DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY?

I invite you to watch the following video of Sir Ken Robinson talking about creativity in schools. It is a great speech mixed with humorous touches and a big reality. 

Hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc9D-Im68mw

WINTER MEMORIES

I just can remember that time when we used to stay inside our car listening to the sound of the rain drops hitting the car´s roof. 

I just can remember those rainy days when you used to stay with us.

I just can remember how happy we were feeling this humid atmosphere. 

Because, now, I do not have any other thing, I just can remember.

I just can remember you, Dad.

[   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g   ]

Time, is going by, so much faster than I

And I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you

Now I'm wondering why I've kept this bottled inside

So I'm starting to regret not selling all of it to you

So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know

You're never gonna be alone from this moment on

If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall

You're never gonna be alone, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

And now, as long as I can, I'm holding on with both hands

'Cause forever I believe

That there's nothing I could need but you

So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know

You're never gonna be alone from this moment on

If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall

When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on

We're gonna see the world out, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

Oh, you've gotta live every single day

Like it's the only one, what if tomorrow never comes?

Don't let it slip away, could be our only one

You know it's only just begun, every single day

Maybe our only one, what if tomorrow never comes?

Tomorrow never comes

Time is going by so much faster than I

And I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you

You're never gonna be alone from this moment on

If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall

When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on

We're gonna see the world out, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

I'm gonna be there always

I won't be missing a word all day

I'm gonna be there always

I won't be missing a word all day

HAVE YOU EVER LEARNED A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

If  you have ever tried to improve your fluency in a language or even if you have ever travelled abroad to enhance your English, you will easily recognize this sentence above. I clearly remember those moments when I tried to face my first conversations with foreigners in an English-speaking country. It was so frustrating not having those proper words to say what you wanted to express in each moment!

However, time goes by and, if you keep on trying, you will be experimenting some progress. Then, spontaneously, you will find yourself singing an English song, dreaming in English or mixing your mother tongue with your second language. Because…if you are a constant and persistent person, English can become your second language. It is important not to be obsessed with having a native accent, it is just a fact of communication. If you can communicate using English, then it will be your second language. 

Always, keep on trying!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BECOME?

Some years ago, when I was still a child, I was asked what I wanted to become when I was an adult. My undoubted answer was: "I want to become an English teacher". It was just something strange that a kid who did not know almost anything about English was sure that she wanted to be an English teacher in her future. But, have a look to my constant stubbornness to achieve my main goal!

Surprisingly, I remember every good news that I received related to my personal English career. I clearly remember when I was said that I had a post in the Official Languages School in Murcia. What an amazement! However, this was just the first step of a non-stop effort in order to learn English. 

After that, I started traveling to English speaking countries. Everybody who has made the attempt to learn a second language knows how important is to develop your social life in the country where your target language is spoken. You do not really know the language until you have faced your first real conversation with a native person. I mean, a bus driver, a shop assistant or a random person in the café. I have traveled to many different places and I have learnt so many things in each of them. I have lived such wonderful experiences, I have met so many different people and I have enjoyed life so much that I would never change my life story for nothing.

One day, while I was spending my holidays in Brighton (England) with my host family there, I received one of the most relevant news in my life: I was accepted at the University to study Education. It was now a fact but not an illusion, indeed all my efforts were having their fruits. I was going to become a teacher. 

In 2012, I received the saddest and the most shocking news in my whole life. My dad had had a working accident and he died some minutes after it. I learnt how cruel life is and I realized that bad events come to you but good ones must be looked for. I had no choice so I took my books and I finished my degree in Education in 2013. 

Nevertheless, I did know that I still had too many things to learn about English. After living and working a few months in Manchester, I eventually decided to start my second degree in English Studies and I can say that it has been one of the most correct decisions in my life. Nowadays, I am also studying at the same time to become a Civil Servant and I can surely say that now I know some things about English! 

Follow your dreams and do not let anybody deciding your future.

ESSAY – “THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION”

As far as education is concerned, Chomsky, an American scholar from the 20^th century, highlights the different kinds of teaching or training; the important role of new technologies and their use in Education; the way in which Education is a government investment; and, at the same time, how the given education must be assessed in order to improve and advance itself. Later on, we are reviewing the impact of all these points in the Education field.

Firs of all, according to Noam Chomsky, there are two basic types of education. On the one hand, the education system can teach with the only purpose of students to pass tests and exams. However, on the other hand, there is a sort of education whose aim is to create independent and creative people. Consequently, there is a huge difference between both of them and the results that they try to achieve.

Secondly, Chomsky deals in most of his books, talks and debates with the use of technology in education. From his point of view, the use of new technologies must be neutral: it is a valuable tool for researching and it directs you to particular pieces of information. Nevertheless, in some aspects, it is unlikely to be helpful, so it is convenient to know how to use them.

Thirdly, it is very often a Chomsky´s task to talk about education as an investment. Indeed, it is. However, what kind of investment is it? Government invests money on education but what is its objective? Particularly, governments should invest for their economic growth. According to Chomsky, increasing children´s GDP is not as convenient as training students to be thoughtful, productive, inspired and autonomous adults.

In conclusion, Noam C. establishes the basis of his own opinion about the present education system, bearing in mind its weaknesses and strengths. He is a determined scholar who reckons that education must be the guideline to reach adulthood and to become a reasoning and innovative human being.

I AM A DREAMER

I know that I am not the most appropriate person to talk about this topic because I am not a politician or an economist. And, although it is not that reasonable, we are not living in peace only because of politic and economic reasons. However, as I have said above, I am not here to talk about politics or economy; I am here to talk about education.

We have a huge lack of moral and ethic education. I am referring to human beings. The so called "rational animals" are behaving nowadays as wild animals without feelings, emotions or remorse. Again, I am not only talking about terrorists, I am talking about powerful people. I am talking about heads of important institutions, about prime ministers, about presidents... We are able to throw a missile or a grenade into civilized areas as if an ant´s nest was. We are able to take a gun and to shoot equally, not to the air but to people´s hearts. We are able to kill innocent people: guiltless children, adult workers, brave mums, hardworking and persistent students… Don´t we think about those families? Don´t we think about those future plans? Don´t we think about living and letting others live?

I am not talking about races, however, I am talking about education among races. It is widely known that it has been given more attention to Paris attacks than to other world disasters. But, for me, it hurts in the same way that a child is suffering from hunger while his government is wealthy and that a child is trying to hide from war tanks. It hurts me identically.

It is not fair that rational and hopeful people who are fighting to survive to some healthy problems, who are trying to work hard for living better, who are dreaming about a greater future, who are enjoying their families… It is not fair that a big amount of all those people were assassinated every day because a reduced group of people want to have the control under a petroleum source or the possession of a territory. It is just not fair. 

I do not know what ISIS is and I do not want to know what it is. I just want to know who is able to kill people as if life was not a human right. As John Lennon said one day: "Imagine all the people living life in peace". Let´s be PEOPLE, not ANIMALS. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

A REDUCE OF SPACE DEBRIS IS URGENTLY NEEDED

Human beings think that they are the owners of the whole Universe. Moreover, they reckon that their activities are not going to have consequences ever. On the other hand, we are having testimony of the first problems that artificial satellites are causing not only in the Universe but also on the Earth. Therefore, before continuing acting on the space, we should be conscious about the huge problems that can be caused by space debris. 

Firstly, it is important to recognize that, even if we cannot see it, there is a huge amount of space debris orbiting the Earth due to the activities that astronauts do there, in artificial satellites. We can name a number go negative aspects of space debris in the Universe. First of all, we are visually polluting our Solar System. Future images of the Earth from the space will be covered by useless rests of old satellites that will not work any more but which will continue orbiting the Earth and contaminating the space around it. In addition, space debris could alter the normal evolution of space in case of crashing against other celestial bodies. 

Secondly, we are now spotting the consequences of space debris on the Earth, because it can pass through the atmosphere and reach land sooner than we imagine. On the one hand, space debris, if crashing into water, can pollute our hydrosphere (even more than we, human beings, are contaminating it). However, space debris could also crash against land casing more dangerous consequences, such as hurting living things (animals, plants, humans…) or causing a big explosion with further consequences too. 

To sum-up, space debris could have many more negative consequences for us than we think, therefore it is time to ask governments for a cooperative activity in the space and, consequently, a reduce of space debris. 

SPACE DEBRIS OUTLINE

I. Space debris can cause huge problems to human beings on Earth but also in the Universe.

II. Negative aspects of space debris in the Universe.

          A. It is visually polluting the Solar System.

          B. It can alter the normal evolution of space.

III. Consequences of space debris on Earth.

   

          A. Space debris can pass through the atmosphere.

   

                    1. It can pollute our hydrosphere if crashing into water.

                    2. It can crash against the Earth. 

                             2.1. It could hurt living things such as animals, plants, etc.

                             2.2. It could cause an explosion. 

III. Space debris could have much more negative consequences for us than we think, so it is the moment to ask government for a reduce of it. 

A LETTER - Effects of today’s adverts on the youth.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to this Department because I would love to propose an issue to be investigated in my Final Degree Work. Last month while I was babysitting my nephews I realised how much today´s advertisements influence young people.  Afterwards, I found this topic interesting to deal with in my output. Consequently, I would like to make a quick review of what this topic will consist on.

Advertisements or ads as they are called nowadays have many advantages. They offer a wide variety of products to be compared and they sometimes also send deep messages against alcohol consumption or unconscious driving. However, they have a huge negative influence on the youth too.

Adverts always have the right ingredients in order to become truly successful TV adverts and to achieve their objective of selling the product: a memorable tune, powerful slogans, striking images and so on. That is the reason why many young people try to follow the lifestyle that they show. For instance, adverts for fashion normally show top footballers and models with perfect bodies using their well-known products. This can lead to eating disorders in teenagers. When experts on advertising try to promote a product do not think at all about the negative impact that the ad is going to cause, they only want to raise television audiences and, consequently, their sale.

The simple truth is that most TV adverts make a big impact on young people and it is usually a negative one. I hope you will consider my proposal and be also motivated by the necessity of making young people conscious of the misleading appearance of things that adverts offer. I am looking forward to receiving your feedback about this.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda López.

OUTLINE

I. Technology is benefiting people´s daily lives for pleasure but also for working.

II. Technology for pleasure.

     A) Computer games.

          1. Playing online.

          2. Socializing: meeting people through chat rooms.

     B) Social networks.

         1. Facebook.

         2. Twitter. 

III. Technology for working.

     A) Professional webpages.

         1. Promote products.

         2. Advertisements.

     B) Online shops.

         1. Supermarkets.

         2. eBay.  

IV. Therefore, technology has mainly advantages because it is useful for all kind of daily activities. 

SITTING FOR AN OFFICIAL EXAM TO BECOME A CIVIL SERVANT

I would like to devote the present post to my current life situation. I say "life situation", because training to become a civil servant is not a task to be done but a lifestyle.

I shall start making a numbered list of most of the feelings and situations that people who are preparing to become a Spanish civil servant will experience:

Number 1:

You will spot your future as a very long empty way. "Long" because you have ten whole months waiting for you to suffer, memorize and learn. "Empty" because you have no idea of what you have to do.  You have learnt a lot through your four-year degree at University and, even, you have experienced real practice in a pair of schools. However, you continue having no idea of what you are expected to do in front of the jury.

Number 2:

Once you have accepted that you have to start walking this long empty path to the final test, you will feel drowned by thousands of tasks to do, laws to read and activities to design. Your time is a precious treasure that nobody is allowed to interrupt. Your mum can go into your room and ask "something" (I say "something" because you will never listen to what she is telling you), but you will be too busy and concentrated to pay attention.  

Number 3:

You must recognize that this will be your face during the next few months. It does not matter what time of the day you are at, you will be always desperate, angry, overwhelmed and bored. 

Number 4:

This is the note to hang from your room door. You are closed, unavailable, out of order, inaccessible… You do not have social life any more. Social life is only for people who do not want to become civil servants. No festivities, no holidays, no days off… Your life is devoted to your books and notebooks.

Number 5:

Your future is uncertain. Of course you are studying and working hard but… will you get a definite post? Nobody knows. Your destination is unknown because your efforts can be dissolved at the time you receive your final marks. 

Number 6:

Nevertheless, one day you will realize that you have no choice. You cannot start thinking about what will happen or not. This is your present time and you have to carry on following your dream, because sooner or later, at some point along your long empty path, you will reach your such a wished illusion.