Dear learners:
This pic is my way of wishing you a happy Christmas this year. I think the cartoon is funny…, but I’d apologise if someone felt offended or thought it’s just stupid.
Now…. let me use this space to try to express how I’ve been feeling this year about to end. Well… I still believe life is great and that a bit of good sense of humour helps facing difficulties. I’m a cheerful… yeah, I think so… a cheerful person, and a cheerful teacher of English. When I started learning English myself I never thought I would end up teaching! I thought it was something only native speakers could do… but…here I am… trying to teach English in Spain, in a state run language school. Unfortunately, recently imposed cuts on funding have left many teachers like me without a job this year; which at th same time means that many students are going to find overworked teachers trying to do their best but not always being able to offer a high level of quality. At the moment, I’m waiting and hoping to get a call from the Ministry of Education of Madrid, saying I have my job back…. Although this situation may seem something personal, it is not; there are more than 2000 teachers going through the same ordeal. Last August, during our summer break, Madrid’s regional government decided to introduce cuts on funding affecting public education at all levels (even at primary and secondary levels). For more than ten years private schools have been favoured by getting publicly owned land for building cheaply and, this year, parents will be getting tax exemptions if they take their children to private schools. You can find more information about this issue in some previous posts I’ve written linking news and reports from different sources ; I also recommend you have a look at some posts about the relevance of Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas ‘Official Language Schools’ in Spain and in Madrid.
Our polititians are terribly wrong when they forget that education and health are basic pillars of society and treat them in such ways. It’s appaling to see them sell their souls to a system based on finantial and political corruption favouring just a few.
Having said probably too much…, I just want to finish by wishing you all the best of luck and pleasant surprises in 2012. Let’s always hope for the best! and… do not forget to have fun!
Cheers,
Sonia
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