7 ways which prove that I work with teenagers

I admit, I started teaching at the age of 25, right after getting out of college. This means that I haven’t had much experience in the real world – I mean “office” world. This also means that after 15 years of teaching, I still feel like I am … 25.

Whereas, my 40 something year old friends and family members sound more distinguished and mature with age… I am still stuck in the "teenage phase." 


Here a just a few things that prove that working with teenagers can be very very annoying :-) 

1. You start to sound like them.

I am not sure when it started but I have noticed that I often use vocabulary which … well… is not a 40 –year- old woman vocabulary. I frequently answer with “cool” or call people “dudes” and my worst - refereeing to a “gig” rather than an event. What is more, my text messages (despite my logical and moral opposition) have started to include “bae”, “YOLO” and even an occasional “wtf.” (And yes, that one I am really not proud of.)  

2. You never know if they are secretly saying something naughty.

While it’s true that I am fairly knowledgeable about the current slang (I mean, if not the students than my son always had an ample supply of new and unusual words), the teenage dialect is an ever-changing thing. I can never really keep up. So, when I ask my students what they did over the summer and one of them says, “I went bowling,” I am forced to wonder if the giggles from his classmates are because “bowling” is the newest code word for something else – drugs, sex, bingeing on video games. Who knows? I am certain, however, that half of the time they are enjoying my questioning look.

4. You question every fashion choice.

Yeah, this one I have not conquered yet. It is connected to a social media and the account settings. In a way, I want my students to feel that I am approachable and have nothing to hide…yet, those pictures on Facebook from 20 years ago showing me wearing an NKOTB t-shirt and pink jeans – are now just laughable. And without a doubt, the students have seen it. Becoming part of a joke that they undoubtedly create can be just simply awful. Not to mention the day when my H&M dress is identical to one a 16-year-old Alena wore last Tuesday …Yeah, look on Alena’s face as she was approaching me in the green military tunic and staring at the identical one I was wearing was just priceless.

5 You get horrid pop songs stuck in your head.

I have read once that a truly happy 40-year-old listens to the same music he or she did when they were teenagers… Well, I did throw away the NKOTB tapes but my Enrique Iglesias will always be mine. It is, however, my choice to listen to him over and over… it is something different when I am going about my business, having a perfectly lovely day, when all of a sudden I realize that I have been singing Into You by Arianna Grande for the last half hour – or Adele It’s me…It never fails. I hear them in class, I hear them during the breaks and even on the bus on the way to school – and it is impossible to get them untucked.

6. You find yourself saying, “When I was your age…” way too much.

Again, the age factor creeps up. I want to feel connected and more in tune with the teenager that I teach. Consequently, I find myself pulling my experiences back to them with a “when I was your age…” which immediately stuns me as I realize that my son is their age or even older. Teenagers can never imagine that I was ever their age. And even if I were, things were so much different waaaayyyyy back then that my stories are completely irrelevant. Hence, “when I was your age…” is often followed by son’s reply: “you mean, during the dinosaur age?”

7. You don’t know whether to baby them or tell them to grow up.

This is where I am really lost, double lost if I think of my son too (whom I have just had the pleasure of visiting for the weekend at college.) This is the paradox of the not-quite children, not-quite-grown-up people known as teenagers. One minute I just want to give them a hug and say that all will be just fine because after all they are kids. But the next minute I want to pound them with a frying pan while screaming how irresponsible and immature they are.  I mean someone should teach them that it is about time they got their act together because life ahead is rough. At the end of the day I am more exhausted then they are… maybe a bit schizophrenic from going back and forth from the not-quite-children and not-quite-grown-up attitude.

Despite all of this, I wouldn’t change working with them for an “office” job. I mean, thanks to the teenagers, I have tapped into the fountain of youth. After all, you are only as old as you feel…hence am still a very happy 25 year old.

Ideas Teachers Want Parents to Know

As both an English teacher and parent of a young adult (20-year-old) and a little 2^nd grader, I know how important the relationship is between teachers and parents. So I’ve compiled a list of 6 ideas teachers really want the parents of their students to know that might help encourage communication and understanding between the classroom and home.

1. It is hard to believe but I (actually all good teachers) spend a lot of time planning lessons and assignments. We don’t just pull everything out of our heads two minutes after the class starts J So, If you have questions about why I am teaching certain materials in a certain way, please ask. I won't bite. On the contrary, I will greatly appreciate the effort you put in by asking the question.

2. Given my college degrees and experience, I consider myself an expert on education, but you are the expert of your own child. I want to know more about your child, so please share anything you can. If I don’t know how to deal with your child or help them – I will ask you, because you are the expert of your own child.

3. Grades aren’t as important as you think they are. So many parts of school are more important than getting straight A’s, including helping your children discover interests and how to get along with others. Learning to stand up for themselves and how to handle disappointment are also essential skills that must be learned – and better earlier than later on. I won’t give up on your child, and one, or even a few, poor grades do not define who your child is.

4. It’s normal for your child to behave differently at school and at home. Remember that school is where students practice being young adults and taking on new identities. Please make home a safe place for your child to still be a child once in a while.

5. Please talk to your child about cell phone etiquette. I waste so much class time asking students to put their phones away. And please, don’t text your child during my class. If it’s a true emergency, call the school office.

6. Also, please encourage your child to get enough sleep. Majority of the teenagers I see on any given day are sleep-deprived – walking Zombies gulping down a can of red bull.

In a way, we teachers (and I for certain) feel privileged and want to teach and be around your children… they do make us laugh. Most importantly, we want them to succeed and move on, and we certainly don’t want to make like more difficult than it already is...

Get Your Hiking Boots Ready

Who said school has to be boring? Not me! And not my school!

We are excited about the beginning of the school year. Why? Because we are starting it off with an exciting and original school trip to Norway.

The Kingdom of Norway was chosen last spring by our students as the next destination. We will pack our backpacks, grab our sleeping bags and tents and head north. But this will not be an ordinary “sightseeing trip.” It will an expedition into the wilderness. After a day trip in Oslo we will head even further north and west to check out the most beautiful natural wonders Norway has. We will travel all the way to Bergen by train and lots and lots of walking.

So get your hiking boots ready because the fun is about to start. 

Grand Opening - 1st Day of School

The first day of school is the first day of an academic year. The timing varies between different areas around the world because of the differences in weather climate, season and culture. A common pattern in North America and Europe is for school to begin in late August or early September, while in the southern hemisphere mid January to early February is common.

This year we once again started on the 1^st of September. However, for us this was a super special day as not only did we kick off a new year but we also welcomed our students in a completely new, modern and large school building. Over the last 6 months and super busy last two months, our staff created a friendly, clean and fully functional new cozy nest. Such large event required an even larger welcome and hence all the students, the returning ones and the new ones, as well as their parents, grandmothers and brothers or sisters all met for the grand opening at 8:45 in front of the school.
Of course, a grand opening wouldn’t be so grand if it didn’t have some celebrities, right? Hence, we were so lucky to have our recently graduated senior Jiri Prskavec come and welcome our students. Without out a doubt, it was most generous of him to spend some time with us and our students especially since has just returned from the RIO 2016 Olympics where he won the bronze medal.
Pictures were taken, autographs were given out, snack were eaten and coffee was drunk…and in the end the ribbon was cut and students entered…
Wishing a wonderful new school year to all… (teachers, students and parents)

 

long school holiday - good or bad?

We are more than half way through our holiday which allowed students to respite from the stresses and struggles of the classroom. Within a few weeks our students will resume classes, hopefully re-energised and rejuvenated to face the books. 

Long school holidays help students clear their heads, relax a little and stretch their brains in different ways.

However, for decades, there has been a lot of debate among teachers, parents, and policymakers around the world, on how long a school break should be.

Traditionally, schooling schedules have long been based more on cultural patterns than on efficient education strategies. For instance, in Iceland it was traditionally timed to allow children to help out with harvest. Other countries have long summer vacations because it is simply too hot to study. In other areas where religion plays an important role in the holiday season, the religion calendar then commands the break, so that students can have ample time to partake in the rituals and traditions of seasonal holidays. This is the case with Italy and the Balkans where school children and teachers enjoy some of the longest summer holidays on the planet.

There are some obvious advantages to a vacation that lasts longer. Families who live a long distance from relatives are able to travel together, sometimes across the ocean, in order to connect with their loved ones. From an educational standpoint, a child that is able to experience another culture can gain valuable language, history, and social skills. The students get to participate in activities that would be difficult to do during a regular school term.

On the other hand, critical academic skills need daily repetition which a modern parent may not be able to carry out at home. For example, students learning to read must practice these skills consistently or the teacher will have to reteach some of the concepts if they stay long before refreshing. The same goes for foreign languages and mathematics facts.

Unlike before, a long study break is more likely to cause students to forget what they have been learning. With the movies and video games, they slip away from study habits and become languid from so much time not working.

Consequently, long school holiday can be either constructive or destructive to our students! But I am still enjoying a long holiday. 

World's Best Education System

Although it is summer and I am currently on holiday, I can’t help myself and just once in a while think about school and my students…

And while day dreaming, I take a look at my kids and think of those that I teach and one thing comes up: in thirty years from now, countries of the world will be governed by today’s youth. Yeah, this means that Honza S or Marek P or Jakub H or those chatty girls such as Aneta or Kamila will be the ones leading and shaping the country. Their thoughts and actions will be shaped by what they know and have experienced, making education, in many ways, one of the best predictors of a nation’s future success. So how well are we preparing them for this inevitable role?

Keeping this in mind, I googled Courtiers with Best Education System….and came across an interesting study…

Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland spend the most money on education as a percentage of their gross domestic product, according to the World Bank. Maybe that is the reason why these Scandinavian nations all ranked in the top third, even outperforming Asian nations.

South Korea ranked at number 11, despite the fact that it is the only nations where students attend school each day of the week – I wonder what our students would say if suddenly Saturday and Sunday was a school day too. Japan, which I assume no one is surprised, ranked at number 8, the best of all Asian nations.

It listed Finland as number 1 and Iran as the last. Although ranking Pakistan as the second to last, was no surprise, it suddenly made sense why the young female student Malala Yousafzai (who won the Nobel Prize for her advocacy in fighting Taliban restrictions of females attending the school) should be taken more seriously.

So I searched some more…and turned towards UN or UNICEF to help me get some statistics.

All those studies also confirmed that Scandinavian countries, leading with Finland, are simply the best, shortly followed by South Korea or Japan.

So my curiosity took the best of me… and I then googled: Why is educational in Finland so good? And after several hours of reading several points kept repeating itself over and over.

·         Schools in Finland have a different approach. Instead of control, competition, stress, standardized testing, screen-based schools and loosened teacher qualifications they focus on warmth, collaboration, and highly professionalized, teacher-led encouragement and assessment.

·         While the school in Finland have the latest technology, there isn’t a tablet or smartphone in sight, in any of the classrooms, just a smart board and a teacher’s desktop.

·         Children are allowed to slouch, wiggle and giggle from time to time if they want to, since that’s what children are biologically engineered to do, in Finland, America, Asia and everywhere else.

Obviously, there is a lot more that one needs to keep in mind when comparing educational systems: culture, poverty, race and even history as it has such an enormous influence on the nation. However, that would become way too long… and I am on holiday after all J

"Are we there yet?" - how to survive the last month of school

“Are we there yet?”, “are we there yet” … we all have experience long car rides with little ones in the back seat, expressing their eagerness to reach the final destination. In a way, for teachers, that car ride is the month of June. The anticipating and impatient faces of the students counting the dread hours till the 1^st day of the summer holiday. There is a bit of that never ending stress that we need to teach them just a few things more, that we can test them of just a few more questions and that we can just cram a few more facts in them… all while the sun is shining, birds are singing and the breezy fresh air makes them want to jump and run outside.

Well, a few days ago we, teachers, gave up. We took the whole school out. We organized a Sports Day filled with athletic competitions and prices. The students were divided into groups of 5 or so and were asked to walk from station to station and “compete” in some activities that were prepared by different teachers. Given the fact that I am not the most athletic person, I chose Musical Chairs. Oh, also because my colleague Tom can play the guitar really well J So music and sports, there is no better combinations. Couple of hours of pure fun, laughter and jokes. It was certainly a nice way to take a break from all those last minute tests. After that, the school organized its first ever Talent Show – and may I say I am very proud of my students.  The Gymnasium students did a great theatrical performance and the two boys from my basic class gave an outstanding piano concert! Good Job! 

Škola v Přírodě

view from our cottage - breathtaking

When I first arrived in the Czech Republic my oldest son was 7 and immediately started 1^st class. Immediately I learned that the school organizes something called “Škola v Přírodě“ (school in nature.) As a newbie in the Czech school system and as an American I didn’t understand why would a school take away a whole class for a week somewhere into the nature and hang out with them… where is the learning part? And then year after year I learned to appreciate such activities not only as a parent (because a week without my son was just heaven – an I do love him dearly) but also as a teacher as I learned to value what the students were learning during that week… It was out of school, it was fresh and clean, it was social and adventurous, it was independent and fun….

our cottage

This year, I decided to take my class to such a trip. We chose to go abroad yet not very far to keep the cost at minimum. We chose the neighboring country of Slovakia and their famous High Tatry Mountains. It was 3 nights and 4 days of living in a tiny little clean cottage, eating good Slovak food such as ….. and walking and walking and walking…. Lots of hiking which we all very much complained about yet would do it again if asked J I think the only thing I would do better next year – is to assure that there is no internet or WIFI there…(yeah, the students would cry…) 

 

Cyberbullying

This week I will not write a silly happy blog about fun activities or reflections. Rather I will focus on a topic that is rarely discussed yet according to statistics it is becoming more and more frequent.

Cyberbullying is the act of harming or harassing via information technology networks in a repeated and deliberate manner. According to U.S. Legal Definitions, "cyber-bullying could be limited to posting rumors or gossips about a person in the internet bringing about hatred in other’s minds; or it may go to the extent of personally identifying victims and publishing materials severely defaming and humiliating them."

^It is becoming  so frequent in schools across the globe that there have been several organizations formed with a goal of informing students that this is a crime as well as preventing it as much as possible. In United States there is a Cyberbullying Research Center and in the UK a non-profit cyberbullying association informs parents, teachers and students themselves about this very serious issue.

Please visit such pages as http://www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/ or http://cyberbullying.org/ in order to futher educate and possibly help a child, your child or any child better cope with this issue.

From Red, Pimpled Faces to Troublemakers Taking on the World

Today, in my G2 class we had a listening exercise about ageing in UK. At one point, it said that “women live longer in UK than men.” After the listening exercise, I asked my students if they think that is true and why. Their response was “women have easier jobs, for example teaching.” I have to admit that I wasn’t very happy with that answer and I am sure that my face expressed that – mostly because my lesson prior to this one was with the notorious G3 class – where once again I had to repeat myself about 3 times and tell each individual student at least once to stop talking, put away their phone, open the book etc. (In other words, a spectacle I hope I don’t experience again.)

Now, of course I prefer my job… to almost any other job that there is and certainly think it is much easier than digging ditches or hauling bricks… but to hear someone hint that my job is easy is more than annoying… exasperating… infuriating… maddening…(you get the idea, right?)

So, dear students, I am going to tell you why our jobs as teachers are actually at least challenging if not hard. Is it the long hours of sitting at home preparing worksheets, researching best teaching material? Nope. Is it strain of standing in front of grumpy, sleepy and hormonal teenagers? Nope. Is it the lingering evenings spent on grading papers and reading often very amusing and at times monotonous answers? Nope. Not even the abundant trips to stationary shops to buy colored pens and stickers make it.

So, what is it?

You come to us as inexperienced young kids, naïve and willing to do everything we say. In a matter of few years, you mutate into young men and women that have their own peculiar opinions and are ready to take on the world. When I say that you are ready, I mean you are ready – a force to be recon with. And in those couple of years we (teachers) learn to like you, we learn to respect you and we learn to teach you the best we can. Call me sentimental, maybe it is the end of the year nostalgia that is coming over me, or maybe today I’ve looked at the faces of my G2 and G3 students and thought to myself “we teachers see you daily, we talk to you and we laugh with you” and in a way it is very hard to acknowledge that your red, pimpled faces one day will walk away and will never turn around … and only a small glimmer of hope burns in us that something we said will stay with you and help you take on that world. 

So to all the red, pimpled students taking on the world this year (in a week as a matter of fact), on behalf of all the teachers, I would like to wish you all the best of luck and fulfillment in your life. It is your life, cherish it and make the best of it.

And here is one of all time favorites - just for you.

Cambridge English Preliminary

For the first time, our school opened a new PET course during the afterschool program. The class meets once a week for two hours and focuses on preparing our 5^th and 6^th graders for the Cambridge Preliminary Test. This tests shows that the students have mastered the basics of English and now have practical language skills for everyday use.

The test itself last for 2 hours and 20 minutes and is divided into several sections:

Reading and Writing (1 hour 30 minutes) which shows that the student can read and understand the main points from signs, newspapers and magazines, and can use vocabulary and structure correctly.

·         Reading is divided into 5 parts and a total of 35 questions.

·         Writing is divided into 3 parts and a total of 7 questions.

Listening (45 minutes) which shows that the students can follow and understand a range of spoken materials including announcements and discusses about everyday life.

Speaking (12 minutes) which shows how good student’s spoken English is as he or she takes part in conversation by asking / answering questions and asking, for example, about their likes and dislikes.

The test is conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. This makes the test more realistic and more reliable.

During our lessons we focus specifically on one test every 2 weeks as well as all the vocabulary needed for this level. So far, the course has a great start. A total of 10 students enrolled in the class and they are very diligently working each week on a test. 

PET Class Spring 2016

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day (sometimes called All Fools' Day) is celebrated every year on 1 April by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. The jokes and their victims are called April fools. People playing April Fool jokes expose their prank by shouting April Fool. Some newspapers, magazines, and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters. Although popular since the 19th century, the day is not a  public holiday in any country.

Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (1392) contains the first recorded association between 1 April and foolishness. Yup, there is a connection! Maybe I should assign the students to read Chaucer and find the first ever published April Fools’ joke J

Well, I have thought of playing several “funny” jokes on my students but Bronchitis has kept me at home…no, not April Fools’ Day, I am not coming to class, really!  Hence I personally can’t play any pranks on any of you dear students and colleagues, I will let you browse through the best pranks of 2016 so far. Enjoy! 

APRIL FOOLS' DAY PRANKS OF 2016

St. Patrick’s Day

Bet you didn't know: St. Patrick's Day

Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe 

St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

We did our own St. Patrick's Day at Educanet :-) The Spririt was everywhere! Good Job! 

Combating the Inevitable Exam Stress

Finals and midterm stress is virtually universal among high school students. In fact, if you're in the throes of finals, a little stress may be inevitable. Hectic study schedules, exam anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm are common around this time. And, because stress can make it more difficult to think clearly and remember facts easily, heavy levels of stress can be counter-productive for students. Given that our graduating class is now counting down days to the “school leaving exams” and all of our other students are franticly scheduling all mid-term exams, I can easily say that the school is walking on “egg shells.”

Fortunately, there are things students can do to effectively manage this stress--or make things worse! Cigarettes and beer make it worse – trust me… J Be sure you're doing the right things to keep stress at bay.

Often students ask me what is the best way to study and study well… my answer is: Learn What Works For You. Combating test anxiety, getting enough sleep...

But the most important things is to avoid all kinds of possible self-sabotage. Students often unwittingly make things more difficult for themselves by making common mistakes when studying for exams. Knowing what works, and what might make things more difficult, can help you avoid common pitfalls that make finals stress a larger obstacle than it needs to be. Stop pulling all-nighters, pounding the caffeine, and...budget time wisely

Am I guilty of all of those? Oh, yes. I was a student once (actually all teachers were – it is a prerequisite to being a teacher. ) My freshmen year at the University of Kansas I actually managed to stay up all night for two nights in a row studying for my ‘Logics’ and ‘Western Civilization’ class. I passed, do I remember anything from it? Nope. Once, I even managed to write a 10-page paper on the Albanian Civil War…I got a C out of it – not something that I am very proud of.

So, having ‘said that’ and ‘been there,’ I can only give my students once piece of advice before the upcoming midterms and final exams – open your book during the semester and not just the week / night / hour before the test.

 

Crunch time - Maturita Time

G4 /C4 - our graduating class of 2016

Matura  is a Latin name for the high-school exit exam or "maturita diploma" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine. 

It is taken by students (usually aged from 17 to 20) at the end of their secondary education, and generally must be passed in order to apply to a university.

The official term for Matura in the Czech Republic is maturita or maturitní zkouška. In 2010 the Czech Republic introduced a system of state exams which divided the previous system into two parts. The first is the state exam which consists of two compulsory subjects: Czech language & literature and a foreign language and, voluntarily, mathematics (the combination is chosen by students). The second part consists of school subjects which varies between schools.

The state part of the exam is supervised by CERMAT (formerly Centrum pro reformu maturitní zkoušky, "Centre for Maturita Reform; now Centrum pro zjišťování výsledků vzdělávání, "Centre for Detection of Education Results"), a state managed company. CERMAT issues final tests for the state part of the exam, documentation and practical tests, holds training for teachers who correct essays and supervise the students during the exams.

The examination itself is also divided between written and oral parts but not all subjects require both written and spoken input (for example math is formed by a written test only). Usually both the written and the oral part of the exam are set in late spring. The state part of the written exam is set to one day in which students in the whole country write identical tests, different tests are always issued on the day the exam takes place. The school part is always different and is based on requirements of the school which issues the test so it may be both written and spoken, but it can also be only one of the options.

If students fail in one subject they have the option to repeat the subject, if they fail more than one subject then they have to repeat the complete set of exams including the written part. All students have a maximum of three attempts to succeed in this exam, if they fail to succeed they end secondary school without the maturita and are unable to apply for college or university. 

So what does all this mean for our students (and as it happens, for my older son)? It means that those young men and women have finally came to a conclusion that they  must start studying. That the life of fun and "I forgot my homework"" is long over. Suddenly, they show up in class. Suddenly, they ask questions and some of them have even found the local library. 

With few months to go, I would like to wish our graduating class all the best and good luck on the upcoming Maturita Exams :-) 

Maturitní ples or Prom as it is often called in the United States of America is a social event and traditions, which starts the end of the secondary education with a final graduating Maturita exam. This event is often organized by students who are graduating that year and it usually takes places sometime between January and March.

It is often a very formal event which requires the young ladies and gentleman to actually dress up and even wash and brush their hair J

Many of them take it so seriously that they even take “ball room” dancing lessons – after all, they wouldn’t want to embers themselves in front of all family and friends.

This year, our school organized one such “ples” a few weeks back. For me, it was even more special as it included my own son who (no preferential treatment here) looked very spiffy.

The event was wonderful and the students did a terrific job organizing it. It was a pleasure to talk to them all and their parents and see them look like adults… many of them unrecognizable without sleepy eyes and torn up jeans.