A thread for nothing

[jimmy jazz]

Thanks lads! Give it a go next time you watch the news. Doesn't have to be an MP either.  For example I've just seen Lord Lloyd Webber talking about the farmers. Should shave his head.

The baldometer is rarely wrong.

[Saulaac]

Good luck with the teaching job, Saulaac. I hope your classes will be small and decently behaved: that makes the difference between Heaven and Hell imo. Let me know if you have any questions that you imagine I could help you with, ok?

Thanks Lisna, appreciated!    I hope I can deal with it and if I can't then you'll be hearing about it in the next couple of weeks on here.

Class sizes are about 25 to 30 students, so I should be fine (he said). The 18 yr olds are studying lit. such as Pride & Prejudice, but the younger ones are still coming to terms with basic English such as conjunctions, vocab and irregular verbs. So that is my challenge. How to motivate them to fall in love with basic English grammar so that they can express themselves in an easy going way. I'd love to introduce them to some MB or SCD banter but it is probably a tad too soon for that.
Lesson preparation is key apparently, and the other teachers said they would help me with that.

I seem to remember you're teaching university students in Mexico? Keep going with that! We'll make it rocky, and funky!

[SGR]

Thanks lads! Give it a go next time you watch the news. Doesn't have to be an MP either.  For example I've just seen Lord Lloyd Webber talking about the farmers. Should shave his head.

The baldometer is rarely wrong.

[Saulaac]

Thanks lads! Give it a go next time you watch the news. Doesn't have to be an MP either.  For example I've just seen Lord Lloyd Webber talking about the farmers. Should shave his head.

The baldometer is rarely wrong.

Need to catch up on this beef between Lloyd Webber and farmers. Lloyd Webber is probably a theathrical sort. Farmers somewhat less. Baldometer engaged    .

[jimmy jazz]

Need to catch up on this beef between Lloyd Webber and farmers. Lloyd Webber is probably a theathrical sort. Farmers somewhat less. Baldometer engaged    .

Sorry I might have worded it wrong, he's not beefing them he's defending them, he was at the protest. He has 5,000 acres of farms, but he wasn't there for himself, apparently.

- Wealthy land owner
- Tory donor
- Needs to shave his head

[DeepMinder]

[Saulaac]

Sorry I might have worded it wrong, he's not beefing them he's defending them, he was at the protest. He has 5,000 acres of farms, but he wasn't there for himself, apparently.

- Wealthy land owner
- Tory donor
- Needs to shave his head

I completely misunderstood your post JJ, sorry about that.
English/British farmers descending on Westminster to protest about inheritance, whilst French farmers block motorways and spray muck on town halls to protest EU import regulations. They pretty much have the same gripe. An erosion of assets which they have tried to build up over a couple of/ a few generations, and now these assets are being gnawed away at by the government of the day.

On the one hand, they have probably worked hard for it. On the other hand (and this is the scary bit) why is the government of the day going after this group of local people at this time?

Well, my two cents is that that the UK govt. can't really go after the really rich investors who have paid a lot into the UK and French economies, because a lot of them are based in other countries such as Russia and China and have complex investment packages protected by lawyers and bankers. If the govt. really did put their foot down then these rich foreign investors would try to pull out, or if they can't, they would sow discontent through whatever power they have in the media.
So the UK govt. is picking on the rural rich to try and balance the coffers. I say rich, most of them are in debt to the banks as they have a lot of equipment and land taxes to pay off. They probably still drive a Land Rover and wear a sports jacket, but I don't think that automatically means they are rich. (Do they have sufficient means to eat relatively well for the next couple of years?; well, defo).



That's how I see it at the mo.

[jimmy jazz]

I don't doubt some are asset rich and not necessarily cash rich, but why should they be exempt from paying a tax everyone else has to? The deal on the table is already very generous. Paying half of what everyone else pays and over a ten year period.

Cough up, imo.

[Saulaac]

Well I think you're right. They should pay the same proprotiate amount that other Britons are taxed upon.
But there's a whole other level of guys from elsewhere who sign up to investment programmes which are exempt from UK tax, but they still benefit from growth in the UK economy. This is globalism. How far should national economies continue to welcome legitimate and shady investments?

[jimmy jazz]

Friend sent me a pic of their poo in the toilet.

She is a character.

[Lisnaholic]

Thanks Lisna, appreciated!    I hope I can deal with it and if I can't then you'll be hearing about it in the next couple of weeks on here.

Class sizes are about 25 to 30 students, so I should be fine (he said). The 18 yr olds are studying lit. such as Pride & Prejudice, but the younger ones are still coming to terms with basic English such as conjunctions, vocab and irregular verbs. So that is my challenge. How to motivate them to fall in love with basic English grammar so that they can express themselves in an easy going way. I'd love to introduce them to some MB or SCD banter but it is probably a tad too soon for that.
Lesson preparation is key apparently, and the other teachers said they would help me with that.

I seem to remember you're teaching university students in Mexico? Keep going with that! We'll make it rocky, and funky!

Well, 25 to 30 is pretty big, but manageable if they are decently behaved. Yes, thorough prep is essential so that you are not caught out with the whole class looking at you and you don't know what to do next. If you are in the job for the long run, the good news is that you can use this term's class prep over and over again.
My basic tips would be:
i) start with a non-essential in-pairs activity which allows for students to drift in late.
ii) project video stuff, even if it's just an electronic version of the text book, as students pay attention to those things more
iii) divide the class as often as possible into small groups to do activities together as this takes pressure off you
iv) like at the start of the class, close with an activity that's as conversational as possible, again in small groups, and that is flexible in terms of its running time

[Saulaac]

Well, 25 to 30 is pretty big, but manageable if they are decently behaved. Yes, thorough prep is essential so that you are not caught out with the whole class looking at you and you don't know what to do next. If you are in the job for the long run, the good news is that you can use this term's class prep over and over again.
My basic tips would be:
i) start with a non-essential in-pairs activity which allows for students to drift in late.
ii) project video stuff, even if it's just an electronic version of the text book, as students pay attention to those things more
iii) divide the class as often as possible into small groups to do activities together as this takes pressure off you
iv) like at the start of the class, close with an activity that's as conversational as possible, again in small groups, and that is flexible in terms of its running time

Lisna, thanks so much for your advice and tips     I started with a one-week training, and I must say I was impressed by their behaviour. Sure they are a lively bunch and have a lot to chat about, but if I can get them to focus on what is going on at the front of the classroom then that is a victory in itself.

Classes are typically 50 minutes long, so great idea to have them working in pairs or small groups. And I agree that foreign students need to get used to talking English out loud in front of other people as much as possible, so I'll always be encouraging that. 

Just to note that I am currently teaching in the private sector in south west France. This is a little different from the state sector on the outskirts of Paris for example. Yes, teachers seem to be getting threatened more in the Parisian suburbs. Perhaps I should head up north to Paris to obtain my proper teacher training!

[Guybrush]

Friend sent me a pic of their poo in the toilet.

She is a character.

Wow. That's an interesting way to flirt..

Is it working? 😲

[jimmy jazz]

Wow. That's an interesting way to flirt..

Is it working? 😲

Not at all.

There's nothing sexy going on whatsoever.

[Trollheart]

Oh, poo on her then.
That's a shit way to communicate etc.