea. They still wanted and I still opposed. Eventually, the parents left and the "interpreter" stayed. It was still uncomfortable because she was sitting behind my back, either talking to the boy in Chinese, or laying down on my couch, or walking in my flat. I couldn't concentrate neither on him, nor on her. At the end I just wanted them out.

Overwhelmed by the whole experince and thinking that we mutually didn't like each other (I mean, with the student-teacher interaction there was no problem, but that's the least important factor when it is the parents who are the clients), I let go of the idea of getting rich. Amazingly, the next day they texted me at 8 AM that they are brining the boy in an hour. "No way", I said. When they asked if the next day was OK, I decided to give them another chance. In the evening, though, they cancelled, which was the end of the story. It turned out that they went to France. I figure, they sensed I am not the one that was going to board their child and they wanted him badly to learn English in just a couple of months. Money (and the child's comfort) didn't matter, so they just wanted to find a host, wherever.

To say the least, it was a tremendous culture shock for which I didn't even have to leave my home.

it's all about the money -- or not

One of the monthly columns of the blog is dedicated to present to you what kind of career paths strong English language skills can bring you. So far we have focused on teaching jobs, from high school positions to university professorship, and from private employment to public institutions. We have not dealt with teaching in general, though. After half a year of interviews, I thought to dedicate this article to a more general consideration of being a teacher.

 

Today I brought you some short excerpts from interviews with (public school) teachers, who reflect not only on what they feel about their job but also on what materialistic matters like finances mean for them. I have picked professionals from a wide variety of countries, so to give you a more objective and extensive picture about what it really means to work in education. You will see that many of them address the issue of money, not only because capitalism made money our god but also because the profession of teaching is often linked, typically negatively, to capital. Let us see whether and how much they support the general claim that teachers are underpaid.

 

 

“I am happy with my income and think I earn a fair wage. I am unhappy with the public’s perception in Canada that teachers are overpaid. I’ve never met anyone that teaches for money. It’s never about the paycheck; it’s about loving the work we do. However, I do feel that our politicians, media, and therefore the general public feel that we are overpaid and lazy because we get more vacation time than many other professionals.” (Canada)

 

 

“I feel like I am providing a valuable service — and I do love my job at times. But teaching also has unfortunate downsides such as the money and administrative load, which can significantly detract from my core job as a teacher. While my income could be worse, I would argue it still is not fair for the qualifications I hold and my job performance. Often it’s hard work with little thanks.” (South Africa)

 

 

“I’m content with my income, but that’s because I don’t have a family to support or bills to pay. As a teacher, I do more administrative work than teaching. Sometimes the children are unsatisfied with our performance, but there’s only so much I can do with all the administrative work I have.” (Macedonia)

 

 

“Sometimes I wonder if the stress I put myself through is worth it, but then one of the kids or parents will tell me a story about how I’ve made a difference and it all seems worthwhile.” (England)

 

 

“I’m worried my income won’t be enough as my daughter gets older. I really like being a teacher — I just wish I was recognized for it every now and then, whether in pay or just a pat on the back. But it beats being a lawyer.” (US) 

 

 

“I am happy but financially strapped. I don’t eat at restaurants; I can’t afford it. I am not a demanding guy, so my income seems sufficient for now, but I can’t sustain my life on it.” (Nepal)

 

 

“Teaching is like volunteer work that nobody recognizes as such. I’m deeply dissatisfied, and I think the great victims of our system of education are the pupils.” (Romania)

 

In short, teachers consider their job as a profession and a calling, to which they dedicate their entire body and mind. But the dreadful financial issues the majority has to live with make it godd@mn difficult to persist. It is not for the faint-hearted..

Read the whole article on TED's page.

 

BCN

July signals the end of the school year, when teachers finally get crazy and break free after a mentally and emotionally engaging (or sometimes devastating) period. As for me, I decided to use the time to work on my academic life, so I applied to go to a conference late June, early July. As the event was in Barcelona, I considered it half my vacation, half my reunion with my dormant scholar alterego. I must say, the trip turned out to be so successful in both, by going beyond expectations, that I have been feeling transformed ever since.

First of all, I had never been to Spain before, nor had I known what to expect from the Spanish (at that point I didn't even know that Catalans are not Spanish). The tips I got was: "watch out for your purse in Barcelona" and "prepare that people will not speak English". To be fair, I didn't encounter any personal insults but I did witness a thief running away from the beach with the stuff of a swimmer. Regarding English, it was indeed true that many locals didn't speak, but never before have I been helped this many times by locals (despite the language barrier). So expectations, to some level, were fulfilled. However, the experience left me enchanted much more than I could anticipate. It was not just the unique architecture and the pleasant geographical charateristics that mesmerized me, but it was the Catalan spirit as well. Like I wrote before about Ireland, I tend to be moved by resisters and fighters. Maybe because I view my country as one (although not a very successful one).

It was not just the city that was an interesting experience. The conference I went to present my topic -- this time about domestic violence in Hungary -- was so chaotic which I thought only Italians could produce. The organizers sent out several versions of the schedule in advance. According to one version, I was supposed to present my paper twice. When I pointed it out, they apologized and told me it was going to be on Thursday. Then in the next "final" version, I was scheduled for Friday. And with a wrong title. At this point I stopped myself from sending out the tenth email. We were debating about my presentation anyway. I informed then, just out of politeness, that I am bringing a prezi (not a powerpoint). They said, after a week, that I should make a ppt instead, because they cannot run prezis. My jaw dropped but I kept calm. Instead of expressing that I find it incredible that in an academic conference in Western Europe there is no computer that can manage such a (by now) basic program, I just sent them a link that described the technical requirements of running a prezi. I hoped this will open their eyes. But it didn't: still I was advised to change my prezi into a ppt. Naturally, I didn't. I still thought they were just lazy to deal with my request. And guess what, I was right. Their laptops -- what a surprise -- had no problem running my prezi! And again, guess what: my talk was rescheduled again. I was calmly sitting in the audience Thursday afternoon, knowing that I would present the next morning, when the moderators walked to me to say that according to their schedule it is my turn now. "You know what? If I present now, tomorrow I can go sightsee earlier" -- I thought. I gave a very pleasant speech (despite the theme), because I just didn't have the time to worry. And my prezi rocked.

The trip was interesting from a cultural point of view as well. At the conference I made friends with a couple of extraordinary people, even if you only consider their origins. We took this picture during one of the lunch breaks and titled it: From 4 continents. Ethiopia -- Sri Lanka -- Hungary -- Chile. It's a pity there was no one from Australia. :-D

the path of a TFA teacher

In the last couple of months, the interview series on English-related professions was focusing on high school teaching. We started with Edit, a veteran private school teacher in Buda, then came beginner Orsi from an elitist public school, and last month it was Bogi, a teacher assistant from a Hungary-based American private school, who gave us an overview to her educational experiences. This month it is my pleasure to introduce to you Sirena from New Orleans, who will talk about the American school system and her experiences in low performing schools.

Hey, Sirena. Nice to have you here. Could you tell us where you work and for how long you have been there? 

Thanks for having me Anna! I work at J. E. High School in Louisiana on the West Bank of New Orleans. I just wrapped up my first year of teaching (woo!) and was teaching Spanish I. 

What is an American high school like? Previously we got some insight into the Hungarian system and last month into a special institution, an American school near Budapest, Hungary. How is an American school in New Orleans? 

One thing I certainly know about American high schools is that no two are alike! I attended a large public school in a very rural small town in Kentucky with very little racial or ideological diversity and my experience was vastly different than most of my collegiate peers. All of the schools I’ve worked in thus far have all been public schools, so that’s what I’m most familiar with, but within the US there are also charter and magnet schools, which differ from public and private schools as well.

New Orleans actually has a very unique educational system since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The hurricane devastated the New Orleans area with over $100 billion in estimated damages and over 300,000 homes destroyed. Before the storm nearly 30% of people in New Orleans lived in poverty and Katrina left many of the city’s poorest citizen even more vulnerable than before. With over 2,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of evacuees Katrina certainly forced some big changes within the city. Education reformers came into the area and essentially (what can best be described as) swept away what remained of traditional public schools, replacing them with charter schools controlled by the Recovery School District. 

My school, being across the Mississippi river, remained relatively untouched by the push to charter schools, and in fact many schools on the West Bank of New Orleans remain public. My school was actually one of the first schools to reopen after Katrina and opened its doors to any student in the area who wished to immediately return to school. 

Indeed, New Orleans sounds quite unique. Is this your first school? How did you get here?

I graduated from the University of Louisville in 2013 as a political science major actually, so teaching wasn’t really on my radar until my junior year of college. During the time I became interested in education and education policy I had just begun mentoring at a local middle school and working in an after school program at a high school as well. Both schools were of very low socioeconomic status and categorized as “low performing” schools in the state of Kentucky. I quickly became very curious as to how these schools were falling so far behind other schools in the exact same city – one being the number one school in the state. This led me to the program I’m currently in, Teach For America (TFA). The vision of TFA is that “one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.”

Teach For America yearly recruits a diverse group of leaders with a record of achievement to work towards expanding educational opportunity, starting by teaching for two years in a low-income community. We often speak of the “achievement gap” in the United States, examining the disparity in educational achievement of students based on grouping by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Since as early as 1966, studies from the US Department of Education consistently showcase a gap in achievement between low income minority students and middle to upper class white students. After studying all of this and learning more about TFA I just overall got fired up about education and wanted to dive right in! TFA places teachers all around the United States and it’s also through this program that I ended up in New Orleans!

TFA is a great way for people who may not have studied education during college to become impactful teachers so that’s the option I chose and was fortunate enough to be chosen for the program. There are so many other options as well, from the different types of schools in the US (public, private, charter, magnet) to adult education and English as a secondary language programs.

Great initiative! As I hear, you enjoy your teaching path. What do you exactly like about being a high school teacher?

I really love being a high school teacher because I can really talk to and get to know my students on a personal level. I feel so invested in them not only as students but as people. High school aged students are making hugely important decisions almost daily that impact the rest of their lives. Being able to serve as a mentor, cheerleader, educator, and friend all at the same time is something I find truly rewarding about teaching this age group.

Plus my students are absolutely HILARIOUS and not one day passes that I don't either laugh at something they've said or laugh with them about myself.

Can we also talk a bit about the downsides of the profession? What are the main challenges for you specifically and for teachers generally?

Well I've been told that the first year of teaching is generally the most difficult, so hopefully it only goes up from here but the biggest challenge for me was simply learning how to balance all the things that go along with being a teacher. Juggling grading, lesson planning, tutoring, forging relationships with students, disciplining, making copies and charts, connecting with my coworkers, reaching out to families, ALL while maintaining my friendships from college and forming new friendships with people in my new city was a LOT to handle all at once. I'm also very very competitive and goal-oriented, so I would find myself working a lot on weekends and in the evenings after school trying to figure out the exact ways to make my students the most successful. Overall this led to a lot of naps after school and stress. Luckily by December I had sorted a lot of the juggling out and was able to get into more of a routine for my second semester teaching!

As for teachers in general I think the systems that are used for evaluating what makes an effective or ineffective teacher are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. For example, Louisiana has recently made some changes and new developments in the way it evaluates teachers and many veteran teachers at my school were upset with its inequity and the ways in which it was proving to be an inaccurate measure of teacher success.

Education is a highly debated political topic in the US as well, so when federal measures are attempting to be taken to solve this re-occuring issue of the achievement gap with little success, one must question what can be done to address this challenge? 

The problem you raised is a very important one and actually not country-specific. But are there any specificities of being a teacher exactly where you are? How do you think it's different to be a teacher in Louisiana, or in the US, than anywhere else?

Teaching in Louisiana has certainly been an experience! Having worked in schools in Kentucky, and taught summer school in Atlanta, Georgia - I, again, must emphasize that every state and school has such a unique identity. From the students, families, communities and faculty, each place I've worked has its own charms and struggles.

One thing that’s unique to public schools in the New Orleans area is the intensity that comes with athletics. In general American football is a huge fulcrum for schools in the southern region of the US and our school is no exception. Myself and another teacher began a spirit club this past year to harness all the schools energy and enthusiasm for our amazing student athletes! It’s just incredible to see the way something as small as a football or basketball victory can boost school pride!

I’ll be teaching abroad for the first time at a summer program at the American University of Bulgaria during July and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to experience the similarities and differences of teaching in the United States vs abroad.

Well, then, soon I will get back to you on this. :-) As a closing question, who would you recommend to be a high school teacher for?

I’d recommend anyone who is patient, willing to connect with students and truly passionate about impacting kids lives to be a high school teacher.  It doesn’t hurt to be strong willed and not offended easily along with that patience because high school students are moody and emotional at times ... haha!

Thanks a lot, and good luck in Bulgaria!

this goodbye

Last time I wrote you how my kid learner and I said goodbye to each other for the summer. Well, actually that turned out to be not a real goodbye, as she asked for another class before the vacation. I was moved that she convinced the parents to meet me one more time. As a matter of fact, I also was planning, because we always end bigger blocks with a conclusive poster, which is what I was preparing for the end as well. That class when the parents suddently told me this was the last, I still wasn't ready to deliver the closing collage project, so it felt awkward for me too to wave goodbye like this. But anyway, we won over the parents for a decent pre-vacation project: yay!

Every time we created something in class -- and it was almost always -- I took a photo of it. Not just for future reference, but also for future use. For these closing lessons, I always print some of these art projects of ours and build exercises around them, so we recall them both as learning experiences and as creative experiences. She can contemplate and comment on the material we learned and on the feelings their production triggered. I must say, it was very rewarding to do this last poster with her, because she kept saying how much she liked this and that. She picked at least 4-5 favorites. As far as language learning is concerned, we went through the alphabet, the numbers, the seasons and months, school subjects, clothing, sports, animals, and some cultural events like Saint Patrick's Day, Christmas, or Halloween. So far little grammar was introduced, because at this age she is not yet familiar with grammatical terms in her mother tongue either. 

At the end of the class, then, she gave me a chocolate she fancies ("Merci"), with a hand-written letter:

Dear Anna,

Thank you for teaching me.

Whit (sic) love,

L.

It was just adorable. Then she asked me if I am going to be stricter next year. ;-)