What is Love?

ALCOHOL IS CHEAPER THAN TEXTBOOKS

OPPOSITION TRIAL

By Stephen Wilson 

 

             

"Milton Fedorov, who has not only once come to my institute, correctly stated how he noted that in our country alcohol is cheaper than school textbooks. The government creates all the conditions, so that between responsibility and irresponsibility, Russians choose the second," declared Yegor Zhukov, a prominent blogger and student in the opposition during his trial speech. The 21-year-old student of the Institute of Economics had been first charged with calling for mass disorder, to have the then charges dropped to be replaced with charges of 'extremism'. Zhukov was found guilty, but granted a suspended 3 year sentence and banned for 2 years from using the internet.

              

After hearing of the sentence, and that of other opposition who avoided a jail sentence, his supporters were immensely relieved and deemed it a small victory. But when I asked one solitary middle-aged  protester who takes turns in holding a placard protesting against the imprisonment of demonstrators: " What do you think of the recent verdict in the Zhukov case? I mean it is not the worst result is it? He could have been imprisoned."

              

It is not the worst scenario, but a sentence is still a sentence. It was unfairly imposed for political reasons. " I had noticed her conspicuous presence on Telman square which was replaced by another protester. Thankfully, nobody was disturbing them or arresting them.

 

              

It is perhaps no accident that Yegor Zhukov was targeted by the authorities. The blogger had 170,000 followers as well as 7,000 more following his arrest. But  life for bloggers and journalists will become increasing problematic as a new law passed by the Duma makes it a crime for them to distribute or quote from any foreign media organisation on-line. People who violate this law not only face a hefty fine but 15 days imprisonment for breaking it twice. The law comes into force on February 1st 2020. 

              

The case against Zhukov and many other opposition  figures has a surreal air bordering on the ludicrous. Just reading the long speech of Zhukov is enough to persuade you his views are a far cry from extremism. As he himself states: "I'm not an extremist, both linguistically, and in terms of common sense". A lawyer who is also a student at Moscow State University told me, "There are some things which surprise me about this case and are odd. When the authorities were searching for evidence against Zhukov in his apartment they confiscated his collection of ceramic frogs as 'evidence' against him. Instead of returning them to him they destroyed them. Why they did this I am at a loss to figure out. Did they regard those frogs as some kind of implicit political satire?" 

              

However, it is Zhukov's long speech which is worth noting. His splendid speech succinctly summed up the deep despair of many Russians without a voice. For instance, he pointed to the fact that as many as one out of three children are being brought up by single mothers and out of work or low paid men drowning their sorrows in alcohol, losing their dignity, and the ugly domestic violence where men beat their wives, drink themselves to death or commit suicide. He claimed that the number of male suicides a year were 100,000. Russia has the highest suicide rate in the world.

              

The whole of his speech could have been a sermon preached by an Orthodox Priest rather than Navalny. He took the government to task for failing to uphold the Virtues of Orthodox Christianity because their policies were leading to the destruction of the family and hatred. "The authorities torture people in penal colonies, ignore aid victims, close schools and hospitals. We have become a country which unlearns love. Are we ever taught this? Are such ethics taught in our schools? No."  Perhaps Zhukov overstated the case that love is never taught in schools. It largely depends on the school and the teacher. But Zhukov has a point. Why do many school students feel their teachers don't love them or are angry and bitter all the time? This also applies to non-Russian schools. At my school in Scotland I was warned by people that, "This is not like primary school where the teachers care about the pupils. You have to get used to the fact that teachers don't love their pupils, but are only doing a job."  But how can anyone teach love if they do not what it is? Many people presume to know it but regard it as simply 'an emotional state', 'physical attraction' or 'romantic passion.' They forget about the role of respect, constant care and attention required. But Zhukov's speech should at least alert people to ask, "What is the real voice of the Orthodox church?' Is the role of Orthodoxy to play safe by bolstering the state or should it take up its cross and implacably oppose all forms of evil and injustice? " As one priest told me in an understatement, "It is difficult to identify the true voice of the Orthodox Church!"

              

Zhukov's views have been influenced by the Canadian therapist and philosopher Jordan Peterson whose work, 12 Rules for Life, 2018, is readily available in Russia. Peterson's views stressing personal or individual responsibility, conservative values in regard to the family and opposition to an education which asserts a relative view of good and evil and state indoctrination are alluring to many Russians. But although Peterson's views are conservative it would be a mistake to label them as 'mystical fascism' as some American journalists regard him. An author who states that we are not good at listening attentively to people and we need to master this art in order to better help other people does not sound like a fascist.

              

One thing which Peterson has in common with Zhukov is that he has also been unfairly accused of extremism. Both feel they have been misunderstood. They both want people to ardently listen and love. It is doubtful whether the Russian government is ready to listen to, never mind love, the unwashed masses.

 

Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

PEDAGOGY OF HOPE  

Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed 

            

Bloomsbury Revelations, London, New York, 2014 Edition 

            

"You are not under arrest. You are our guest, only you may not leave your room. "A few moments later, at the hotel, my room was locked from the outside. Not under arrest. Strange terminology.' It is amusing and bewildering anecdotes such as  this, not to mention Paulo Freire's deep reflections and reminiscences which make his work 'Pedagogy of Hope' well worth reading. It is simply a delight to read. A real gem! 

             

Paulo Freire was one of the world's greatest Adult educators and Philosophers who after tireless effort, study and interacting with peasants, fishermen and the disadvantaged, came up with a new way of teaching illiterate people which not only taught them, but sought to empower their lives so they could break free from all forms of oppression. He developed a pedagogy where the pre- existing knowledge as well as the culture of the students had to be fully respected. He supported open-ended dialogue where students were encouraged to question everything. This was to be an issue -related education done in a humane way which genuinely sought to improve the quality of lives of people.

             

Unfortunately, some people either misunderstood Freire or regarded his views as 'subversive', 'undesirable' and 'a dangerous threat to national security.' Despite successfully teaching 300 farmers to read and write in the space of 45 days in 1962, a military coup in 1964 forced Freire to go into exile and begin a long odyssey as a refugee. His work the Pedagogy of the Oppressed was banned in his native Brazil for 15 years.

             

Freire must be one of the most misunderstood and misconstrued philosophers. Some critics accused him of being a Marxist or of seeking to implement an educational program where he imposed his values on students or worse, brainwashed them. In fact, he simply sought to develop an issue -related education which would encourage people to question and challenge the injustice they saw around them. One of my fellow students at Glasgow University told me : "It is clear that Freire has a genuine love and affection for simple people and went out to mix with them and listen to their problems". Zal Juglar, a musician from Argentina who has visited Moscow many times, told me, "Freire's practice of education is the one form of teaching I support. It really offers people a better way of doing education".

                          

If you want to truly grasp Freire's views on education this book is a good place to start. Freire criticized conventional and traditional education systems where the teacher simply filled the passive minds of students with facts, via rote or by depositing knowledge. He described it as 'a banking education' which often crushed the creativity, curiosity and voice of the student. But a teacher has to love and listen to the student. The student has to be allowed to explore and question everything the teacher offered him. But in this respect Freire thought that some Marxists could be elitist as they treated the poor in a condescending and patronizing way by claiming they had a monopoly of knowledge while the poor were 'ignorant' and had 'false consciousness'. A teacher has to learn and become acquainted with the local culture of the poor even if it seems at odd with the teacher's culture. So in one chapter you hear of teachers coming across a peasant who believed a  talisman could protect him from bullets or special leaves which can cure cancer.

             

At one point Freire states in reference to adult educators like Fox in America that, 'There was a great deal of similarity between what they were doing in New York and what I was doing in Brazil". We learn that the German philosopher Enrich Fromm met Freire in Mexico and told him: "This kind of educational practice is a kind of historical-cultural, political psychoanalysis".

             

Freire also understands that while achievement in learning can bring joy it is often difficult and hard for many people. This axiom applies to not only learning literacy, but in studying foreign languages. This is why he challenges current notions that education should become another form of entertainment. He declares: 'There is no room, in the constitution of this needed discipline, for an identification of the act of studying, of learning, of knowing, of teaching, with pure entertainment-learning as a kind of toy or game, without rules or with lax ones.'{page 73} 

             

Freire comes across as having a way of breaking the ice of the students. In one delightful story you hear how he makes them feel less intimated by his education. He organised a quiz where the students would ask him 10 questions, and he in turn, would ask them 10. The competition ended in a draw because both the teacher and students lacked some knowledge the other had. The aim of the competition was to boost the students' confidence persuading them that they had much invaluable knowledge and skills. It is just they didn't often openly value it or those in authority derided their knowledge.  

             

In this work, Freire has a lot to say about how a teacher must approach his job. In one revealing passage you can read:

            

'The more tolerant, the more open and forthright, the more critical, the more curious and humble they become, the more authentically they take up the practice of teaching. In a like perspective - indisputably progressive , like much postmodern, as I understand post modernity, than modern, let alone "modernizing"- to teach is not simple transmission, wrought by and large through a pure description of the concept of the object, to be memorized by students mechanically ... Teaching someone to learn is only valid - from the view-point let me repeat - when educands learn to learn in learning the reason- for, the "why", of the object of content'. {Page 70, chapter 2.}

             

In one chapter an imprisoned teacher tells a visitor what books he should bring his answers: "I don't need Lenin just now, I need the Bible. I need a better understanding of the peasant's mystical universe. Without that understanding how can I communicate with them? "page 97}

             

In this book we also learn about the pain of exile, and Freire's sadness about how the progressive minister of Grenada was assassinated and how America later invaded the island ending the radical hopes of poor Grenadians. It is also interesting to note that Freire's first experience of racism against him was experienced not in Brazil or Chile, but Chicago. 

             

But I like most of all the amusing incidents when the Brazilian Government issued the exiled Freire's family with a special passport which allowed them to travel from Geneva to Zurich. They issued them with a document valid only for travelling within Switzerland rather than the world. 

             

The good thing about Freire is just how open -minded he is. Whereas some Portuguese radicals told him "Does Paulo Freire know how a group of Catholic women have perverted his ideas in the countryside around Coimbra?" he counters that, on the contrary, they were acting very sensibly in the only way they could in such an oppressive situation and were adopting good tactics. Freire comes across as non sectarian, anti authoritarian and sincerely devoted to his vocation as a teacher.

             

This book represents a refreshing and revitalizing read. It is certainly good medicine for those who feel disenchanted.

Is Shakespeare Real?

DID SHAKESPEARE REALLY WRITE HIS PLAYS?

By Stephen Wilson

           

Whenever I give a lesson or talk on Shakespeare in Russia someone without fail asks: "Did Shakespeare actually write those works or someone else?"  I have been asked this question countless times. But I ask those students, "Where did you hear the view that Shakespeare may not have been the author?" Some answer that they heard the view expressed in a conference on English literature, an article in a magazine or television program. Yesterday, my colleague Oksana Chebotareva told me she had also read something about this hypothesis. I feel obliged to at least express my views. 

           

The view that the playwright and poet, William Shakespeare could not have written his works is hardly new. Even in Shakespeare's time some jealous playwrights were accusing him of plagiarizing their works, the most famous being Robert Greene who on his deathbed in 1592 accused Shakespeare of 'plucking our feathers'. From then on many famous writers and authors have gone further in claiming he could not have written those works. For example, Charlie Chaplin did not believe Shakespeare wrote his works as well as numerous others. Academics have even written whole books 'supposing ' to prove that Shakespeare was not the author. However, some of the most ludicrous theories are that Sir Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe wrote his works despite dying in a brawl in 1593 before many of Shakespeare's most famous works were published. But what are the main reasons for believing this hypothesis? 

           

Firstly, they claim that since Shakespeare came from a humble background and lacked a university education, and never worked at court, he could not have written plays about kings and queens in such explicit detail concerning their manners and strict rules of decorum. He simply lacked the know how. Secondly, they claim we know very little about his biography and surely if Shakespeare had been that famous in his time we would have had more evidence of his existence. Thirdly, many people point out that he spelled his name in different ways and seemed to be illiterate. A more balanced viewpoint claims that Shakespeare partly wrote his plays as at that time writing a play for the theater was often a collective effort. He was not the sole author. 

           

What are we to make of those claims? Firstly, lacking a university education hardly disqualifies you from writing a masterpiece of literature. One of Scotland's greatest poets did not go to university yet wrote great works. This claim indicates more about the prejudice of some highly educated people who overestimate the value of a university education. Shakespeare attended a Grammar school which was sufficient to teach him Latin and Greek as well as the art of rhetoric.

           

It is a current myth to suggest we know next to nothing of Shakespeare's life. We do actually know enough to suggest he was in deed the author of at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets and the long poems 'Venus and Adonis' and 'The Rape of Lucrece' in 1594. His name is printed and mentioned as the sole author of those long poems. And we also have some witnesses who left records suggesting William Shakespeare was in deed the author of his plays. Ironically, one of the 'University wits', Robert Greene wrote a long letter to his three friends castigating William Shakespeare for stealing their glory. Now the former playwright is famous not for his original plays but as serving as concrete evidence that Shakespeare actually existed as a well known playwright. Greene called Shakespeare an "Upstart crow" who "supposes he is as much able to bombast out a blank of verse as the best of you and being an absolute Johannes Factotum is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country." Another witness is the author of Palladis Tamia, Francis Meres who in 1598 mentions Shakespeare more than any other author. He refers to 12 of Shakespeare's plays.

          

When Shakespeare died 14 of his plays were published in Quarto booklets and in1623 two actors, John Heming and Henry Condell published a collected edition of 36 of his plays in one folio volume . There is even the most famous words from a rival actor Ben Jonson who declares "Shakespeare is not only of this age but for all time". There is also an old monument in the local church in Stratford Upon Avon pointing to his fame.

           

It is true that in some English theaters the plays were often the work of a team of actors but by Shakespeare's time a revolution was taking place in the history of drama where individual authorship was rising to prominence. Meticulous linguistic research of Shakespeare's works point to a consistent style and betray the Dialect of Warwickshire. So the overwhelming evidence suggests William Shakespeare existed and was in deed , the author of those plays. Does it matter? An English Actor who runs an English Theater in Moscow as well as teaching Drama, Jonathan Salvey told me, "I have heard this idea that Shakespeare did not write his works. Some people get very passionate when people suggest this.

           

But does it really matter who wrote them? The main point is they are great pieces of literature we can enjoy". Well, it might matter because the main point is not to lose any energy or effort in futile arguments, but in teaching people how to appreciate Shakespeare, perform him and learn how to speak better English. Just by studying Hamlet, a student learns old proverbs and idioms such as 'the Time is out of joint', 'there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt in our philosophy' , 'To thine own self be true' and 'Happy, in that we are not overhappy'.

           

Claiming that Shakespeare stole the glory or the works of another author seems rather mean as well as absurd. Most artists are such vain creatures that it is difficult to imagine them asking someone else to take all the credit for their works! We should at least respect an author who generously granted us a priceless gift to world literature.

HOD December 2019

Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates Ends with Sparks!
By Jim Vail

The LA teachers union endorsed Bernie Sanders. Will CTU?

A quorum was called at the end of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on Wednesday December 5.

A quorum is a tactic to end a union meeting that is usually called when somebody does not want certain resolutions passed or business to continue. 

Quorums were called regularly when the CTU was divided politically as union parities CORE, PACT and the UPC would battle over union issues. 

But it is constitutional and the union has to stop the meeting and take a roll call vote, and if less than 50 percent of the members are present, then the meeting must end.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey said that they were only a couple of delegates short in the vote, but he noted there were other delegates in the building, so he ruled that there was a quorum and the meeting would continue. He asked if anyone wanted to challenge the ruling, but nobody did.

The issue that possibly sparked the unexpected call for a quorum (this delegate can only remember one quorum called in the nine years that CORE has led the CTU) was a vote to endorse five state reps (Aaron Ortiz, Nidia Carranza, Delia Ramirez, Lakesia Collins and Celina Villanueva) and two state senators (Rob Martwick and Robert Peters).

CTU member and former Political Action Committee PAC Chair Froy Jimenez said he should have been endorsed as well for the state senate. 

CTU delegate and executive board member Michelle Gunderson said that the CTU wanted to table and wait til the next meeting to have an endorsement vote for him.

The vote to endorse those candidates then passed.

A resolution to support the striking teachers in Chile also passed.

CTU delegate Frank McDonald demanded an apology from VP Stacy Davis Gates for comparing delegates who wanted to separate PAC union dues from regular CTU dues to former IL Gov. Bruce Rauner paying Janus to attack the unions. President Sharkey said no apology is necessary since unions need to play the political game.

I noted as the delegate from Hammond School that the early childhood teachers are getting hit with too many demands from not only CPS, but also the Dept. of Early Childhood. The teachers say that they had to be observed five times last year - three for REACH and two for the Early Childhood Dept. They also wanted the pre-K teachers to register late students, something the school does. The teachers say they have to use their unpaid time, either preparation time or after school to fulfill the extra demands.

There is an early childhood committee at the CTU to look into these problems.

Several delegates during the question and answer period in the beginning of the meeting asked when CTU members will receive retro pay and veteran pay. Sharkey said they are still waiting to hear from CPS on this. He noted that it took a few months after the 2012 strike to get retro pay. He said after CPS privatized the payroll department, there are less employees working on the these issues and thus the delay.

One Taft High School associate delegate complained that PE teachers are being required to get yet another life guard certification, in addition to the two certificates they already have. Sharkey said the extra hoops CPS is making PE teachers go thru is in response to the tragedy at Kennedy High School when a 14-year-old student drowned in the school's pool in 2017. But he agreed that extra lifeguard certifications will not make it safer. They said these extra regulations will just drive teachers out of teaching.

During the time of remembrance of teachers who passed away, one teacher who just died was about to retire in January. Several died from cancer.

Financial director Kathy Catalano stated that they sold $200,000 worth of CTU merchandise and $600,000 in strike loans were made available to about 1,000 members. Teachers will get $50 reductions in their paychecks to pay back the loans.

They said 92 percent of the teachers voted for the contract (much higher percentage then who voted for the president!) and 80 percent voted yes. 

The officers kept repeating that the teachers have to enforce the new contract.

VP Gates said the Los Angeles teachers union UTLA already endorsed a presidential candidate in the democratic primaries. She did not mention his name - but it was Bernie Sanders. She suggested that delegates poll their fellow members about who they think the union should endorse. She noted that all the democrat candidates mentioned the Chicago teachers strike.

When it comes to filing grievances against contract infringements, the CPS policy is to deny all the grievances, which forces the union to go to arbitration or appeal. It is a costly process in which there are about 1,000 grievances filed per year.

President Sharkey said the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) was upset that the CTU protested the Sterling Bay Lincoln Yards $1.4 billion TIF project because they employ union laborers. The CFL even set up a committee to investigate the teachers union. TIFs are a corrupt practice where the city takes tax monies that should go to the schools and instead subsidize wealthy developments like Lincoln Yards on the North Side, rather than support blighted areas.

The CTU earlier ran into problems with the Chicago police union that was upset the teachers were protesting police brutality. 

The CTU officers said Chicago is one of the only big cities that has a school rating policy called SQRP which focuses almost entirely on student test scores. (Research shows the higher the parents income, the higher the students test scores.) The CTU encouraged its members to fill out the survey on SQRP, but one delegate noted that the survey is skewed toward supporting SQRP. The union said to then just put your comments in the comments box.

CPS has a new portfolio manager (set up to close schools) and a senior data analysis specialist (focus on standardized test scores that is a harmful measure for low-income children).

Sharkey said there are 18 CTU joint committees that are comprised of five CTU members and five CPS members in areas such as early childhood, student discipline, budget, sanctuary schools, diversity, special education, air conditioning and heating, etc. There are also regular CTU committees such as human rights, school finance and taxation, etc. He encouraged members to join the committees.

Sharkey said there are three priorities for the union: 1) Enforce the new contract, 2) The need for a unified voice for education in Chicago - includes organizing the charter schools. Currently 32 of the 130 charter schools are unionized. And 3) How schools are funded in legislature - elected school board.

Joy to Teach

RESTORE THE JOY TO TEACHING

By Oksana Chebotareva

 

            

The over emphasis on teaching grammar and punctuation in teaching English can deprive both teachers and students of some of the joy which comes with learning. Students can easily become bored and demotivated. Therefore, we we need a flexible methodology which can encompass different ways of studying. Storytelling might just encourage students to see learning languages as an alluring adventure.

            

BOREDOM

             

Ask many students of English what they really think of studying and the one main and common complaint  is "it is boring " or "impractical". An old joke in Russia is that "the students learns all the rules of grammar but can't speak a word of English". For some reason learning English has been reduced to the study of grammar and learning a list of vocabulary by heart where they then do a test of dictation. Learning English by rote and repetition can be overdone to the point of demoralizing not only the students but the teachers themselves. Is it not time to bring back some of the joy in learning at schools? How might we counter this boredom? Perhaps using storytelling carefully in the classroom might remind people that language is not just grammar, but also beautiful poetry.

 

Unfortunately, storytelling does not receive the attention it deserves because it demands a lot of attention and effort from teachers. It often seems easier to give grammar tests, listening comprehension and reading which can be easily downloaded from the internet. There is something to be said for reading. The effectiveness of reading in improving students' comprehensive skills and increased vocabulary has been proven by experts such as Rebecca Isbell {2002}, Rubin and Wilson{1995}, and Snow{2001}. But reading a text can become difficult for a long time. Students can be easily distracted and lose the narrative thread and hence interest. 

            

Watching a video and electronic board might not be appropriate as not all Russian teachers have such facilities and it can strain the eyes of students. Indeed, some of my own students asked me to switch off a video because it was hurting their eyes.             

            

So why not use storytelling? Although it is much more time consuming than reading a text or doing grammar exercises, it helps students maintain concentration and motivation very effectively. The reasons for this might be the eye to eye contact that the teacher manages to maintain with students. This effect was noticed by academics Zeece {1997} and Malo and Bullard{2000}. They claimed that eye contact made the experience more personal and interactive.  

            

Real dialogue unfolded between teachers and students. This research was also supported by Myers{1990}, who conducted a study of children from the 2nd to the 5th grade where some stories were read and some told. In her study she found both children and the storyteller teacher enjoyed and interacted more during storytelling than reading. in contrast, children fidgeted and looked away during story reading.

 

WHAT KIND OF STORIES? 

            

Of course, the question arises as to what kind of story we might use. It is worth asking ourselves 'What do we define as a story?' Children often tell stories which are far from being absolutely logical, but they can be creative nevertheless.

            

Susan Engel{1994} refers to Jerome Bruner offering some criteria for a narrative. He claims that a narrative must have a number of characteristics such as a sequence, a plot, or a climax, and 'a tension that meets some kind of resolution.'

            

Engel claims that a narrative is 'indifferent to facts '. So it does not always matter whether the story is untrue or not. It does not matter if the story is absurd, irrational or lacks 'an explicit moral'. A teacher should not scold a pupil for inventing an illogical story, but encourage him to be adventurous with new words.

            

What kind of sources and materials can we use to obtain good stories? Well, because not all stories will appeal to every student it is worth having a rich and diverse repertoire of stories. A teacher can go to folklore works as well as rely on Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm and so many unread Russian folk tales. Not all stories will appeal. While ghost stories might be popular among Scottish and English students, not all Russian students are enticed by them.

            

What the Storytelling sessions project discovered while narrating stories was that tales of American Indian stories as well as old Celtic tales had a great appeal to many Russians {Stephen Wilson 2019 and Mairi Koloreva 2010}. While this might work among highly educated students at Moscow State University, it may not be appropriate in schools. Not every pupil likes ghost stories.

 

USING PICTURES   

            

What materials might teachers use to assist the storyteller and students? The universal material for this is a picture . It is possible to photo copy some pictures from a book or simply open up a book of pictures while narrating the story. In our personal experience we told Japanese stories with the aid of pictures to a class.

            

After telling a story along with showing pictures to the class, students were asked to retell the stories using the same pictures.They adored it! The students enjoyed it very much and the pictures served as mental notes allowing them to remember the sequence of events and even the vocabulary of the story better. In addition, the pictures help provide the story with a solid shape and make it what psychologists call 'a shaped cognition'. 

            

Secondly, pictures can be used in a different way with small groups of children or teaching students individually. For example, small pictures of any story can be copied from any book or textbook. And they can be practically any quality. The only prerequisite for this set of pictures is that they must represent a kind of sequence or be one theme. In this way they must comply with the definition of a story. If they are cut out and given to a student they can be asked to tell any story he can think of that goes with the pictures. So the student will be involved in some kind of creativity such as inventing his or her own story thus giving them additional satisfaction. It is not a good idea to discourage students in this situation by interrupting them to correct all their grammar mistakes. It is not a case of ignoring mistakes, but correcting them later at a more appropriate time after telling the story. The teacher has to be tactful and not shout loudly at students. What the student attains from this process is confidence in expressing his ideas and inventing a story of his or her own.

            

But this method must be applied with reservations related to the level of the students. If the students' level is high you can use certain stories, but if you use the same story in a class of elementary students the children will become frustrated and even switch off.

            

A third way of using pictures is by asking students to draw the pictures themselves. Students of any age and level of English, show great enthusiasm when asked to create their own comics or stories and draw them. This works really well, particularly if it is given as homework. Even if the level of English is not high among students, drawing pictures can give a lot of satisfaction. And the student can help the student with the story and vocabulary afterwards. We used this activity with the primary school children aged 8, 9, or 10. 

            

To sum up, a story constitutes a universal activity that works well in the classroom because it is entertaining, and appealing and therefore helps the teacher to keep the attention of students. This is because a story helps maintain eye contact and thus strengthens rapport between the student and teacher. Storytelling is also economical in the sense you don't need a lot of resources or even technology. But the best material is often pictures which can be used in different and novel ways. So storytelling can be an effective method in not only boosting the motivation of students through countering boredom, but improving imperative linguistic skills such as narrative abilities, and listening comprehension. Students learn that language is not some abstract and academic activity, but something alive which people use to communicate a profound meaning of their experience. But storytelling can also play a vital role in emphasizing the important role of the teacher. In an age where it is fashionable to uncritically endorse digital technology, storytelling stresses how valuable teachers are. They can't be replaced by robots or computer courses. This is because there is always something magical about face to face interaction between students and teachers. So almost everyone might be able to actually enjoy teaching and studying again.

 

            REFERENCES :

 

            1. Bruner J. {1987} Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Harvard University Press,

             Cambridge.

 

            2.Isbell R. The Effects of Storytelling and Story reading on the Oral Language

            complexity and Story comprehension of Young Children, East Tennessee

            State University , 3.

 

            3. Engel S.  {1999}. The Stories Children Tell. W.H. Freedman and co

             New York{.Pages 46-47, 70-71}

 

            4.Malo , E, and Bullard, J{2000} Storytelling and the Emergent Reader .

            Report No. cs 217 352}. Aucklnad, New Zealand : The 18th International

            Association World congress on Reading {ERIC Document Reproduction

            service number . ED448464}

 

            5.Mayer , M {1973} Frog on his Own. New York : Dial Books for Young

            readers.

 

            6. Rubin, P.C. and Wilson ,L {1995} Enhancing language skills in four

             and five year olds. On Line , Retrieved September , 19, 2002 :

            http: // www.cfc-efc.ca/docs/cccf/00001046.htm.

 

            7.Snow, C.E. {1983} Literacy and Language : Relationships during the preschool

            years. Harvard Educational Review, 53,{2},pages 165-187}

 

            8. Zeece, P. D. {1997} Bringing books to life : literature-based storytelling .

             Early Childhood Educational Journal , 25{1} ,39-43.

Chicago Teachers Strike

Chicago Anti-war Coalition (CAWC) Statement on the Chicago teachers’ and staff strike: 

==================

With spirit and determination Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73 win significant gains

— A VICTORY FOR ALL OF CHICAGO’S WORKING PEOPLE

Teachers, support staff and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 workers won much more in their contracts ratified in November  than Mayor Lightfoot wanted to give up. She complained endlessly that their contract proposals cost too much. But, as the strikers pointed out she makes sure that businesses and banks continue to snatch public money for their private real estate and other projects. 

Lightfoot has refused to give priority to education in budgets. TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money, which is siphoned off from taxes that would otherwise go to schools, is going into the pockets of contractors and other businesses. She also refuses to push for higher taxes on the rich or adding a small tax on financial transactions at the Chicago Board of Trade, etc., which would quickly bring in BILLIONS of dollars. 

The striking teachers and staff made clear in their contract demands, in their massive demos, and in press conferences, that they were fighting for the rights of all working people. 

The victories from the strike open the door to further progress. 

Raising the pay of the poorest paid workers in the system, mainly Black and Brown women, proclaims that all workers have the right to get a living wage.  This should begin with the $15 an hour minimum that workers across the country are winning. 

Capping class sizes, though not at the speed and level teachers demanded, will mean a better learning environment and shows that teachers are bargaining for more than wages and benefits.

 

For example, they demanded stronger sanctuary  protection for immigrants, and services and housing for the 16,000 homeless students.

 

Forcing Chicago Public Schools to comply with special education laws will help these very vulnerable students get their human rights.

 

Teachers also demanded all around support for students, and made some headway toward having nurses, social workers, librarians, and counselors in each school every day, with manageable case loads.

 

And there is to be a freeze against further privatizing public education through additional charter schools.

 

Public support for the strikes was based on the widespread understanding that without these basics and sufficient office workers, maintenance crews, and bus assistants, it’s impossible to create a positive learning environment.

This teaches students the importance of putting what they believe into action. 

New possibilities are now open for an educational system which enables students to help solve problems around peace and justice.

The bold spirit of the strikers can be an inspiration to students, who can develop the same spirit for tackling long-standing problems-- such as presidents and Congresspeople who launch aggressive wars against other countries which have not attacked the U.S. (examples: Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc.) 

Students can dig into why today Trump is using economic warfare (sanctions) to try to overthrow  governments which refuse to give up oil and other resources so that U.S. corporations can make superprofits (examples Venezuela, Iran, etc.). 

With smaller classes and more librarians, etc. teachers can go outside textbooks which promote the arrogant narrative that the U.S. should be #1, and that the U.S. government should decide what goes on in other countries. 

Instead, students need to discuss what is wrong and why—such as the racist police murders of Black and Brown youth and why so many end up in prisons even for minor offenses or through forced confessions and unjust trials.  

Some teachers have already been teaching beyond officially required lessons and the unfair standardized tests and constricting Common Core  curriculum. Even under bad conditions, teachers have encouraged children to reject the fairy tale that Columbus is a great hero who should be celebrated. They have supported Native Peoples’ Day to recognize not only the slaughter but also the brave resistance by Native Nations—which continues until today. 

Just as parents and the broader community supported the strikers, they will support teachers who encourage students to actively question the many myths that textbook corporations and the corporate media have fed them. 

Teachers emboldened to challenge fairy tales which claim that the U.S. is “the land of the free and the home of the brave” are key players.

To go forward, we can all become better informed by reading and discussing independent media and challenging so-called “news” that is one-sided-- in favor of the U.S. ruling class, or hides the struggles of working people in history. 

Working people, rather than staying in the background, have to fight to be decision makers to solve problems caused by the ceaseless drive for profits by the banks and corporations. Together we can decide what steps to take toward creating a better world with equal rights for all..

11.24.19

Free Fichter!

HELP FREE FICHTER!

SIGN MICHAEL BRANDNER'S PETITION

AN OPEN LETTER TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

By Stephen Wilson 

Jennifer Fichter

            

I'm writing to you with the request that you support a pardon or at least a reduction in the sentence of the imprisoned American English teacher by the name of Jennifer Fichter. Jennifer Fichter, in April 2015 received the severe sentence of 22 years imprisonment for consensual, but illicit sex with three of her 17-year-old students. Protest and indignation against this unusually draconian sentence has aroused  massive waves of support and sympathy throughout Russia not to mention the World. Almost 77,000 signed one petition. The people who have signed are deeply concerned about the fate of Jennifer Fichter. They are dreaming of her obtaining a pardon and won't relinquish the campaign.  

            

The case has had a profound impact on America's International relations as well as reputation abroad. This is why all honest, reasonable and thoughtful Americans must be concerned.

            

I and others believe that this severe sentence is unjustified for three main reasons {Although this hardly exhausts so many other reasons eloquently and acutely advanced by Mike Brandner in his petition}

            

The sentence is arbitrary, absurd and cruel. It is arbitrary because if Fichter had been found guilty in Georgia where the age of consent is 16 she would have been free today. Different American states apply their own laws which are often incompatible with each other undermining the very notion of universal justice. Justice which depends on geographical location weakens any sense of consistent universal legal norms and sounds capricious. It confuses and confounds people. For even within Florida, a 16 year old can consent to have sex with some one as old as 23. However, a Floridan cannot consent to have sex with someone over 23 unless he or she is 18 or over as Mike Brander points out.                             

            

The second reason is that the case is unusual. The usually appropriate punishment for such a violation is for a teacher to be dismissed. The loss of employment as well as accompanying stigma should surely suffice. The punishment does not fit the crime as Jennifer Fichter is no rapist, child molester or kidnapper. Yet the prison sentence of 22 years is double the average length for a rape conviction. So the crime is less serious but more severe. The students were not victims who suffered trauma or harm, but freely consented to sex. They were 17 year old who were on the verge of adulthood. The sense of injustice has been compounded by the fact that a Norwegian neo Nazis who murdered 77 people and wounded 150 in 2011 received a lesser sentence of 21 years! 

            

A third reason is that this case represents an evident and explicit violation of the eighth Amendment of the Bill of Rights which declares:

            

'Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted'. The case of Jennifer Fichter clearly represents a classic example of a cruel and unusual punishment. For what purpose should this teacher languish in prison where her mental esteem is wounded and her family feel they are also serving out this sentence? It is not in anyone's interest to prolong pointless suffering. It certainly does not serve any public interest.

            

Contrary to certain media reports, Jennifer Fichter doesn't remotely represent a threat or danger to the public. And a just legal system is obliged to find a delicate balance between justice and mercy. Without compassion and right reason, legal despotism looms up. This is why we urge you to support our campaign to secure a pardon or reduced sentence for Jennifer Fichter.

You can sign it here:   https://www.change.org/p/clemency-for-jennifer-fichter?signed=true

Shakespeare

SHAKESPEARE SURVEY

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

"What use is Shakespeare to us? Knowing him won't help me get a job!  We need to be taught something more practical?" say many frustrated pupils who resent having to study what they often consider incomprehensible and irrelevant works. For a recent survey carried out by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Digital company Adobe, of 2000 British school students aged between 11 to 18, between September 6th to the 10th , found that 42% of them complained that knowledge of Shakespeare would not help them get a job. Approximately 20% stated that digital technology might help them understand the poet. Many British pupils have never even heard of Shakespeare. But the survey does not just indicate a negative attitude to the poet, but how some pupils hold a misconception of the role of school education. For schools are not just intended to prepare people for work, but to at least inspire a minimal interest in the culture and Classics around them so they can enrich their leisure time.

For instance, knowing the Classics not only encourages a better understanding of plays performed in the theater, but can encourage pleasant conversation. It might just make a dull and drab party more interesting and even help you make a friend. Who knows where a knowledge of Shakespeare can take you? The knowledge of the poet can lead to imperceptible and unanticipated results!

             

An American teacher once told me, "If they teach it at school, it sucks." When you feel forced to learn the classics and have to sit exams in it then the memory of the plays can conjure up all kinds of bad memories. But Shakespeare himself never envisaged his plays being part of the school program or a set exam. He may not have attached  importance to being published. He wanted his works not to be read, but seen and heard. The best place to go is the theater itself. At first many people don't like the idea of going to the theater in Britain because they think its a place where only affluent or posh people go. But when they see his play by accident it often has a profound and deep influence on their psyche. This is because the plays such as 'The Tempest' and 'King Henry the Fifth ' have a lot to say about grief, and the horrors of war. 

             

Jacqui O Hanlon of the Royal Shakespeare Company states : "Having access to the arts and cultural learning improves empathy, critical and creative thinking in young people. " One of my 17 year old pupils of English Natasha told me, "A person at school should  know Classics. I mean it would terrible if we did not learn Pushkin. Yes, knowing Shakespeare won't get you a job but his works are so wonderful it can really have a profound influence on people." 

             

But how justified is the claim that knowledge of Shakespeare can't help you get a job? Such a statement seems a misleading and over simplistic  generalization. It largely depends on which job you are seeking. For knowledge of the Classics can help you get a job. For example, I recall being interviewed for a job in a Bakery in Dublin and being asked "Why have you come to live in Dublin ?" When I told the manager I had come to the city to learn more about the culture and the classics because Dublin was the city where Yeats, Joyce and Beckett hailed from " the manager took this as a compliment and I got the job. I also find that knowledge of the classics helps you get work as an English teacher of foreign languages in Russia . For many Russians, knowledge of the classics is not just a hobby or pastime but a necessity. If a Russian student discovers that an English teacher is not interested in his own culture, then why should he be interested in Russian culture? The main point is not to have mass knowledge of the Classics, but to be actively interested in them. So I have found I have managed to keep some students because of the knowledge of Shakespeare as well as Bulgakov.

A teacher of English as a foreign language is often expected not just to teach students to speak or grammar but the culture he comes from. And Shakespeare is an essential part of this culture. Furthermore, the playwright 's works convey a boundless and inexorable positive energy that infects students. For example, if you looks at his play 'The Tempest' , you hear a young woman called Miranda marvel how there is still beauty in some of the worst characters in the play when she says;

  

'O Wonder ! How many goodly creatures are there here ! How beauteous mankind is! O Brave New World that has such people in it.'

             

The plays can even teach people how to love people and express their love  in a more poetic way. There is the simple line of Miranda's lover which goes : 'I do love, price, honour you.'

             

And if you want to obtain work as an actor you can find help in Shakespeare's play Hamlet , where Hamlet offers advice on how an actor should perform by not over acting , over gesturing and speaking too loudly or out of tune. Just go to act three, scene two.

             

So yes, Shakespeare can help you obtain some kinds of jobs. You certainly can't eat his works . But you can read his plays as a stepping stone to the dining room. What is crucial is not  only knowledge of Shakespeare but how to use it in a doable practical way. So we have to go beyond the academic.

Stacy Gates & IFT

CTU Vice President Stacy Gates Named IFT VP
By Jim Vail

CTU VP Stacy Gates

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Vice President Stacy Gates was named the vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers or IFT.

Usually it is the CTU president who will take a position on the IFT executive board. However, CTU President Jesse Sharkey is not on the executive board.

This has lead many to speculate that VP Gates is making a move in the political field to head to a higher office, including president of the CTU. Politico stated that there have been calls for Gates or CTU political operative and Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson to run for mayor against Lori Lightfoot.

Johnson told Politico the rumors are false and he has no intention to run for mayor.

Serving on the IFT board of directors is a well-paid position. Both Johnson and Gates have two jobs that pay well.

According to an inside source, the CTU has 10 spots on the IFT Executive Board. CTU health care coordinator Annette Rizzo was dropped and Joanna Maldonado, a field organizer for the CTU, replaced her.

Dan Montgomery (IFT President) and Jane Russell (IFT Secretary Treasurer), and Gates (IFT VP) were unopposed in the election. Jesse (Sharkey) did not put his name in the running, the source told us.

Former CTU President Debbie Lynch told Second City Teachers she did not want to also serve on the IFT because she wanted to maintain her independence from the state teachers union that is considered to be more conservative.