Dear Anna Franca, Dani and Paola,

I have tried twice to respond in the blog to your comments, but unfortunately, I am "scaduta" and cannot seem to log on again! But, I did want to comment and hope that since I do not have Paola's email handy, one of you will send it on.

Having now taught 'solo' and side-by-side teachers here in Italy for several years in a number of different settings, I would like to comment on the blogging response. I wonder if it has to do with teacher's attitudes toward their students, level of teacher training and also, comfort level with writing in English. Just some thoughts. I so admire people such as yourselves who have committed to being bilingual and who can express yourselves so eloquently. Certainly, I think my own chances in doing so in Italian are slim at this ripe age of 58 (notice I omitted OLD!). But, the point is that we have to look at the English language teaching community itself and imagine how such an important group of people are not regularly attending teacher-training programs and are not required to join professional organizations such as TESOL-Italy. Frankly, all I hear about is how many hours they have to do, the drag of teaching, etc., etc., etc. But, wouldn't one think that if they gave up the teaching approach that bores them and their students and usually has minimal effect on the class at large, then all would be joined in a more mutually enjoyable and rewarding teaching/learning exchange? Until there is better teacher preparation, until there is a movement toward learning in English and not superficially about English, until English becomes a way to 'express' the inner lives of each individual, I don't feel that much movement in terms of interacting professionally and bringing about significant change over a large area of the population is going to work for quite some time.

I want to share a recent experience I had this week. I teach with 4 teachers doing 'lettore' at a well-reputed classical high school here in Venice. The students are engaged in "Fast Track' and a literature books, Voices and Views. Now, all classes are mixed levels, nobody really knows at what levels the kids read because this is never considered. Two classes, quite out of control with the regular classroom teacher, have now come into some semblance of participating in the hours that I have them. The teacher asked me to do . . Dickens. What could I do? For three weeks I have brought in new materials I took from the 'net and even graphically (sometimes using a few colorful words, I admit!) described London, had them imagine Venice in the same conditions, then we looked at a timeline of Dickens' life and tried to evaluate emotional, traumatic, normal experiences (he was a VERY troubled person), we talked about social reform, etc. But, at the end of the day, we had to do the piece from David Copperfield. Imagine their delight. . .I finally closed the book and announced in the hours I had left with them, I was not going to subject them or myself to such a didactic teaching text. .something suitable for an AP course in America or England perhaps. Now, I choose from my own materials to teach them to develop their independent thinking, reading and pronunciation skills in English. . those mispronunciations can be a source of potential errors! In two weeks, we will start a small project (I'm still working on the shape of it!) based on the film 'Freedom Writers." Next week, we will start a piece on communication about the work with animals in the sign language programs in the U.S. Why? to get them to think about acquisition, what it serves and how it shapes out lives particularly when we learn a new language which then can transport us into a new realm of experience and thinking. .and no, we do not learn culture by watching exchanges about "couch potatoes" in our latest version of . .well, you know what I am saying. I hope before the hours are up, we can read a chapter froom Stones in the Water, a book based upon a real life experience of a Italian-American who as a child in Venice was abducted with his friend when they went to Mestre. All in English. . . . By the way, a student told me that the teacher announced to them that the reason I was not doing Dickens was because I was American and since I spoke a 'different' version of English from BRITISH ENGLISH, I was not really able to read Dickens to them and so therefore, chose not to do it. Hmm. .my first degree in English was with an emphasis on British lit! This kind of narrow-mindedness prevails everywhere. . everyone too busy, too whatever to really figure out what they are doing in their classrooms (or not). So, for me, it has been a distinct pleasure. Keep pressing for change and keep haranguing those people to BLOG.

And, let's hope people realize that they can spend two weeks in America in English just as well as in England!!

Love to you all,
Nan

PS. Hi, everybody...I've just cut and pasted here Nancy's text: she sent it to me by e-mail as it seems she can't post it herself for some technical problems. I'm just a sort of 'go-between'... Yet, I do believe there are some interesting topics for discussion within Nancy's text, eg, British English vs American English in a world where we all have to cope with 'Englishes'....
Do we still have prejudices of this kind as regards English - while we have a great number of students - Italian, native Italian speakers - who gets to University entry texts and miserably fail..'cause, after more than ten years of compulsory educational curriculum still result unable to decently use their own native language...?
Luv :-)))
Dani