In Christmas Mood!

Hey!

Happy belated Christmas to you all!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in class or not, but I'm lately enjoying the Christmas period quite a lot: time to get together with relatives and friends, enjoy those great meals, become infatuated with the Christmas spirit, eat and drink more than probably one should, but Goddamit! it's freaking Christmas!

Anyway, I have to confess that I don't really like Chrismas Carols or Chrismas songs, for that matter. I still don't have kids of my own who I can play these tunes to, and many of them feel downright corny to me. Not that I'm insensitive or a die-hard Rocker grumpy old man (which probably I am!), but there is little in those syrupy melodies and trite refrains that I can relate to (I kinda dig "White Christmas", though). The only reason I would sing those Christmas Carols in Spanish when we were kids was to get some money from parents and grandparents, and doing that at my present age would be sort of cheeky, hehe.

Anyway, ever since I heard the song which I'm about to speak about for the first time, I never fail to listen to it every Christmas Eve/ Christmas day, Like ten times in a row. Probably like fifteen, Or twenty. The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" is undoubtedly, to my ears, the most beautiful Christmas song ever written, if not the most beautiful song ever written, period.

All about this song is great: its melancholy, its Irish/Celtic-reminiscent vocal melodies and musical arrangements, its MONUMENTALLY gorgeous chorus, those great lyrics which ALWAYS give the goose-bumps when I heard them. I've come to the conclusion that if you don't like this song, you're an asshole and lack a great deal of sensitivity, but that would probably be a little harsh and unfair. 

Anyway, I dare you to not be moved by the song's intro, the moment when the song builds up after it (around 1'25") or the words which come just before that initial climax:

"I've got a feeling:

This year's for me and you...

So Happy Christmas,

I love you baby, 

I can see a better time

When all our dreams come true...".

The way the story depicted in the lyrics unfolds is also nothing short of genius, and a reflection of life itself: two lost individuals recognize a kindred spirit in each other and they just hit it off, from the very start. Romance is inevitable:

You were handsome, 

You were pretty,

Queen of New York City,

When the band finished playing

they howled out for more.

Sinatra was swinging

All the drunks they were singing,

We kissed on a corner and danced through the night...

But if romance was bound to happen in this happy-sad story, so was the fact that as it happens with human endeavors of any kind, and with relationships especially, things suddenly turn sour, as described in the beyond-awesome, call-and-response verse which comes next:

You scumbag, you maggot

You cheap lousy faggot,

Happy Christmas your arse, 

I pray God is our last. 

Even more melancholic is the bridge towards the end, where the ill-fated couple, while being toxic and harmful towards each other's wellbeing, acknowledge their mutual dependence:

You took my dreams from me

When I first met you...

I put them with my own,

Can't make it all alone,

I've built my dreams around you.

Didn't want to ruin your Christmas days, guys/girls. Fortunately, all love stories do not go like this one and consistently blissful, healthy romantic relationships DO exist and, I guess, they do so in spades. However, some old friend told me a while ago that she had come to the conclusion that happy stories are meant to be lived, while sad ones are meant to be written, and I don't know if that is true or not, but it does sound beautiful, doesn't it? Anyway, here's my little Christmas gift!

Well, that's all! I just hope you have great holidays and enjoy this song almost as much as I do!

See you in a while!

The Headmaster Ritual: the bad old days

You know what? I've been on a Smiths streak lately; which means, they've been playing a lot lately at home, that is, I've been listening to them a helluva lot during the last couple of days. The combination of Johnny Marr's gorgeous guitar melodies and Stephen Morrissey's peculiar wailing-meets-singing style and SUPER incisive and intricate, yet elaborate and thoughtful lyrics, and their overall aura of melancholy and emotional anguish make for an always welcome listen if you're in the right mood (just like when reading the works of Oscar Wilde or Goethe). They were one of the most influential bands in the history of Pop and Rock music, and well deservedly so.

I could name lots of songs of theirs which are nothing short of superb: Panic, Half a Man, There's a Light that Never Goes Out (later covered by the Spanish Pop-Rock group Duncan Dhu), Bigmouth Strikes Again, Cemetery Gates, and a big, big etcetera.

However, I was recently listening to one of my favorite songs by the Manchester quartet, "The Headmaster Ritual", when I suddenly paid attention to the lyrics (which I guess I hadn't done before), and everything just made sense: it is the perfect song to talk about education, and about those bad old days when bad teachers could basically take out on their pupils their frustration and unhappy, meaningless existence. Pink Floyd's "Another Brick on the Wall" is the quintaessential song which comes to mind about the theme of abusive teachers, but this one is just perfect in a way that Floyd's song isn't (and I love that one, so go figure!)

Just as the song lyrics begin, they paint a pretty grim picture of the narrator's school days and what his teachers used to be like:

"Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools

Spineless swines, cemented minds

Sir leads the troops, jealous of youth,

Same old suit since 1962,

He does the military two step

Down the nape of my neck"

And of course, THAT teacher would, more than occasionally, indulge in corporal punishment towards his pupils:

"Sir thwacks you in the knees,

Knees you in the groin,

Elbow in the face,

Bruises bigger than dinner plates..."

"He grabs and devours

Kick me in the showers"

Not surprisingly, that situation makes his hapless victim quite unhappy and frustrated, willing to escape:

"I wanna go home,

I don't wanna stay

Give up education as a bad mistake...

Please, excuse me from the gym,
I've got this terrible cold coming on..."

This made me think about this neverending argument about traditional vs. modern education and what such lack of discipline we have nowadays at school and- something that, quite shockingly, I hear every now and then from allegedly intelligent people- how teachers should be entitled again to give a student a smack if they misbehave, just like the old days. All that, if you ask me, is just stupid drivel. The answer will never be physically punishing students, nor is it boasting about one's intellectual superiority, showing up pupils' flaws. Both are, in my book, forms of institutionalized bullying.

Of course, teachers should not be dispossessed of their authority and need to be, instead, given the right legal and practical tools to deal with conflicts in the classroom but society evolves at an alarmingly fast pace (technological, socioeconomic, demographic changes....)and it is nonsensical to yearn for the ways of the past.

The key, in my view, is just being a good teacher, not resting in one's laurels and try to not ignore the social changes above mentioned and reflect them in their teaching approach. Having passion for what one does is CRUCIAL and whoever resorted to this profession in search of an easy life, should definitely look for a different hobby.

Teachers who strive to bring their matters alive, making their classes dynamic and foster their students' participation will have no big problems to earn their respect and win them over.

What's your take on this issue?

Practical/ Functional English- Making a point vs. Making a Proposal

Hey!

I've mentioned in class a couple of times that whenever we are speaking in English, with any kind of communicative purposes, aside from using some given grammatical and lexical structures, we are fulfilling a particular function (or various), and such endeavor usually requires utilizing some rather fixed expressions; not because we fancy doing so, but because our interlocutor is more likely to fully understand and even agree to respond to our communicative intentions accordingly.

Find below some handy expressions for both making a point and a proposal.

A) How to make a point

Making a point

- There are several reasons why I think that...

- The reason (why) I say that is...

- The facts suggest.../ The evidence shows...

- After all, ...

- The point is...

- If you think about it...

Clarifying a point

- What I'm basically saying is...

- The point I'm trying to make is...

- Actually,.../ In fact, ...

- Let me put it this way...

- I think you'll find that...

Challenging a point

- Do you think that's always the case?

- Can you be sure about that?

- Is there any way/evidence to prove that?

- But that's not the point.

- But that doesn't take account of the fact that...

B) Making a proposal

Introducing your proposal

- Just to give you a bit of background information...

- To start with, I'm going to talk briefly about...

Stating the purpose

- The aim of the project is to...

- The main goal/objective of our proposal is to...

Describing the Idea:

- What we plan to do is...

- We plan to build/ develop/ come up with...

Justifying your Idea:

- This solution will help us to... This idea is feasible because...

Listing the benefits:

- In the first instance/ place, this would mean...

- The short-term/long-term goal benefits include...

Summarising your proposal:

- So, basically, what we're proposing (to do) is...

- to sum up, we're proposing...

Soliciting questions:

- Is there anything that needs clarification?

- Does anyone have any questions? (Duh!)

All these expressions have proven to be extremely useful in any kind of (real or fictional) communicative situation in which expressing one's views and trying to make any project succeed were the main goal!

Enjoy!

Advanced Grammar: How to express Emphasis (1)

Hi there again!

As cleft sentences are the brand new grammatical content to be addressed- though one you should not be completely unfamiliar with if you've had some contanct with advanced English grammar in the past-, find here some explanatory videos with lots of cool examples, for you to practice.

Enjoy!

BBC Learning English- Giving emphasis by using WHAT

Advanced English Grammar- Cleft Sentences

Some recent videos

Hey!

Find below some of the videos we have seen in class lately. By having all of them grouped here, I guess it'll be easier to re-watch them for whoever is intereted in doing so!

Interview with Samuel L. Jackson

Such great insights the ones good old Samuel L Jackson comes up with in this great interview. Really interesting information about his background and one very fine example of managing to succeed in the face of adversity!

Cutting Back: Spain hits hard times

Objective portray of the reality in Spain or just clichéd Right Wing propaganda by the pricks at Wall Street Journal? In any case, a pretty interesting video to watch and practice your listening skills!

Garry Bushell on what it means to be English

Man, is that bloke Bushell proud to be from E-N-G-L-A-N-D (let me spell it out, as he would). All sorts of historic, cultural, social and war feats justify the patriotic boner this mate gets whenever the name of his country just gets mentioned, according to his words. Yeah, ROIT!

UKIP campaign for Brexit 2016

In the wake of the recent events, it definitely looks like the world is changing, if not exactly for the better. It is basically the law of the jungle, every man for himself, my country's much better than yours,.. you name it. The beginning of the end of our civilization? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but it is a little worrying the path developed countries are heading for!

Advanced English Writing Tips: How to write an Essay

Hi there!

Writing any type of text in English, whilst using a good range of grammatical structures, interesting insights and ideas and advanced vocabulary may not be an extremely easy endeavor to undertake, but you bet the effort is worth making!

I've mentioned a couple of times in our classes that writing and speaking are two different mediums of communication, each with its own particular and distinctive traits. For most educated foreign learners, however, speaking will usually be the most complicated task to master of the two (its improvisational nature, less time to plan and structure our messages, etc.). This means that we may feel more comfortable expressing some complex, abstract ideas in writing, for we may use more advanced language and "shine" language-wise than in speaking, where we are more likely to rely on language we are already familiar with and accustomed to.

 Anyway, there is a strong carryover from advanced writing practice to advanced speaking performance, as those complex language items once were a challenging choice in our texts will cease to be so and can easily be transferred to our spoken English.

Yeah, one of the many reasons to practice your writing skills!

Find here a couple of cool links I found on the net to help you when writing your ESSAYS.

6 practical tips to write an Essay

CAE tips for writing Essays

Pdf presentation with tips on Advanced Essay writing

An inspiring, uplifting speech by comedy genius Jim Carrey

Hey!

A student told me pretty recently about this video with the comedy actor Jim Carrey giving some talk about the topic we discussed last week: success, motivation and failure.

While already quite familiar with Carrey- of course-, being a semi-fan of his (I know MANY people who hate his guts, his movies and all the stupid faces that he pulls, but he usually cracks me up!), I was completely unaware of this speech. I suggest you take your time and sit through it and make sure you understand every single word he says (it won't be complicated at all!), for every single second of the 6 minute video is worth it. I recommend watching this almost first thing in the morning, with your morning coffee, so you can get early that shot of positivity and may it accompany you throughout the day.

Enjoy!

What's been your biggest accomplishment so far?

We've been discussing lately the topic of accomplishment/achievement/attainment (add synonym here ;-), factors that may foster or impede it, and the importance of creating the right mindset.

With one of the C1 groups we actually had a super interesting conversation about my students' greatest accomplishments and the guys and girls came up with all kinds of poignant stories about personal growth, achievements in the face of difficulty, professional feats, successful family upbringing, realization and acceptance of family conflicts, etc... Really, really neat stories, I have to say.

I also spoke about my greatest achievement so far: well, an obvious pick would have been having earned my position for life in the job that I love in the last competitive exams (for secondary education, music and arts and language schools), held in 2015. I'm pretty sure that that is a turning point in any teacher's life and you bet I felt elated and- of course- relieved, as any one would. On those days circa July 2015 I spent 99% of the time on cloud nine and money happily spent on celebrating and buying the guys meals and drinks easily reached the four digits. Yeah, that may have been a highlight in the life of yours truly, but...

I wouldn't say that particular deed has been my greatest accomplishment. By doing so, I would have to admit that it would inevitably dwarf any other, later things achieved and I don't even feel that way. Believe me, getting your lifetime job is nothing compared to the complete realization that I will never stop learning new things and, with the right mindset, enjoying that journey. Having this full-on optimistic outlook on life makes me wanna jump every single day out of my bed and embrace new challenges and enjoy the ride in any goal- personal, professional, fitness and health-, leaving little room for despair and downheartedness. We will not last forever, unfortunately, so it is futile to cry over spilled milk and especially, over trivial things that do not matter that much at the end of the day. So, voila, that's been my greatest feat so far!

What about you? What has been YOUR biggest accomplishment?

Please, feel free to comment on the- duh- comments section

Enjoy!

What does your appearance say about you?- How I found out I was a hipster

In today's world, especially in semi-developed societies where the most basic needs are satisfied, people's "content" and "package" can't be completely dissociated: we all have our own values, attitudes towards life, love, family or work, political positioning, cultural/intellectual interests, things we consider to be priorities and other that we deem irrelevant and all of them might lead to different choices regarding, say, the newspaper we decide to read, the restaurants and bars we frequent, the clothes we decide to wear, our haircut and facial hair style, consumption habits (cell phones and electronic items....), etc. 

They say "function precedes form", and it may pretty well apply to this case as well. Even when someone brags about not following the trend like the hapless sheep, they are making a fashion statement, as it is important to them not to look like the rest, and therefore, they like looking in a certain way.

Read this interesting article on one of today's most easily recognizable urban trends.

How I found out I was a hipster

After having done so, you can discuss about the following issues:

- Do you think your appearance/ interests say something about you?

- Are you concerned at all about looking in a certain way/ having a particular kind of interests/ political and intellectual stance?

- Do you believe in first impressions? Have you ever been misled by one? Have some of your first impressions about certain people proven right?

Embrace the Challenge, Enjoy the Ride- Welcome Aboard!

Hey, hey!

As you may have observed on the blog's header, the title of this very entry is the same as the message adorning the image on said header. Why have I chosen a motto so suspiciously reminiscent of "psychology for dummies"/ mainstream self-help literature or the umpteenth Internet guru's blabber?

Well, I have to say the whole self-improvement/ emotional intelligent trend has won me over lately. I guess it may go hand in hand with maturing (or, simply, aging ha!), but as I grow older I acknowledge more and more my own responsibility in forging my path- aka, a happy, fulfilling life- and also in prioritizing what's important for such purpose and ditching what's not. Family and friends, health and fitness, music, cooking and appeasing my always curious palate with nice meals and drinks belong to the former category. Luckily, my job is also a source of personal satisfaction: I try to make people learn and become more fluent and autonoumous in a language that they want to learn, and if they derive some enjoyment and happiness from doing so, well I guess I'm contributing with my tiny little grain of sand to making this world a better place.

On top of that, I really like my job and have learned to enjoy it, every bit as much as I enjoy the above mentioned activities. You bet that while I was learning the ropes of it, I felt overwhelmed on many occasions, and even today I have to put in the right amount of work if I want to do something truly good, especially with advanced courses, but, do I enjoy myself while doing that? Most definitely! Anyway...

I'm not that interested in doing some sort of personal introspection but in getting to know what interests you, and more particularly, what motivates you in regard to English and to this very course. Are you willing to embrace the challenge? (because you can be sure it will be a challenge demanding your personal dedication and effort) Are you ready to enjoy the journey? 

Thanks for your comments!

;-)