Holding backward views
Neither an advancement did I accept,
Nor an attempt did I make;
Thus, I brought about no news;
Rarely did they mention my name.
Oh, How can they make such a decision
As long as I have another vision?
Ethereal were not my garments
Just in time I detect the reason.
With mistrust on the other side,
I have set out to find
Where the pitfall would reside.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Setting Foot in that Square
One autumn my half-brother leading me to school
There I would be a new pupil;
Wondering what all that was for,
Our lives, they say, are based on that core;
Immediately shuddering at my fellows,
For I had no idea who to follow.
Years elapsed and a mature student came
Then other responsibilities to assume;
Wearied of my remarkably little mettle,
I one day rose to rebel;
It was a power no one could ever tame.
In less than no year
My image begin to appear;
An unruly, unrivalled, stubborn man they challenge;
But, no victory yet came on their part;
It is with their surmises I dared to part.
Waiting with bated breath,
A thousand times I fought that threat;
Had it not been for my living,
Countless things would still be waving.
Oh, it is a resistance of mind;
Ineffable is the fire inside;
It is a will that can never be undermined.
There I would be a new pupil;
Wondering what all that was for,
Our lives, they say, are based on that core;
Immediately shuddering at my fellows,
For I had no idea who to follow.
Years elapsed and a mature student came
Then other responsibilities to assume;
Wearied of my remarkably little mettle,
I one day rose to rebel;
It was a power no one could ever tame.
In less than no year
My image begin to appear;
An unruly, unrivalled, stubborn man they challenge;
But, no victory yet came on their part;
It is with their surmises I dared to part.
Waiting with bated breath,
A thousand times I fought that threat;
Had it not been for my living,
Countless things would still be waving.
Oh, it is a resistance of mind;
Ineffable is the fire inside;
It is a will that can never be undermined.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
As I Arrived Home
Looking back on my childhood,
For my deformity I have shed a tear;
As no one that instant showed any care;
I distinctly knew I was not served the right food,
And these are the memories I can longer bear.
Before long I by reading heard of some celebrity,
Who too complained of the same misfortune;
Long brooding over how she made that forune,
I was told that it was due to her constant alacrity.
Setting myself to that path,
Step by step I made for that night;
Between that phase and the ninth,
I woke to find the light.
Here started my journey as a budding writer;
Then my future has turned brighter
To the past I have turned a deaf ear.
Could those who fled from me come near?
So that I tell them I am no longer here.
For my deformity I have shed a tear;
As no one that instant showed any care;
I distinctly knew I was not served the right food,
And these are the memories I can longer bear.
Before long I by reading heard of some celebrity,
Who too complained of the same misfortune;
Long brooding over how she made that forune,
I was told that it was due to her constant alacrity.
Setting myself to that path,
Step by step I made for that night;
Between that phase and the ninth,
I woke to find the light.
Here started my journey as a budding writer;
Then my future has turned brighter
To the past I have turned a deaf ear.
Could those who fled from me come near?
So that I tell them I am no longer here.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Class Participation
Some poor teachers would think that participation is the prestigious criterion by which the level of students is assessed. The problem is not that participation is valueless but, rather it is the teacher is wrong when focusing more on oral tests rather than written ones. As I have experienced, some lazy students are chatty and talkative, but they get good marks, whereas those who are industrious do not get those good marks.
Here lies the crux of the matter. That is, there might be some students who are not accustomed to participation or are too timid to raise their hands. But, we should not neglect or underestimate their level of understanding or education in general. I would suggest that teachers should focus more on written ones, because if they do not, there would be another case similar to what occured to Thomas Edison when once told by his teachers that he is too stupid to learn anything.
Here lies the crux of the matter. That is, there might be some students who are not accustomed to participation or are too timid to raise their hands. But, we should not neglect or underestimate their level of understanding or education in general. I would suggest that teachers should focus more on written ones, because if they do not, there would be another case similar to what occured to Thomas Edison when once told by his teachers that he is too stupid to learn anything.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
To Continue the Trek
A haughty man I might have been
When no one previously dared to stand.
Shortly leading them by the hand,
I unawares missed the has-been
And here unexpectedly appointed by the sand.
Alas, my hopes are dashed, some might say,
For I never knew it was decreed in my fate.
But this is the deserved price one might pay;
Then I would become what I am at any rate.
This is what loyal friends of mine hate.
I shall always tell you this with great remorse
As in my room there is some force.
It is through which I still survive;
My story is but a specimen of other lives.
The trek is still a great dream
Down the Draa stream
There I for long stand holding that book.
Of which no one yet knows it is mine by hook or by crook;
In it I told but the plain truth.
I a mere passer-by;
My pupils I bade goodbye,
And the trek at last did continue .
When no one previously dared to stand.
Shortly leading them by the hand,
I unawares missed the has-been
And here unexpectedly appointed by the sand.
Alas, my hopes are dashed, some might say,
For I never knew it was decreed in my fate.
But this is the deserved price one might pay;
Then I would become what I am at any rate.
This is what loyal friends of mine hate.
I shall always tell you this with great remorse
As in my room there is some force.
It is through which I still survive;
My story is but a specimen of other lives.
The trek is still a great dream
Down the Draa stream
There I for long stand holding that book.
Of which no one yet knows it is mine by hook or by crook;
In it I told but the plain truth.
I a mere passer-by;
My pupils I bade goodbye,
And the trek at last did continue .
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Secret of never Giving up Hope
I strongly believe that no one on this earth has lived without having gone through an ordeal or an excruciating experience at some point in his or her life. Some people might argue and say that they have never gone through such things, but they should bear in mind that they would sooner or later experience that. During my schooldays, I would admit that I went through different failures and some tragic moments. Yet, I never gave up hope until I realised my dream and will never give up again in the days or years to come.
In fact, I have no idea why some people, especially students who, once they encounter a difficulty, begin to complain and even think of dropping out of their studying and the like. They might excuse their misfortunes for saying that they have got a bad grade or that they will never become what they have always aspired to become simply because of this.
I could understand that the people in question do not simply believe in the often-quoted saying which goes, " It is never too late to become what you might have been," Here, one might become whatever they aspire to become no matter what circumstances are, what disabilities one has and how low one's grades are. I am completely certain about this, for I have believed in it and found out that it has led to so many fruitful results.
We all know that success and failure are integral parts of our lives, though the latter is a far more common one. By looking back on some celebrities in different domains, I have known that they too experienced failures, misfortune, and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. But, what has really attracted a great attention in me is that every time I try to compare their misfortunes with ours, I always find that theirs is much more remarkable than ours. In other words, no way to compare!
So, how come those who went through much more devastating and hopeless experiences than ours managed to become celebrities late in their lives? And we who constantly complain about petty problems and so-called misfortunes have done nothing noteworthy so far. Here lies the secret of never giving up hope, and the following are the pre-eminent figures behind it.
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and after that defeated in every election for public office.
Charles Darwin, who was considered by all his masters and his father to be a very ordinary boy below the common standard of intellect.
Thomas Edison was fired from his first jobs for being non-productive and too stupid.
Albert Enstein, who did not speak until he was 4 years old and did not read until he was 7.
Our Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, who started learning to read and write at the age of 21.
Louis Pasteur ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Emily Dickinson, who had only seven poems published during her life.
John Milton, my favourite poet, who wrote Paradise Lost while completely blind.
Charlie Chaplin whose pantomime was considered nonsense at the start of his acting.
Beethoven, who was described to be hopless as a composer, wrote five of his symphonies while completely deaf.
Leo Tolstoy dropped out of school at a very early age and was described as unable and unwilling to learn.
Helen Keller, an American author, political activist and lecturer was a deaf and blind person.
For nearly 20 years, Gertrude Stein submitted poems to editors and only one was at last accepted.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor simply because he was not imaginative enough to come up with good ideas.
In fact, I have no idea why some people, especially students who, once they encounter a difficulty, begin to complain and even think of dropping out of their studying and the like. They might excuse their misfortunes for saying that they have got a bad grade or that they will never become what they have always aspired to become simply because of this.
I could understand that the people in question do not simply believe in the often-quoted saying which goes, " It is never too late to become what you might have been," Here, one might become whatever they aspire to become no matter what circumstances are, what disabilities one has and how low one's grades are. I am completely certain about this, for I have believed in it and found out that it has led to so many fruitful results.
We all know that success and failure are integral parts of our lives, though the latter is a far more common one. By looking back on some celebrities in different domains, I have known that they too experienced failures, misfortune, and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. But, what has really attracted a great attention in me is that every time I try to compare their misfortunes with ours, I always find that theirs is much more remarkable than ours. In other words, no way to compare!
So, how come those who went through much more devastating and hopeless experiences than ours managed to become celebrities late in their lives? And we who constantly complain about petty problems and so-called misfortunes have done nothing noteworthy so far. Here lies the secret of never giving up hope, and the following are the pre-eminent figures behind it.
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and after that defeated in every election for public office.
Charles Darwin, who was considered by all his masters and his father to be a very ordinary boy below the common standard of intellect.
Thomas Edison was fired from his first jobs for being non-productive and too stupid.
Albert Enstein, who did not speak until he was 4 years old and did not read until he was 7.
Our Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, who started learning to read and write at the age of 21.
Louis Pasteur ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Emily Dickinson, who had only seven poems published during her life.
John Milton, my favourite poet, who wrote Paradise Lost while completely blind.
Charlie Chaplin whose pantomime was considered nonsense at the start of his acting.
Beethoven, who was described to be hopless as a composer, wrote five of his symphonies while completely deaf.
Leo Tolstoy dropped out of school at a very early age and was described as unable and unwilling to learn.
Helen Keller, an American author, political activist and lecturer was a deaf and blind person.
For nearly 20 years, Gertrude Stein submitted poems to editors and only one was at last accepted.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor simply because he was not imaginative enough to come up with good ideas.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
CPR and ENS Entrance Exams must be Reconsidered.
Having been a friend of so many teachers who joined either CPR or ENS, I have come to know the real nature of such sorts of exams. The main question is: Do those who succeeded deserve that success? And do those who failed deserve that failure? I have always asked myself this puzzling question since I myself became a teacher. Here, I am not judging anyone's competences, but rather I am just discussing the fact of deserving either success or failure.
In fact, I do not need to look for criteria by which we can judge the validity, the reliability and the like of these exams. I would instead choose to state vivid examples, the fact which will help us decide who deserves something and who does not. As far as my experience is concerned, I know some students who sat for both ENS and CPR and eventually turned out to fail that of CPR and made that of ENS. As we all know, ENS exams are more challenging than CPR ones. One might be shocked to hear such a paradox.
This latter can be explained either by the fact that those assigned to correct the applicants' exam papers do not take them seriously enough or by the fact that the testee is likely to do better at more challenging exams than at an exam which is a piece of cake. I believe no one dares to confirm the second hypothesis. More importantly, when it comes to failures, some good students who succeed in the written exam are turned down in the oral exam, taking other criteria apart from one's linguistic and communicative competence into consideration.
In this respect, importance is given to an interviewee's personality factors, and his or her linguistic tools are virtually overlooked in this phase. It is this fact which will in the long term create a remarkable disproportion between what is required of a prospective teacher and what they are really capapble of doing or providing for students who are waiting.
I could not agree more when Mark Twain was once quoted as saying it is strange the way the ignorant and inexperienced so often and undeservedly succeed when the experienced and informed fail.
In fact, I do not need to look for criteria by which we can judge the validity, the reliability and the like of these exams. I would instead choose to state vivid examples, the fact which will help us decide who deserves something and who does not. As far as my experience is concerned, I know some students who sat for both ENS and CPR and eventually turned out to fail that of CPR and made that of ENS. As we all know, ENS exams are more challenging than CPR ones. One might be shocked to hear such a paradox.
This latter can be explained either by the fact that those assigned to correct the applicants' exam papers do not take them seriously enough or by the fact that the testee is likely to do better at more challenging exams than at an exam which is a piece of cake. I believe no one dares to confirm the second hypothesis. More importantly, when it comes to failures, some good students who succeed in the written exam are turned down in the oral exam, taking other criteria apart from one's linguistic and communicative competence into consideration.
In this respect, importance is given to an interviewee's personality factors, and his or her linguistic tools are virtually overlooked in this phase. It is this fact which will in the long term create a remarkable disproportion between what is required of a prospective teacher and what they are really capapble of doing or providing for students who are waiting.
I could not agree more when Mark Twain was once quoted as saying it is strange the way the ignorant and inexperienced so often and undeservedly succeed when the experienced and informed fail.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Looking back on my University Days
Every time I look back on my university days, I always wonder and even ask myself what difference those days made to my personal life and more importantly to my academic life now that I have become a teacher. If I remember rightly, I was extremely enthusiastic about studying at university before coming to it. I was zealous about the language I majored in and was curious to make professors' acquaintance, for I had always thought they would help me reach my goal, the position of teacher and writer. These had in fact been my forethoughts at that time about which I feel completely dubious at the present.
Soon after I arrived in El Jadida where my university is, the first classes I attended became very decisive and formative for me. I immediately knew that I would enjoy those two years needed to become a teacher, but was not yet certain about the significance of my classes. As usual for any new university student, I was aloof towards my new classmates and never dared to befriend them until five or six weeks later. Apart from this, what really intrigued me most was to know about my professors.
In fact, I always belived in the idea that university teachers are very much well-versed in their fields and from whom any new student can learn a lot. Very unexpectedly, later on, I gave up this idea. However, as I attended my regular classes and of course very much appreciate most of my teachers, I gradually lost interest in classes though I never missed any. I could that instant discovered that most professors merely repeated the same courses and surprisingly even the same method of delivering them.
Of course, I do not have the right to accuse anyone of them as they might have other committments and preoccupations apart from teaching. But, what I later learned was that I had to assume responsibility for my own learning and should never expect anything from such sorts of professors. At least, I was happy if not lucky because I discovered this fact just in time, unlike some students for whom I feel sorry who trusted these teachers and forgot about their own role. I do not feel an aversion to these teachers for their apathy, but rather for the fact that they live in the ivory tower. It is a pity to know that they teach nothing and when they notice that any of their students is deservedly good, they either prejudge his good level in one way or another or they declare that he or she has become what they are because of their help.
As a matter of fact, I feel ashamed and disgusted to even recount these days, especially the indelible moments I spent with my classmates. When I was still a freshman and used to sit at the very front, my remarkable class participation was looked on as a way of showing off my competences in the language. Unfortunately, no one knew that I was not such a loquacious student. On the contrary, I was naturally taciturn and had it not been for those qualifying grades that I all the time strived for, I would never have indulged myself in this activity though this latter was of great help for its own sake.
By the time I became a sophomore, countless things had changed. I took to sitting at the very back and observed my teachers or just listened to them since I knew that class participation and my presence were no longer going to be taken into account. Some conventional people might not agree with me with regard to this behaviour, but it was a matter of enjoyment for me, most particularly when the teacher made some terrible mistakes. There, I always had the chance to keep a list of my teachers' msitakes, which I would not have done If I had sat at the very front. I never do so to make fun of my teachers, but rather to keep these mistakes and learn from them when I too became a teacher. Therefore, I should be on my guard against any intelligent and excellent student I might be teaching in the future.
Frankly speaking, there is only one thing I regret not doing when I was a university student, which I guess most students managed to do. It was that I missed knowing something about the opposite sex. Anyway, my university days made remarkably little difference on both my academic and personal life, but at least it were a mere means by which I have become what I am today.
Soon after I arrived in El Jadida where my university is, the first classes I attended became very decisive and formative for me. I immediately knew that I would enjoy those two years needed to become a teacher, but was not yet certain about the significance of my classes. As usual for any new university student, I was aloof towards my new classmates and never dared to befriend them until five or six weeks later. Apart from this, what really intrigued me most was to know about my professors.
In fact, I always belived in the idea that university teachers are very much well-versed in their fields and from whom any new student can learn a lot. Very unexpectedly, later on, I gave up this idea. However, as I attended my regular classes and of course very much appreciate most of my teachers, I gradually lost interest in classes though I never missed any. I could that instant discovered that most professors merely repeated the same courses and surprisingly even the same method of delivering them.
Of course, I do not have the right to accuse anyone of them as they might have other committments and preoccupations apart from teaching. But, what I later learned was that I had to assume responsibility for my own learning and should never expect anything from such sorts of professors. At least, I was happy if not lucky because I discovered this fact just in time, unlike some students for whom I feel sorry who trusted these teachers and forgot about their own role. I do not feel an aversion to these teachers for their apathy, but rather for the fact that they live in the ivory tower. It is a pity to know that they teach nothing and when they notice that any of their students is deservedly good, they either prejudge his good level in one way or another or they declare that he or she has become what they are because of their help.
As a matter of fact, I feel ashamed and disgusted to even recount these days, especially the indelible moments I spent with my classmates. When I was still a freshman and used to sit at the very front, my remarkable class participation was looked on as a way of showing off my competences in the language. Unfortunately, no one knew that I was not such a loquacious student. On the contrary, I was naturally taciturn and had it not been for those qualifying grades that I all the time strived for, I would never have indulged myself in this activity though this latter was of great help for its own sake.
By the time I became a sophomore, countless things had changed. I took to sitting at the very back and observed my teachers or just listened to them since I knew that class participation and my presence were no longer going to be taken into account. Some conventional people might not agree with me with regard to this behaviour, but it was a matter of enjoyment for me, most particularly when the teacher made some terrible mistakes. There, I always had the chance to keep a list of my teachers' msitakes, which I would not have done If I had sat at the very front. I never do so to make fun of my teachers, but rather to keep these mistakes and learn from them when I too became a teacher. Therefore, I should be on my guard against any intelligent and excellent student I might be teaching in the future.
Frankly speaking, there is only one thing I regret not doing when I was a university student, which I guess most students managed to do. It was that I missed knowing something about the opposite sex. Anyway, my university days made remarkably little difference on both my academic and personal life, but at least it were a mere means by which I have become what I am today.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Misconceptions about a Good Piece of Writing
While reading some critical articles and crtiques in which expert writers hurl accusations at one another, I came across this engaging comment that Ernest Hemingway made to William Faulkner in which the former says, " Poor Faulkner: Do you really think big emotions come from big words? You think I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But, there are older and simpler and better words and those are the ones I use". This very tirade has appealed to me during all these days and has ultimately inspired me to write on such a topic.
During their attempts at writing, some novice writers might have wondered what really makes a piece of writing good and interesting. I a novice writer myself have deliberated a lot about it and before long I discovered that it is not what most writers think and expect. Some unfortunately go on to say that it is that piece in which you try to stuff and accumulate the fanciest phrases and expressions so that every time they come with an article, an ignorant reader would very much appreciate it. This latter's appreciation might be accounted for the belief that whatever is difficult is always good writing.
On the contrary, a text full of simple words of course leads to an effective transmission of its writer's ideas. I am not saying so so that writers should desist from using very inflated language. One can write with very difficult language and at the same time his or her language sounds very good. In this respect, greater effort in the language used is required on the part of the reader. That is, a reader should fully master any langauge so as to appreciate any work written in it.
As far as my writing experience is concerned, I always try hard to opt for simple structures and everyday vocabulary items, whereas on other occasions I feel compelled to use very complex structures with pompous words only in one case. It is when I believe that I have become rather linguistically secure and confident without worrying to fall into my pet aversion, the use of words in an inappropriate manner.
Other novice writers I know have to have recourse to a dictionary before attempting any piece. As soon as they come up with a piece full of very good English, they think it is theirs when in fact it is not purely theirs. Here, they are not completely putting their written competence into practice as it should be. They rather embelish their already average English. Using any reference while sitting down to write is always approved of. But, for me, a real and competent writer is the one who admits that writing is so a difficult a job and should therefore be patient to write something of his own soon after doing some readings in the target language.
George Orwell whose works I have been reading since I earned my Baccalaureate is my epitome here. He all the time admits that writing without frills is what he had strived for during his literary days, and when he had produced some books like Animal Farm and 1984, he said that they were lifeless books and deemed them all as failures.
In his essay, "Why I Write", he explains the rationale behind this claim about these two novels and other works. He without being aware of it said that he was tricked into writing meaningless sentences and adding decorative adjectives to nouns when they are not needed at all. This latter blunder is what some novice poets too commit. I have read some of their poems and found that they are replete with incoherent sentences, phrases and some abstract nouns which they themeselves can not define if they are asked to, let alone tell you the deep meaning of the poem composed.
Logically speaking, reading voraciously in Dickens, Orwell, Flaubert, Hemingway, etc. is what will unconsciously and sooner or later make our piece of writing a good one.
During their attempts at writing, some novice writers might have wondered what really makes a piece of writing good and interesting. I a novice writer myself have deliberated a lot about it and before long I discovered that it is not what most writers think and expect. Some unfortunately go on to say that it is that piece in which you try to stuff and accumulate the fanciest phrases and expressions so that every time they come with an article, an ignorant reader would very much appreciate it. This latter's appreciation might be accounted for the belief that whatever is difficult is always good writing.
On the contrary, a text full of simple words of course leads to an effective transmission of its writer's ideas. I am not saying so so that writers should desist from using very inflated language. One can write with very difficult language and at the same time his or her language sounds very good. In this respect, greater effort in the language used is required on the part of the reader. That is, a reader should fully master any langauge so as to appreciate any work written in it.
As far as my writing experience is concerned, I always try hard to opt for simple structures and everyday vocabulary items, whereas on other occasions I feel compelled to use very complex structures with pompous words only in one case. It is when I believe that I have become rather linguistically secure and confident without worrying to fall into my pet aversion, the use of words in an inappropriate manner.
Other novice writers I know have to have recourse to a dictionary before attempting any piece. As soon as they come up with a piece full of very good English, they think it is theirs when in fact it is not purely theirs. Here, they are not completely putting their written competence into practice as it should be. They rather embelish their already average English. Using any reference while sitting down to write is always approved of. But, for me, a real and competent writer is the one who admits that writing is so a difficult a job and should therefore be patient to write something of his own soon after doing some readings in the target language.
George Orwell whose works I have been reading since I earned my Baccalaureate is my epitome here. He all the time admits that writing without frills is what he had strived for during his literary days, and when he had produced some books like Animal Farm and 1984, he said that they were lifeless books and deemed them all as failures.
In his essay, "Why I Write", he explains the rationale behind this claim about these two novels and other works. He without being aware of it said that he was tricked into writing meaningless sentences and adding decorative adjectives to nouns when they are not needed at all. This latter blunder is what some novice poets too commit. I have read some of their poems and found that they are replete with incoherent sentences, phrases and some abstract nouns which they themeselves can not define if they are asked to, let alone tell you the deep meaning of the poem composed.
Logically speaking, reading voraciously in Dickens, Orwell, Flaubert, Hemingway, etc. is what will unconsciously and sooner or later make our piece of writing a good one.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
My Experience as a Teacher Trainee at the CPR
It was in the early summer of 2008, after getting my Deug diploma, when some of my family members started asking me to look for a job in which I would make use of this humble diploma. At that time, I did not think of any other opportunity, but to apply and sit for the entrance exam to the CPR. Though at first I did not feel satisfied with it, due to some personal reasons, I at length was forced to go for it and be one of the applicants. My dissatisfaction with this position was mainly due to the fact that most of my professors constantly encouraged me to pursue my studies. However, one should be realistic about the economic conditions under which we graduates are living.
A few weeks later, we the applicants were called upon to go to Marrakech, the location of the nearest center for us, and sit for the written exam. More precisely, it was at Ramadan when two of my classmates and I traveled to that city where we spent two days before the day of the exam. Psychologically speaking, we were afraid and nervous. Hence, we set ourselves to some revision which was in the form of some light activities in the main skills of the English language. Of course, we devoted the night before the exam to some walks and strolling in Jamaa El Fena square. We did this on purpose so as to get rid of the haunting idea of the exams. On the early morning of the following day, we headed towards the center to finish our task.
It took us 5 hours to finish the exams and we immediately went to the bus station to go back to El Jadida. In fact, we still attended the classes at university because we had not known about our fate yet. We spent nearly a month waiting for the results of the written exams, which eventually appeared towards the end of October. Very happily, I made it and was ecstatic about this achievement. To my two classmates’ dismay, they failed. But, they knew that they would one day or anther make it as they are very good at English. I also advised them to work hard and get their B.A. which is normally better than my humble diploma.
When I was called to sit for the oral exam, I was this time alone. But, I tried to pluck up courage and travel by myself. Every one encouraged me to make a great effort in this last phase. I was greatly determined to make this dream come true at last. As usual, once in the city, I checked into a hotel and spent my last night there, reflecting upon the circumstances and the questions that the interviewers were going to pose. On that morning, at 8.30, I was the fourth interviewee and finished my last task. Though I did not feel the same felicity that I did when I passed the written one, I still had faith on myself and expected success.
At last, my name appeared on the final list and I could not express the ineffable ecstasy I felt at that very moment. After this great success, I started to collect the necessary papers to register at the center to get my training before becoming a full and real teacher. Nearly 8 months had elapsed when I one day sat to relate my experiences and the problems I encountered during this training. In general, it was a great success. My experiences, though not exhaustive enough, run thus:
I would say that I can not measure how beneficial this training has been to me as a teacher trainee. In this experience, I have developed at the level of my personality, my performance and of course my teaching methodology. Of course, this training has taken different forms and has resulted in so many positive effects with regards to what we have been trained in. I particularly appreciate the training even if we have led a hectic life. Actually, our trainers have made so great efforts to help us reach our goals and become qualified teachers by the end of this training. Therefore, I am deeply indebted to them.
To begin with, though the training was very short, I have benefited a lot, especially at the level of my teaching methods. At the early start of this training year, I was introduced to the basic assumptions and principles that underlie the most important learning theories. This was done as an introduction to the field of learning and teaching. Here, I came to realize what both learning and teaching involve. Theoretically, I have gained a lot of particulars and information which I have used and will use in my classroom to fully understand how students undergo learning a new language like English. Likewise, as a teacher, I have become familiar with how my teaching process develops and flourishes with time and experience.
In fact, this training helped me know about some learning theories like behaviourism, nativism and cognitivism. In this latter, I came across and investigated different hypotheses and theories about learning and teaching. Some theories are still new, whereas others are very old and no longer applicable in today's classes. Therefore, I had the chance to use my critical mind to see which theory best suits my own methodology. Of course, one might use proofs to argue for a particular theory and to turn down others. As a teacher, knowing about these played a very formative role in that I have become aware of what I should do to promote the learning process of my students and my teaching profession.
More importantly, what I liked in this training is when we contrasted L1 with L2. Here, I came to know the main differences of my mother tongue and the second language. Hence, this has raised my awareness of the students' L1 and L2. Since I am teaching L2, my students and I should be conscious of how we learnt the L1.
The objective behind this is to help my students learn the new language and to help myself teach them the language more effectively and efficiently. Also, knowing about the humanistic approach helped a lot in establishing a good teacher-student rapport. In the same vein, Krashen's theory of L2 acquisition has paved the way for me to easily make my students fluent speakers of the language.
As far as the ELT methods and approaches are concerned, I have developed an awareness of the most common ones. In my practical experiences, I have made use of many of them to teach English as a foreign language. I do not need to enumerate them all, but what have intrigued me most are the communicative language teaching, the competency-based approach and the content-based instruction. Of course, I was trained to adhere to these approaches in my classroom as they are widely used worldwide nowadays. Getting familiar with these methods , I have known how to go about teaching and which method is more effective. Efficacy of a certain method is determined by how successful students are at learning the newly taught language. I strongly believe that this part of the training has greatly developed my teaching career.
With respect to language awareness, I have been trained to constantly improve my general linguistic competences. By so doing, I went through different classroom activities. This latter include various materials that are connected to our teaching career. The activities range from developing our reading skills, getting familiar with authentic materials, writing different types of essays to enhancing our speaking skills through class discussions, group work, etc. In general, I have been trained in the four main skills of the English language. Also, this part of training helped me feel linguistically secure and confident whenever I am in my classroom.
Though training in language awareness was not sufficient, I do not think it is that important when compared to the teaching of methodology. But, studying it helped us brush up on our grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
One of the best and most important part of the training is knowing how to teach language skills. We explored the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and used different approaches to teach each one of them. We did this in peer teaching. I had the chance to teach my colleagues as if they had been my students. This helped me enrich my methods and steps as each skill is different from another. As soon as I have become well versed in these teaching skills, I always attempt to apply them in the classroom context.
Last but not least, each one of us experienced teaching an activity in which these skills are integrated. This experience was very intriguing in that we unconsciously learnt how to make the transition from one skill to another very smooth. In this respect, as I have experience, I applied different approaches like presentation, practice and production in my teaching of some grammar points. Furthermore, I designed my own activities and tasks. In the case of teaching possessive pronouns, I used as many activities as possible for the sake of variety. Variety is the spice of life. For instance, I involved my students to facilitate my explanation of possessive pronouns.
As for classroom management as a module, I acquired different skills that enabled me to become a very effective classroom manager. Initially, we quickly went over some theoretical books that are about this discipline so that we could have a general idea about it. As there is a certain number of rules
that must be abided by, I have always applied most of them in my classes. In the case of disruptive behaviour, I have learnt that a teacher should never insult a student in front of his or her partners. Rather, he or she should talk to that student in private to resolve the problem. These tips have been of great value to me as a prospective teacher.
In the same field, I have also learnt some procedures whereby I can easily monitor group work, class discussions and giving an anouncement. As a result, students have become more cooperative and willing to interact. Once I got familiar with these tips, I no longer had problems in the following teaching practicums. Knowing these points greatly helps a teacher assess and evaluate his or her students' performance.
As a future scorer of students' exam papers, I have benefited a great deal from the module of testing and evaluation. In this latter, I have studied some terminology related to testing, assessment and evaluation. Of course, we have opted for and investigated certain methods of testing and evaluation. As a test designer, I should always take into account some criteria by which tests are successfully devised, such as validity and reliability. I also learnt that there are different types of tests. Preferring one to another depends on the purpose, the level of the students and the subject matter on which students are going to be tested. Basically, we have a better understanding of what tests and exams should look like and what language areas should be embodied
Another part of the training includes the project work that I conducted in the module of civic education. At first, our trainer introduced us to the basic principles of this field, such as the Human Rights and gender equity. Of course, this field is closely related to our career, teaching English as a foreign language. I learnt some of the human rights the USA Congress declared. Since these principles are applicable in any school setting, I have done a humble two-page research entitled, Implementing the Principles of Civic education in the Junior High School. In it, I investigated the extent to which I as a teacher can do to help improve the quality of our school life and the lives of our students as well. In fact, I have acquired some civic education skills.
Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to study Information and Communication Technology for ELT. As we all know, this is due to lack of materials, technological gadgetry and sophisticated computers in this center. Our teaching would have been more effective with this technology, especially Data Show as we will get introduced to authentic speeches by expert methodologists and teacher trainers in the teaching field, of course. No one can deny how important the contributions that this ICT make to help us be professional and competent teachers.
My personality and attitude towards language learning and teaching are comparatively speaking the most influenced aspects of this training. From the very early start of this year, I was a bit diffident whenever I stood in front of an audience. I did not have the audacity to face the public and to feel open to them. I would assume that this was mainly due to my unsociability, reclusiveness and aloofness towards my colleagues. Of course, I was completely sure that this was not attributed to my linguistic or communicative competence, but rather to the nature of my personality.
For example, whenever I was asked to deliver a presenation or speak in public for two minutes, I always got at a loss, stagefright-stricken and nervous. However, as the saying goes, "where there is a will, there is a way", I immediately set to overcome my problems and thus to gain a great deal of confidence and courage. By so doing, I always went for every presenation or exposé at my disposal so as to get rid of my shyness and timidity.
My trainers have made so many efforts to help me feel relaxed and confident. Later on, I felt that their efforts had a very positive effect on my performances and I did extremely well on all the tests I sat for. The very good practicums that I experienced reflect this progress. Most of my mentors appreciated my teaching and my presence in the classroom. And this is due to all what I have got at the center from a lot of preparedness and constant training.
Notwithstanding, there are so many things that I would like to change about the way we received our training. First and foremost, I am not totally satisfied with how our performances are assesed and evaluated. For instance, in the case of the exams administered, we are only asked to write what our trainers taught us. That is, we have unconsciously been trained to memorise things and give them back to our trainers on paper. One of the bad ramifications of this act is that we will no longer be encouraged to use our critical mind and to be good thinkers and critics, particularly in this field where it is highly needed.
As a proposal, since we are mature practitioners of the English language, I think it would be better for us to be given some sample articles about a certain topic related to teaching and asked to criticise it and give suggestions to solve the problems it expresses and states. In this way, we will be able to put all that we have learnt from theory into practice. And this is the main aim behind any training. Sometimes, we are not provided with concrete solutions to the problems we encounter in the practicums. Instead, we are given recipes and pieces which are not very often universally agreed upon even among expert trainers and supervisors. The problems range from class control to classroom management.
Despite all the complaints I have uttered and the proposals I have suggested, I can never deny what our trainers and the supervisor have done to make us excellent and qualified teachers by the end of this training. I strongly believe that without this hectic life that I have led at the center, I would not have become what I am today. I have become a completely different person. This training year has made a great difference in both my academic and personal life. Last but not least, I would like to warmly and deeply thank my trainers Mr Mohamed Bamhamed, Mr Ayad Chraa, Miss Fatima Drifi and my supervisor Mr Nejrane for the indelible favour and the enjoyable moments that we spent together.
A few weeks later, we the applicants were called upon to go to Marrakech, the location of the nearest center for us, and sit for the written exam. More precisely, it was at Ramadan when two of my classmates and I traveled to that city where we spent two days before the day of the exam. Psychologically speaking, we were afraid and nervous. Hence, we set ourselves to some revision which was in the form of some light activities in the main skills of the English language. Of course, we devoted the night before the exam to some walks and strolling in Jamaa El Fena square. We did this on purpose so as to get rid of the haunting idea of the exams. On the early morning of the following day, we headed towards the center to finish our task.
It took us 5 hours to finish the exams and we immediately went to the bus station to go back to El Jadida. In fact, we still attended the classes at university because we had not known about our fate yet. We spent nearly a month waiting for the results of the written exams, which eventually appeared towards the end of October. Very happily, I made it and was ecstatic about this achievement. To my two classmates’ dismay, they failed. But, they knew that they would one day or anther make it as they are very good at English. I also advised them to work hard and get their B.A. which is normally better than my humble diploma.
When I was called to sit for the oral exam, I was this time alone. But, I tried to pluck up courage and travel by myself. Every one encouraged me to make a great effort in this last phase. I was greatly determined to make this dream come true at last. As usual, once in the city, I checked into a hotel and spent my last night there, reflecting upon the circumstances and the questions that the interviewers were going to pose. On that morning, at 8.30, I was the fourth interviewee and finished my last task. Though I did not feel the same felicity that I did when I passed the written one, I still had faith on myself and expected success.
At last, my name appeared on the final list and I could not express the ineffable ecstasy I felt at that very moment. After this great success, I started to collect the necessary papers to register at the center to get my training before becoming a full and real teacher. Nearly 8 months had elapsed when I one day sat to relate my experiences and the problems I encountered during this training. In general, it was a great success. My experiences, though not exhaustive enough, run thus:
I would say that I can not measure how beneficial this training has been to me as a teacher trainee. In this experience, I have developed at the level of my personality, my performance and of course my teaching methodology. Of course, this training has taken different forms and has resulted in so many positive effects with regards to what we have been trained in. I particularly appreciate the training even if we have led a hectic life. Actually, our trainers have made so great efforts to help us reach our goals and become qualified teachers by the end of this training. Therefore, I am deeply indebted to them.
To begin with, though the training was very short, I have benefited a lot, especially at the level of my teaching methods. At the early start of this training year, I was introduced to the basic assumptions and principles that underlie the most important learning theories. This was done as an introduction to the field of learning and teaching. Here, I came to realize what both learning and teaching involve. Theoretically, I have gained a lot of particulars and information which I have used and will use in my classroom to fully understand how students undergo learning a new language like English. Likewise, as a teacher, I have become familiar with how my teaching process develops and flourishes with time and experience.
In fact, this training helped me know about some learning theories like behaviourism, nativism and cognitivism. In this latter, I came across and investigated different hypotheses and theories about learning and teaching. Some theories are still new, whereas others are very old and no longer applicable in today's classes. Therefore, I had the chance to use my critical mind to see which theory best suits my own methodology. Of course, one might use proofs to argue for a particular theory and to turn down others. As a teacher, knowing about these played a very formative role in that I have become aware of what I should do to promote the learning process of my students and my teaching profession.
More importantly, what I liked in this training is when we contrasted L1 with L2. Here, I came to know the main differences of my mother tongue and the second language. Hence, this has raised my awareness of the students' L1 and L2. Since I am teaching L2, my students and I should be conscious of how we learnt the L1.
The objective behind this is to help my students learn the new language and to help myself teach them the language more effectively and efficiently. Also, knowing about the humanistic approach helped a lot in establishing a good teacher-student rapport. In the same vein, Krashen's theory of L2 acquisition has paved the way for me to easily make my students fluent speakers of the language.
As far as the ELT methods and approaches are concerned, I have developed an awareness of the most common ones. In my practical experiences, I have made use of many of them to teach English as a foreign language. I do not need to enumerate them all, but what have intrigued me most are the communicative language teaching, the competency-based approach and the content-based instruction. Of course, I was trained to adhere to these approaches in my classroom as they are widely used worldwide nowadays. Getting familiar with these methods , I have known how to go about teaching and which method is more effective. Efficacy of a certain method is determined by how successful students are at learning the newly taught language. I strongly believe that this part of the training has greatly developed my teaching career.
With respect to language awareness, I have been trained to constantly improve my general linguistic competences. By so doing, I went through different classroom activities. This latter include various materials that are connected to our teaching career. The activities range from developing our reading skills, getting familiar with authentic materials, writing different types of essays to enhancing our speaking skills through class discussions, group work, etc. In general, I have been trained in the four main skills of the English language. Also, this part of training helped me feel linguistically secure and confident whenever I am in my classroom.
Though training in language awareness was not sufficient, I do not think it is that important when compared to the teaching of methodology. But, studying it helped us brush up on our grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
One of the best and most important part of the training is knowing how to teach language skills. We explored the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and used different approaches to teach each one of them. We did this in peer teaching. I had the chance to teach my colleagues as if they had been my students. This helped me enrich my methods and steps as each skill is different from another. As soon as I have become well versed in these teaching skills, I always attempt to apply them in the classroom context.
Last but not least, each one of us experienced teaching an activity in which these skills are integrated. This experience was very intriguing in that we unconsciously learnt how to make the transition from one skill to another very smooth. In this respect, as I have experience, I applied different approaches like presentation, practice and production in my teaching of some grammar points. Furthermore, I designed my own activities and tasks. In the case of teaching possessive pronouns, I used as many activities as possible for the sake of variety. Variety is the spice of life. For instance, I involved my students to facilitate my explanation of possessive pronouns.
As for classroom management as a module, I acquired different skills that enabled me to become a very effective classroom manager. Initially, we quickly went over some theoretical books that are about this discipline so that we could have a general idea about it. As there is a certain number of rules
that must be abided by, I have always applied most of them in my classes. In the case of disruptive behaviour, I have learnt that a teacher should never insult a student in front of his or her partners. Rather, he or she should talk to that student in private to resolve the problem. These tips have been of great value to me as a prospective teacher.
In the same field, I have also learnt some procedures whereby I can easily monitor group work, class discussions and giving an anouncement. As a result, students have become more cooperative and willing to interact. Once I got familiar with these tips, I no longer had problems in the following teaching practicums. Knowing these points greatly helps a teacher assess and evaluate his or her students' performance.
As a future scorer of students' exam papers, I have benefited a great deal from the module of testing and evaluation. In this latter, I have studied some terminology related to testing, assessment and evaluation. Of course, we have opted for and investigated certain methods of testing and evaluation. As a test designer, I should always take into account some criteria by which tests are successfully devised, such as validity and reliability. I also learnt that there are different types of tests. Preferring one to another depends on the purpose, the level of the students and the subject matter on which students are going to be tested. Basically, we have a better understanding of what tests and exams should look like and what language areas should be embodied
Another part of the training includes the project work that I conducted in the module of civic education. At first, our trainer introduced us to the basic principles of this field, such as the Human Rights and gender equity. Of course, this field is closely related to our career, teaching English as a foreign language. I learnt some of the human rights the USA Congress declared. Since these principles are applicable in any school setting, I have done a humble two-page research entitled, Implementing the Principles of Civic education in the Junior High School. In it, I investigated the extent to which I as a teacher can do to help improve the quality of our school life and the lives of our students as well. In fact, I have acquired some civic education skills.
Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to study Information and Communication Technology for ELT. As we all know, this is due to lack of materials, technological gadgetry and sophisticated computers in this center. Our teaching would have been more effective with this technology, especially Data Show as we will get introduced to authentic speeches by expert methodologists and teacher trainers in the teaching field, of course. No one can deny how important the contributions that this ICT make to help us be professional and competent teachers.
My personality and attitude towards language learning and teaching are comparatively speaking the most influenced aspects of this training. From the very early start of this year, I was a bit diffident whenever I stood in front of an audience. I did not have the audacity to face the public and to feel open to them. I would assume that this was mainly due to my unsociability, reclusiveness and aloofness towards my colleagues. Of course, I was completely sure that this was not attributed to my linguistic or communicative competence, but rather to the nature of my personality.
For example, whenever I was asked to deliver a presenation or speak in public for two minutes, I always got at a loss, stagefright-stricken and nervous. However, as the saying goes, "where there is a will, there is a way", I immediately set to overcome my problems and thus to gain a great deal of confidence and courage. By so doing, I always went for every presenation or exposé at my disposal so as to get rid of my shyness and timidity.
My trainers have made so many efforts to help me feel relaxed and confident. Later on, I felt that their efforts had a very positive effect on my performances and I did extremely well on all the tests I sat for. The very good practicums that I experienced reflect this progress. Most of my mentors appreciated my teaching and my presence in the classroom. And this is due to all what I have got at the center from a lot of preparedness and constant training.
Notwithstanding, there are so many things that I would like to change about the way we received our training. First and foremost, I am not totally satisfied with how our performances are assesed and evaluated. For instance, in the case of the exams administered, we are only asked to write what our trainers taught us. That is, we have unconsciously been trained to memorise things and give them back to our trainers on paper. One of the bad ramifications of this act is that we will no longer be encouraged to use our critical mind and to be good thinkers and critics, particularly in this field where it is highly needed.
As a proposal, since we are mature practitioners of the English language, I think it would be better for us to be given some sample articles about a certain topic related to teaching and asked to criticise it and give suggestions to solve the problems it expresses and states. In this way, we will be able to put all that we have learnt from theory into practice. And this is the main aim behind any training. Sometimes, we are not provided with concrete solutions to the problems we encounter in the practicums. Instead, we are given recipes and pieces which are not very often universally agreed upon even among expert trainers and supervisors. The problems range from class control to classroom management.
Despite all the complaints I have uttered and the proposals I have suggested, I can never deny what our trainers and the supervisor have done to make us excellent and qualified teachers by the end of this training. I strongly believe that without this hectic life that I have led at the center, I would not have become what I am today. I have become a completely different person. This training year has made a great difference in both my academic and personal life. Last but not least, I would like to warmly and deeply thank my trainers Mr Mohamed Bamhamed, Mr Ayad Chraa, Miss Fatima Drifi and my supervisor Mr Nejrane for the indelible favour and the enjoyable moments that we spent together.
Friday, December 11, 2009
A Critical Analysis of a Bronte Poem
Emily Bronte - The Night is Darkening Around Me
The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow ;
But a tyrant spell has bound me,
And I cannot, cannot go.
The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow ;
The storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.
Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below ;
But nothing drear can move me :
I will not, cannot go.
"The Night is Darkening Round Me" is about a speaker who is attacked by the tyrannical nature. Different powers of nature are confining him and making him unmoved and tied. He describes them vividly and how each one of them approaches him threateningly. The atmosphere of the poem is gloomy and bleak, suggesting that the speaker is in jeopardy and is about to die.
The poet describes the gloomy scene by saying that the night darkens around him. The night represents fear and is the time when apparitions prevail. Thus, he is afraid of it. Then, he shows that the winds are blowing coldly and harshly. These natural forces are contrasted when the poet says "But" to make us aware that he has been restricted and tied by a cruel power "tyrant spell". This clearly hints at his coming death. Also, the poet says that this strange power is inescapable. He is unable to leave the scene, " I cannot, cannot go".
Subsequently, he vividly depicts the trees and describes them as giant. He says that they are bending and their boughs or branches are laden with snow. This shows the coming danger, especially when he says that the storm is quickly descending. These natural forces too stand for the causes of death in one's life. It is clearly stated that the poet is scared by them because of the death they are going to bring about. He also summarizes each stanza by telling us that he is closely tied and can not escape from death, " And yet I cannot go".
The poet moves on to say that danger and threats are coming from all sides. He says that "clouds" are above him and "wastes" below him. There is something noteworthy which the poet reveals in the end. It is the fact that no one can come to help him escape from death. Here, he is talking about his close friends and his family and the helplessness of their actions, "But nothing can drear can move me". He concludes the last stanza by the same idea. The latter is his inability to move or act against these natural forces.
Frankly speaking, this poem is well worth analysing because of the issues it discusses, such as death, danger and fear. Moreover, it teaches us moral lessons on how to deal with our lives concerning everday threats and awareness of the fact that death is inevitable is of paramount importance.
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