Level of English among the Poles?

I just checked and it is available from Netflix as well!

So I must have Norwegian origins ;) I'm living in UK at the moment and after first shock I think that my English is very bad. Want to feel safe, my answer is always "a bit". I just produce proper sounds but I still have problem with fully understanding adult speakers. Kids speak louder and clearly whole words. Adults only beginning of the words. I suppose people expect that I can understand their in the same level as my speaking ability :/

Oh come on guys, can't I joke a little? I don't think I would be able to understand any of the discussions here if my command of the language was as bad as it is in the above sentence.

thats really funny cause I always say a bit when asked do you speak english and they are always amazed how fluent I am and Im Polish not Norwegian...

The classic was 'my english is being very well'.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry

Didnt it just remind you of the corner shops back home S'?

When did u last make a sex isthatu2? LOL

Hey Seanus, you mentioned that you worked in Poland as a teacher, true? What do you really think about the Polish level of English?

True. They are not on a par with some European neighbours but they are going from strength to strength. Motivation is high.

Have you ever taught in other countries?

Strictly speaking, Scotland for 1 month for my CELTA. Other than Poland, Japan for 2 years.

JET scheme?

A few years ago, I tought English in a Gymnasium (High school) in Germany during the day - and at Nachhilfe in the evenings. Nachhilfe is where the parents of the kids who messed around in class during the got sent by their patents who were worried that they wouldn't pass the year.

Okay, I have been to Poland, it was 2002, I was teaching English and German, I was really surprised about the motivation...I have never experienced such a movement... In Germany it can be a torture to teach English

No, my friends taught the JET program. I taught at the dreaded NOVA but they were always OK 2 me. They have since gone bankrupt (Oct last year).

There is no discipline in German schools, and teachers don't have any authority to do anything about it. I had kids eating / doing other homework assignments / playing gameboy etc. in class.

One time, I sent a student out of my class and got a bollocking from the headmistress, as he "might have got injured crossing the road". He was 16 FFS!!

You're right. Teaching in Germany is the worst you can do.

that is true about Polish students. I never had any problems, well some, but that was in a semi-private school, so the parents were paying and that seem to effect the motivation. Too bad.

High end ESP can be rewarding in Germany, both financially and in students' willingness to absorb what they are being taught

What is ESP?

Especially?

Extra Sensory Perception, LOL

English for Special Purposes

Selfish, spoilt people are there...Polish pupils and adults are hungry...used to have boring lessons at school...

Ah, right... I was thinking English Second.... erm... eh.... Parler... Prater... Parlaro :)

Extra Special People

Aha - thanks :)


In one of my classes, I had the students standing on their desks singing Elvis songs.

Got a bollocking from the headmistress for that too <sigh>

She was all shook up, LOL

I'd like to teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP). That'd present a positive challenge. I find standard teaching to be a bit limiting. Confined to a textbook with minimal discretion.

In The Ghetto actually.... I was trying to introduce a theme along the lines of "hardship in the inner cities" or something like that. All a long, long time ago.

I also wanted to take the older students to an Irish Pub, but the other teachers poured cold water on that idea :(


In what way is this taught differently to standard teaching?

U have to be much more precise in ur delivery. U have to cater for a more specialised audience who have specific intentions in mind, not just to learn any old iron.

I wanted to read up on it more but there don't appear to be many opportunities presenting themselves.

I was relatively independent when teaching in Poland. I taught adults more often...We talked about democracy in Nigeria, read English article about money systems all over the world...and then...finally I taught them some grammar stuff, not too much. It was great, but in the last weeks of the summer term ...my boss went in, checked my lessons...she told me to teach them with the coursebook (it was not only a language centre, it was also a bookshop!). They were really tricky there. They changed the coursebooks every year and made the students believe in progress...Enterprise 1, Click on 1 etc., so I stopped this way of teaching and they were really happy for a time.

My English isn't perfect, it is actually far from good. But as long as people understand me, I'm fine with it. And I really like speaking English. It has started when my teacher in school was changed and we were learning less grammar but we had more conversations. After that my teachers were always native speakers and I loved it. Now I am not scared of speaking English, even if I make mistakes. But I know lot of people who were taught that if they don't speak grammaticly correct they should not speak at all. In my opinion Polish teachers care only about grammar. So, GodandBrown, I know I should like your lessons :) Keep it that way! :)

Oh, and I think Callan Methon gave me a lot, I mean the grammar part.