Text 21525, 116 rader
Skriven 2012-02-20 16:26:52 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
  Kommentar till text 21471 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: oddmentsFromEducation249
================================
Hi Michael,

 RH> Probably, and I went to a small rural school that was more old
 RH> fashioned in their teaching for the most part. One graduate (about 5
 RH> years ahead of me) came back to teach English. I never had him but from
 RH> what I understand, I'm glad I didn't.

 ML> That's kind of sad. Did he come back to teach because there was
 ML> no other place for him to go, or did he return with the best of
 ML> intentions and then succumb to some kind of letdown afterwards?

I think it was because there was no other place for him to go. When my
dad subbed for him one time, he (Dad) was told to give the students the
vocabulary list for the week and go over it with them. This guy had some
rather off the wall definitions; Dad taught the kids how to look up the
real meaning in the dictionary & not take this guy's definitions for
granted. Dad was rather upset that this guy was teaching--but he was
tenured at that point & couldn't be fired for no good reason. He also
coached some of the sports teams, which is why (IMO) why he was kept on
the faculty.

 RH> Most likely so. Sometimes reading over lists like "1000 Things
 RH> Everybody Is Supposed To Know", there are a good number of Shakespeare
 RH> references. I've not read that much but know enough about his works
 RH> that I generally catch all of them.

 ML> The problem with lists like that and the whole Cultural Literacy
 ML> phenomenon is that they reflect what the listmakers know rather
 ML> than anything else. And E.D. Hirsch got bunches of facts wrong
 ML> in his first set, which tickled me.

I'm not familiar with E.D. Hirsch so I'll have to take your word for it.
But, I agree in that one person's Cultural Literacy list may be vastly
different from another's--depends on where they were brought up, the
schools attended, how much the home environment (academic vs leave
alone, let the tv babysit the kid) was an influence, etc, etc. A kid
that likes to read will have a broader exposure to the world than one
who plays video games all day long.

 ML> More appropriate to teach it in high school to kids
 ML> working at a lower level! Get them engaged, maybe.
 RH> One could only hope so. More likely, it would turn them off--unless
 RH> you could get them to rewrite it into a more relevant setting. I
 RH> understand that's been successfully done with a few of Shakespeare's
 RH> works.

 ML> Rewriting is fraught with peril. Adaptation might work to get
 ML> the broad ideas across, but no bowdlerization can preserve

Adaption is probably the better choice of words than rewrite. but, to
adapt, some rewriting is neccessary.

 ML> the literary merit. Perhaps it could serve as a stepping stone
 ML> to the real thing, but how many will find the real thing's
 ML> relevancy is a different question.

Depends on the world around them. A lot of teens would relate to
something like Romeo & Juliet a lot more so than Hamlet.


 ML> I can identify what I want and ask for it in German. If there's
 ML> something wrong with it I'd have a hard time saying what it was.
 ML> My German is way more fundamentally flawed than my French.
 RH> I could do a somewhat limited discussion of what was wrong; if Steve
 RH> were there, he could go into more detail. (G)

 ML> I'm supposed to spend a couple weeks in Germany (in two
 ML> separate goes). To prepare I've been traveling with a

Wish I could get back over there but it's not an option at this point.
It'll be 20 years in July since we came back to the States, thinking we
might be going back but it never worked out. Did pack, with our
household goods, some Nutella & Jacobs coffee. Haven't yet found a doner
kebap the way the Turks made them in Berlin. Sigh!


 ML> Deutsch phrasebook, carefully refraining from taking it
 ML> out to relearn what I tend to forget ever so rapidly
 ML> these days. This kind of procrastination may or may not
 ML> cause me inconvenience later.

As long as you don't mix up key words/phrases--ask for the toilet, not
the bathroom. (G) I would take it out and read over ones most likely to
help several times, doing it several times a day. That may help them
stick in the mind better. If you can print out a list of the ones you'll
use most of the time and concentrate on that, it might help. Remember to
ask for "ein Bier", not "drei Bier" at a time. (G)


 ML>       Title: Eiergerstensuppe (Egg-Dough Drop Soup)
 ML>  Categories: Soups, Pasta, German
 ML>    Servings: 4

 ML>     100 g  Plain breadcrumbs (approx. 3
 ML>            -1/2 oz)
 ML>       2    Eggs
 ML>      50 g  Butter (3 1/2 Tbsp)
 ML>            A bit of salt
 ML>       1 tb (level) ground nutmeg
 ML>            Meat broth

The nutmeg level seems a bit high, but we grate our own and it's more
pungent than store bought. I think I'd have to start with about half the
amount called for, then add more as desired.


---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... I DID Read The Docs!  Honest!  Oh, *That* page...

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)