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Humanising Language Teaching
Year 1; Issue 7; November 1999

Student Voices

Two Adult Learners from Spain
(Both writers were members of an English for Teachers course at Pilgrims, in Summer 99)

This is the last day of our course and you ask for our help about our internal process over the two weeks.

I think that my process is relatively poor if I only analyse the more external aspects of the language, because I have spent an important part of the time trying to understand people who was spoken (you or my partners) or trying to find in my brain the words I needed to answer the innumerable questions, problems, “anxieties”… that you continuously put on the table.

But, perhaps, today is more important for me to explain you that I really enjoyed these last weeks: I have discovered through your classes new aspects about my diary (daily) job with my students, not only in reference with English.. I have learnt again that languages are life and I can never forget this when I am in the classroom with my pupils. I have to leave in a corner of my teacher's table the standard coursebook for Spanish, Catalan and English and put my students in touch with the living language that we can find near us.

Thank you for to be interested in each person of the “gang”.

Jose Antonio



This fortnight has been for me a fascinating travel by ship with some storm during the crossing.

I have felt exhausted but I have learnt so many things that, at the end, I think it has been worth. During these days I have had the opportunity of knowing a special way of learning and teaching and I am sure that will help me, not only as a teacher and a student of English, but, mainly, as a person. Being in touch with all of you get more rich individually. In my way, I feel I have been able of sharing my experiences with other people even when that was an extra effort for me.

Thank you for being worried about me, for not pressing me and for you energy and power of communication.

Thank you very much for your present and for telling my story in a loud voice. It was a very nice detail.

Marisa.


A teenager from London, UK
From Marie Delaney

A Good Teacher

A good teacher is someone who is good with children, someone who knows how to talk to children, someone who is not RUDE in any way. Ms B. is someone like this. She is someone with a lot of control over her pupils. She has got control because she is firm, not rude, but firm. Ms B is a teacher who you can have a laugh with but when it is time for work, it is time for work, not time for play. When Ms B is teaching she explains what she is talking about even if only one person did not know what she meant. Some teachers believe that they are always right, never wrong. That is something which really gets on my nerves. If they do realise that they are in the wrong, they will find any little thing for you to be wrong. Also teachers shouldn't label children. Most teachers at my school think I am violent and aggressive but I am not. I think what they think of aggressive is to be bold, speaking up, and not shy. I know that I am not shy and I am bold but I am not aggressive.

Rymel Phillips
Age 13
Hackney, East London, UK


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