Владимир Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 3 курс [calibre 2.43.0]

Chapter 8 (Extract)

Each Friday morning the whole school spent the pre-recess period in writing their Weekly Review. This was one of the old Man's2

pet schemes: and one about which he would brook no interference. Each child would review the events of his school week in his own

words, in his own way; he was free to comment, to criticise, to agree or disagree, with any person, subject or method, as long as it

was in some way associated with the school. No one and nothing was sacred, from the Headmaster down, and the child, moreover,

was safe from any form of reprisal.

"Look at it this way," Mr. Florian said. "It is of advantage to both pupils and teacher. If a child wants to write about something

which matters to him, he will take some pains to set it down as carefully and with as much detail as possible; that must in some way

improve his written English in terms of spelling, construction and style. Week by week we are able, through his review, to follow and

observe his progress in such things. As for the teachers, we soon get a pretty good idea what the children think of us and whether or

not we are getting close to them... You will discover that these children are reasonably fair, even when they comment on us. If we are

careless about our clothing, manners or person they will soon notice it, and it would be pointless to be angry with them for pointing

such things out. Finally, from the reviews, the sensible teacher will observe the trend of individual and collective interests and plan

his work accordingly."

On the first Friday of my association with the class I was anxious to discover what sort of figure I cut in front of them, and what

kind of comment they would make about me. I read through some of the reviews at lunch-time, and must admit to a mixture of relief

and disappointment at discovering that, apart from mentioning that they had a new "blackie" teacher, very little attention was given to

me ...

It occurred to me that they probably imagined I would be as transient as my many predecessors, and therefore saw no point in

wasting either time or effort in writing about me. But if I had made so little impression on them, it must be my own fault, I decided. It

was up to me to find some way to get through to them.

Thereafter I tried very hard to be a successful teacher with my class, but somehow, as day followed day in painful procession, I

realized that I was not making the grade. I bought and read books on the psychology of teaching in an effort to discover some way of

providing the children with the sort of intellectual challenge to which they would respond, but the suggested methods somehow did

not meet my particular need, and just did not work. It was as if I were trying to reach the children through a thick pane of glass, so

remote and uninterested they seemed.

Looking back, I realize that in fact I passed through three phases in my relationship with them. The first was the silent treatment,

and during that time, for my first few weeks, they would do any task I set them without question or protest, but equally without

interest or enthusiasm; and if their interest was not required for the task in front of them would sit and stare at me with the same

careful patient attention a birdwatcher devotes to the rare feathered visitor...

I took great pains with the planning of my lessons, using illustrations from the familiar things of their own background... I created

various problems within the domestic framework, and tried to encourage their participation, but it was as though there were a

conspiracy of indifference, and my attempts at informality fell pitifully flat.

Gradually they moved on to the second and more annoying phase of their campaign, the "noisy" treatment. It is true to say that all

of them did not actively join in this but those who did not were obviously in some sympathy with those who did. During a lesson,

especially one in which it was necessary for me to read or speak to them, someone would lift the lid of a desk and then let it fall with

a loud bang; the culprit would merely sit and look at me with wide innocent eyes as if it were an accident.

They knew as well as I did that there was nothing I could do about it, and I bore it with as much show of aplomb as I could man -

age. One or two such interruptions during a lesson were usually enough to destroy its planned continuity... So I felt angry and frus-

trated when they rudely interrupted that which was being done purely for their own benefit.

One morning I was reading to them some simple poetry. Just when I thought I had inveigled them into active interest one of the

girls, Monica Page, let the top of the desk fall; the noise seemed to reverberate in every part of my being and I felt a sudden burning

anger. I looked at her for some moments before daring to open my mouth; she returned my gaze, then casually remarked to the class

at large: "The bleeding 3 thing won't stay up." It was all rather deliberate, the noisy interruption and the crude remark, and it heralded

the third stage of their conduct. From then on the words "bloody" or "bleeding" were hardly ever absent from any remark they made

to one another especially in the classroom. They would call out to each other on any silly pretext and refer to the "bleed ing" this or

that, and always in a voice loud enough for my ears. One day during an arithmetic period I played right into their hands. I was so

overcome by anger and disgust that I completely lost my temper ... I went upstairs and sat in the library, the only

place where I could be alone for a little while. I felt sick at heart, because it seemed that this latest act, above all others, was

intended to display their utter disrespect for me. They seemed to have no sense of decency, these children; everything they said or

did was coloured by an ugly viciousness, as if their minds were forever rooting after filth. "Why, oh why," I asked myself, "did

they behave like that? What was wrong with them?"

EXPLANATORY NOTES

1. R.A.F.:Royal Air Force.

2. old Man: here School Headmaster.

3. bleeding: vulg. bloody

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY

Vocabulary Notes

1. schoolл 1) an educational establishment for children, as a nursery school, primary school, secondary school, boarding

school, compulsory school age, e. g. The school leaving age has been raised to 16. Most schools in England take football

seriously. 2) (no article ) the time when teaching is given; the process of being educated; lessons, e. g. He was very bright at

school. It was nearly time for school. He left school when he was fifteen. 3) all the pupils in an educational institution, e. g. The

school will have a holiday tomorrow. 4) any institution giving specialized instruction, either to children or to adults; a specialized

institution which forms part of a university, as a ballet school, law school, London School of Economics. 5) a group of persons

having the same ideas about a subject, as the Dutch school of painting.

Note: The English for «учиться в школе» is 'to go to school', 'to be at school' and not 'to study at school', e. g. He learnt to read before he went to

school. Mother and Mrs. Dames had been at school together.

schoolingn education obtained at school, e. g. Schooling is compulsory in Russia.

scholar n a learned and erudite person, especially one who is learned in the classical languages and their literature, e. g. Dr.

Grant is a distinguished scholar.

scholarship Л a sum of money given by an individual, a collective body, or the state, to enable a person to study, e. g. He has

won a scholarship to Cambridge.

2. advantage n 1) smth. useful or helpful, smth. likely to bring success, esp. success in competition with another or others, e. g.

The advantages of a good education are great. The shallowness of the seas round the British Isles is in some ways an advantage, to

have (gain, win, give smb.) an advantage (over smb.)to have a better position or opportunity, e. g. He has an advantage over other

students, he is well-read, to have the advantage ofto be in a better position because of smth., as to have the advantage of being

modern (being cheap, etc.), e. g. He has the advantage of being young. 2) benefit, profit; to take advantage of smth.to make good use

of smth., to profit by smth., as to take advantage of an opportunity (of smb.'s weakness, ignorance, absence, etc.), e. g. Jack took

advantage of the opportunity to speak to Gwendolen, to advantagein a way that shows its good points, as to be seen (heard, shown,

exhibited) to advantage, e. g. The picture is seen to (better) advantage from a distance, ant. disadvantage.

3. admit vt/i 1)to allow a person to enter, e. g. The woman opened the door and admitted me into the house. Children are not

admitted. 2) to accept as a member of, as to be admitted to an institute (school, party), e. g. Only one hundred boys are admitted to

the school every year. 3)to have enough space for, e. g. The theatre admits only 200 persons. 4) to acknowledge, confess, accept as

true, as to admit one's mistake (fault, that one's wrong), e. g. You must admit that the task is difficult, ant. deny, e. g. I deny that the statement is true.

admission n 1)allowing to come, go in, being admitted, as admission is free, admission by ticket, price of admission; to apply for

admission to an institute (party), e. g. Admission to the school is by examination only. 2) statement admitting smth., as an admission

of guilt, e. g. The accused refused to make an admission of his guilt.

4. waste vt/i 1) to use without a good purpose or result; to spend uselessly, as to waste one's time (energy, money, work), e. g. All his efforts were wasted. 2) to lose strength by degrees, e. g. He was wasting away.

waste n unprofitable use; useless remains of smth. e. g. It's a waste of time to wait any longer. There is too much waste in the

house, to lay wasteto ravage, to destroy, as to lay waste a country, a city, a village.

waste adj useless; unwanted; thrown away, as waste paper, a waste paper basket, waste effort.

wasteful adj using or spending too much or uselessly, as a wasteful man, wasteful habits, wasteful process.

back vi/t 1) to go, or cause to go backwards, e. g. Montmorency would growl and back at a rapid pace. 2) to give support to, to

help (with money, arguments, etc.), as to back smb. or smb.'s proposal (plans, etc.)

backn 1) the hinder part of the body, as to stand with one's back to the window; to turn one's back to(the audience, the window,

etc.), e. g. Turn your back to me, I'll put your collar straight, to turn one's back on smb.to turn away or run away from smb., e. g. It