Humanising Language Teaching
Year 1; Issue 3; May 1999

Dear Mario,

As you asked me to, I am sending you the "story" I told the group during your workshop in Calabria University, last l6th of March. Here goes:

I am a teacher of English and have been using my new textbook for three years. A few weeks ago I was in a first class working on "English Houses" and connecting the topic with prepositions of place.

While talking to the group, I had a sudden sensation of "deja vu". I told it to my students and the sensation became even stronger.

I realised that the year before I had had the same sensation while I was explaining the same grammar rules. Again to a first class, and had told those students about it, and then that I had remembered that I had explained the same grammar rules in another first year class the year before.

Wow! Over three years I had been explaining the same rules and talking about the same topic with exactly the same words and I couldn't believe it!

I was honestly terrified!

Mariella Gallo
I.T.C.G. "Fermi"
S.Marco Argentano
Cosenza
Italy
oekde@tin.it

Dear Mario,

In Issue 2, Maria Cristina Castel Ceruleo refers to me as Professor Davis a Marxist.

This is inaccurate.

Can I take a small part of your letters column to correct any misapprehension? I am not and never have been a Professor.

Yours

Paul Davis (Mr)