My Future Profession

Read and discuss the following text.

Explain the words, word combinations and phrases in bold in the text.

5) Fill in the correct preposition or particle, then make sentences:

1) to win hands … … smth; 2) to help smb … smth; 3) to fall … … reading/writing; 4) practice … reading/writing; 5) to be worried … (doing) smth; 6) to tutor smb … reading/writing; 7) to concentrate … smth; 8) related … school work; 9) to go … a job; 10) sympathetic … smb.

6) Answer the questions:

1. What experiment is described in the article?

2. How can you explain the fact that children with average abilities fall behind on some subjects?

3. Who benefits from the experiment? In what way?

4. Why is it sometimes easier for a teenager with educational problems to understand a small child?

Ann Simonova is a second-year student of Moscow Linguistic University. She is studying English and German and training to be a teacher. When she arrives home after her summer vacation she finds the following letter waiting for her.

	34 Beech Crescent
	Bradfield 6
	17 August 1987

Dear Ann,

I expect you will be somewhat surprised to receive a letter from a complete stranger, but Mr. Morris, whom you met when he was visiting Moscow last summer, gave me your address and told me something about you. He said you were interested in corresponding with an English girl, preferably a student, and as I am training to be a teacher, too, it would no doubt be of mutual interest if we could compare our experiences in this sphere.

But first of all I'd better introduce myself, at least briefly. My name is Valerie Morton — my friends call me Val. I'm twenty-two years of age and unmarried. I was born in Birmingham, but when I was two my parents moved to Coventry, where I grew up and attended primary and grammar school. I took and passed G.C.S.E. O level in eight subjects and A level in Latin, French and English. In 1983 I was admitted to the University of Bradfield on a local authority grant to study French, with English as a subsidiary subject. I graduated last summer, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), and in October began a one-year training course leading to the Diploma of Education, which will qualify me to teach in any kind of school.

From what I've said, you will gather that an English university student who wishes to take up schoolteaching — unlike a student at a College of Education — doesn't study education parallel to his special subject courses. He first of all studies his subject and having obtained a first degree — usually the В.A. or B.Sc (Bachelor of Science) — takes a postgraduate diploma course at a university Department of Education. This course is exclusively concerned with training him as a teacher, usually as a secondary-school teacher.

At present I'm nearing the end of my first teaching practice. The university term began on October 1st, but we'd already started our course by spending a fortnight in a local primary school, observing lessons in various classes and giving occasional lessons ourselves. I must admit I found it awfully difficult to teach small children, and I feel nothing but admiration for the patience and skill of primary-school teachers.

You can't imagine how strange it was at first to be back at the university studying a completely new subject in a different department. The first six weeks of term were chiefly taken up with lectures and tutorials on the theory of education, educational psychology, the history and sociology of English education, and teaching methods for French and English. In addition to this we were given a special three-day course on the use of teaching aids and were also able to watch demonstration lessons in various schools. Then, four weeks ago, our first full-time teaching practice began. It finishes in just over a week's time, when the schools break up for Christmas. Next term will also be divided between theoretical and practical work with greater emphasis on the latter, for next term's teaching practice will be somewhat longer. In the summer term there will be a few weeks of lectures and tutorials, followed by examinations in May.

At the moment I'm fortunate enough to be teaching at Oak Ridge, an exceptionally good comprehensive school. Incidentally, the range of subjects taught is very wide because the school is large and caters for pupils who will leave school at 16, 17 and 18. In addition to the more usual subjects, it is possible to learn, and take external examinations in, Greek, Russian, Spanish. Woodwork, metalwork, engineering, gardening, domestic science (needlework and cookery), technical drawing, astronomy, geology, economics, civics, and ancient history. It is also possible for pupils in their final year at school to take vocational subjects, such as shorthand and typing and pre- nursing courses. The latter subjects are, of course, an optional, and not a compulsory part of the curriculum.

The staff of the school are mainly young and, consequently, energetic, enthusiastic and willing to experiment.

At the moment I give eight periods of French and four periods of English a week and observe a further ten periods, not only French and English, but also other subjects in order to become better acquainted with the forms I teach. On the whole, discipline is quite satisfactory in my lessons, even when there is no other teacher in the classroom with me. I've found that the pupils are inattentive and badly behaved only when they are bored or when they sense that the teacher is not strict enough with them. Of course, some forms are noisier and less co-operative than others and there are always a few troublemakers who try to take advantage of my inexperience.

As I already mentioned, I have to teach eight periods of French a week. The standard of pronunciation and intonation is excellent in the forms which I teach or observe; the result, no doubt, of the systematic use of the Language laboratory right from the beginning. On the other hand, the standard of written work is inferior to that of oral work. I gave one of the best forms a dictation last week and was disagreeably surprised by the numerous spelling mistakes they made.

Over the last few weeks I've had very little time to think of anything but school. Although I have only twelve teaching periods a week I spend each evening preparing lessons and drop into bed absolutely exhausted. I try to mark homework, written exercises and tests in my free periods at school so that I don't have to carry a briefcase full of exercise-books home every night — quite apart from preparing and giving lessons and marking a teacher has a thousand and one other time-consuming duties attending staff meetings and meetings of the Parent-Teacher Association; sitting on committees; coaching school teams; supervising other out-of-school activities; writing school reports; answering parents' questions; organizing educational visits and holidays at home and abroad; and so on and so forth.

To be quite frank, the first two weeks at school were something of a nightmare. I felt absolutely lost in what seemed an enormous, impersonal machine and was overwhelmed by the whole business of teaching. I felt depressed because I was firmly convinced that I should be an utter failure as a teacher. Most of all I dreaded the visits of my French methods tutor from the Education Department of the university, who is very competent but also extremely sarcastic. However, the other members of staff have been so sympathetic and considerate, so willing to give me advice, that I have overcome my initial doubts and regained my self-confidence. Nevertheless, it still seems incredible that less than a year from now I shall be a fully-qualified teacher with 30 periods a week and a form of my own. Do you feel the same?

Well, I hope I've given you a fairly clear idea of the way in which graduate teachers are trained in England. You must bear in mind, however, that each university Department of education organizes its course in a slightly different way. I look forward to hearing about your course and your experiences at college and during teaching practice.

Best wishes,

Valerie Morton.

2) Transcribe and pronounce correctly the following words:

correspond, Valerie, Val, incidentally, mutual, Birmingham, occasional, emphasis, emphasize, consequently, period, initial.

3) Find the English equivalents for the following in the text:

переписываться с кем-л., учиться на преподавателя, дополнительная специальность, восхищение чем-л., учитель начальных классов, вспомогательные средства/пособия, показательный урок, между прочим, черчение, история древнего мира, стенография, обязательная/факультативная часть учебной программы, преподавательский состав, воспользоваться чьей-л. неопытностью, устная работа, неприятно удивлённый, орфографические ошибки, проверять (домашнее задание/письменные упражнения/тесты), отнимающий много времени, ходить на педсоветы, внешкольные мероприятия, экскурсия, кошмар, честно говоря, методика преподавания французского языка (2 варианта), вновь обрести уверенность в себе.

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