TO SIR, WITH LOVE

To Sir, with Love /video

TO SIR, WITH LOVE

By E.R.Braithwaite

The Guianan diplomatist Eustace Braithwaite was born in 1912 in British Gui­ana. He flew with the R.A.F. during the war years. After the war colour prejudice precluded him from obtaining the kind of job for which his scientific qualifications fitted him. From 1950 to 1957 he worked as a school-teacher. In the sixties he was a Permanent Representative of Guiana to the UN. In1959 Braithwaite won the Ainsfield Wolf Literary Award for To Sir, with Love, a book about his experiences as a teacher in a school in London's East End. The other books that came from his pen are A Kind of Homecoming (1961), Paid Servant (1962), A Choice of Straws (1965), Reluctant Neighbours (1972). 

 (Extract)

Each Friday morning the whole school spent the pre-recess pe­riod in writing their Weekly Review. This was one of the old Man's pet schemes: and one about which he would brook no interference. Each child would review the events of his school week in his own words, in his own way; he was free to comment, to criticise, to agree or disagree, with any person, subject or method, as long as it was in some way associated with the school. No one and nothing was sacred, from the Headmaster down, and the child, moreover, was safe from any form of reprisal.

"Look at it this way," Mr. Florian said. "It is of advantage to both pupils and teacher. If a child wants to write about something, which matters, to him, he will take some pains to set it down as carefully and with as much detail as possible; that must in some way improve his written English in terms of spelling, construction and style. Week by week we are able, through his review, to follow and observe his progress in such things. As for the teachers, we soon get a pretty good idea what the children think of us and whether or not we are getting close to them... You will discover that these children are reasonably fair, even when they comment on us. If we are careless about our clothing, manners or person they will soon notice it, and it would be pointless to be angry with them for pointing such things out. Finally, from the reviews, the sensible teacher will observe the trend of individual and collective interests and plan his work accordingly.’’

On the first Friday of my association with the class I was anxious to discover what sort of figure I cut in front of them, and what kind of comment they would make about me. I read through some of the reviews at lunch-time, and must admit to a mixture of relief and dis­appointment at discovering that, apart from mentioning that they had a new "blackie" teacher, very little attention was given to me...

It occurred to me that they probably imagined I would be as transient as my many predecessors, and therefore saw no point in wasting either time or effort in writing about me. But if I had made so little impression on them, it must be my own fault, I decided. It was up to me to find some way to get through to them.

Thereafter I tried very hard to be a successful teacher with my class, but somehow, as day followed day in painful procession, I realized that I was not making the grade. I bought and read books on the psychology of teaching in an effort to discover some way of providing the children with the sort of intellectual challenge to which they would respond, but the suggested methods somehow did not meet my particular need, and just did not work. It was as if I were trying to reach the children through a thick pane of glass, so remote and uninterested they seemed.

Looking back, I realize that in fact I passed through three phases in my relationship with them. The first was the silent treatment, and during that time, for my first few weeks, they would do any task I set them without question or protest, but equally without interest or enthusiasm; and if their interest was not required for the task in front of them would sit and stare at me with the same careful patient attention a birdwatcher devotes to the rare feathered visitor...

I took great pains with the planning of my lessons, using illus­trations from the familiar things of their own background... I creat­ed various problems within the domestic framework, and tried to encourage their participation, but it was as though there were a conspiracy of indifference, and my attempts at informality fell pitifully flat.

Gradually they moved on to the second and more annoying phase of their campaign, the "noisy" treatment. It is true to say that all of them did not actively join in this but those who did not were obviously in some sympathy with those who did. During a lesson, especially one in which it was necessary for me to read or speak to them, someone would lift the lid of a desk and then let it fall with a loud bang; the culprit would merely sit and look at me with wide innocent eyes as if it were an accident.

They knew as well as I did that there was nothing I could about it, and I bore it with as much show of aplomb as I could manage. One or two such interruptions during a lesson were usually enough to destroy its planned continuity... So I felt angry and frus­trated when they rudely interrupted that which was being done purely for their own benefit.

One morning I was reading to them some simple poetry. Just when I thought I had inveigled them into active interest one of the girls, Monica Page, let the top of the desk fall; the noise seemed to reverberate in every part of my being and I felt a sudden burning anger. I looked at her for some moments before daring to open my mouth; she returned my gaze, then casually remarked to the class at large: "The bleeding thing won't stay up." It was all rather de­liberate, the noisy interruption and the crude remark, and it heralded the third stage of their conduct. From then on the words "bloody" or "bleeding" were hardly ever absent from any remark they made to one another especially in the classroom. They would call out to each other on any silly pretext and refer to the "bleed­ing" this or that, and always in a voice loud enough for my ears. One day during an arithmetic period I played right into their hands. I was so overcome by anger and disgust that I completely lost my temper ... I went upstairs and sat in the library, the only place where I could be alone for a little while. I felt sick at heart, because it seemed that this latest act above all others, was intended to display their utter disrespect for me. They seemed to have no sense of decency, these children; everything they said or did was coloured by an ugly viciousness, as if their minds were forever rooting after filth. ‘Why, oh why,’ I asked myself, ‘did they behave like that? What was wrong with them?’ 

  

Task 1. Watch the video To Sir, with love. Go through the link below to watch it.
https://ok.ru/video/36291938975

Task 2. Write a review of the film To Sir, with love. Send the audio file in the Google Classroom.

Task 3. Read the text and write the full analysis. Make a list of new words.

How You Can Survive Quicksand?

Can quicksand really suck you to your death?

Death-by-quicksand is a favourite of B-movie directors. But would a hapless cowboy or bandit really be sucked under? BBC Future pokes a tentative toe into the science…

We’ve all seen the films.  A man is caught in quicksand, begging onlookers for help, but the more he struggles, the further down into the sand he is sucked until eventually he disappears. All that’s left is sinister sand, and maybe his hat. There are so many films featuring death by quicksand that Slate journalist Daniel Engbar has even tracked the peak quicksand years in film. In the 1960s, one in 35 films featured quicksands. 

They were in everything from Lawrence of Arabia to The Monkees.

Yet the evidence that the more you struggle, the further you sink until you drown, is rather lacking. Quicksand usually consists of sand or clay and salt that’s become waterlogged, often in river deltas. The ground looks solid, but when you step on it the sand begins to liquefy. But then the water and sand separate, leaving a layer of densely packed wet sand which can trap it. The friction between the sand particles is much-reduced, meaning it can’t support your weight anymore and at first you do sink. It is true that struggling can make you sink in further, but would you actually sink far enough to drown?

Daniel Bonn from the University of Amsterdam was in Iran when he saw signs by a lake warning visitors of the dangers of quicksand. He took a small sample back to his lab, analysed the proportions of clay, salt water and sand, and then recreated quicksand for his experiment. Instead of people, he used aluminium beads which have the same density as a human. He put them on top of the sand and then, to simulate the flailing of a panicking human, he shook the whole model and waited to see what happened. Would the aluminium beads “drown”?

The answer was no. At first they sunk a little, but as the sand gradually began to mix with water again, the buoyancy of the mixture increases and they floated back up to the top. Bonn and his team tried placing all sorts of objects on his lab-made quicksand. If they were of density equivalent to a human they did sink, but never completely, only half way.   

Although quicksand doesn’t continue to pull you right under, if you can’t get free in time, a high tide can sweep across you

Why then, if physics predicts that you don’t endlessly sink further and further down, are there occasional tragic accidents where people do die, such as a mother of two who drowned in 2012 while on holiday in Antigua?

The reason is that although quicksand doesn’t continue to pull you right under, if you can’t get free in time, a high tide can sweep across you. This is really when quicksand can be dangerous.

So struggling alone won’t drown you, but we do still need to be wary. If you want to free yourself without waiting for rescue or for the sand to liquefy again, then Bonn’s research showed that just to release one foot, you would need to provide a force of 100,000 newtons – the equivalent of the strength to lift a medium-sized car.

In the lab Bonn’s team found that salt was an essential ingredient because it increased the instability of quicksand, leading to the formation of these dangerous areas of thick sediment. But then another team, this time from Switzerland and Brazil, discovered a kind of quicksand that doesn’t need salt. They tested samples from the shores of a lagoon in north eastern Brazil. They found that bacteria formed a crust on the top of the soil, giving the impression of a stable surface, but when stepped on the surface collapsed. But even then the good news is that basins formed from this kind of soil are very rarely deeper than the height of a human, so even if someone did slip into the quicksand they wouldn’t drown.  

Dry quicksand, however, is another matter entirely. The quicksand effect means that falling into a silo full of grain can often be fatal.

To survive a fall into dry quicksand, you need outside help as quickly as possible

In 2002 a case report was published telling the tale of a man who fell into a grain store late one evening on a farm in Germany. By the time the firefighters were able to establish which of eight tanks he was in, the grain was up to his armpits and acting according to the classic idea of quicksand, was dragging him down. Each time he exhaled, the volume of his chest reduced, causing grain to rush to fill the gap and making it progressively harder for him to breathe.

A doctor was lowered down on a rope to give him oxygen and a harness was placed around the man’s chest. But soon he was experiencing agonising chest pain and the doctor developed an asthma attack brought on by the dust. The firefighters did come up with a clever solution, though. They lowered a cylinder over the man’s body. Then as they sucked the grain out with an industrial vacuum, the grain couldn’t fall more tightly around him, and he survived.  

To survive a fall into dry quicksand, you need outside help as quickly as possible, but what if you find yourself in some wet quicksand, not drowning, but stuck? You need to wiggle your leg a little in order to introduce water to the sand around your feet to liquefy the sand again. The idea is to stay calm (which might be easier said than done), lean back and spread out to spread your weight more evenly and wait until you float back up to the surface. And don’t forget your hat.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160323-can-quicksand-really-suck-you-to-your-death

Disclaimer

All content within this column is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this site. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.

Task 1. Read the article. Make a list of new words with their definitions written out.
Task 2.Translate the passage from “Death-by-quicksand is a favourite...one in 35 films featured quicksands.” in a written form. 

Task 3. Make up and write 5 questions related to the logical parts to the article.
Task 4. Watch the video How You Can Survive Quicksend and say how is it related to the contence of the article.Justify your point of view. Send me back a recorded audio file with the answer.
Task 5. Write and send the rendering of the article Can quicksand really suck you to your death?

Isaac Asimov. The Fun They Had.

Task 1. Watch the video Isaac Asimov on The David Letterman Show, October 21, 1980.

Task 2. Go through the link below and watch the vide Isaac Asimov talks about superstition, religion and why he teaches rationality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSxMZBp-2Zs

Task 3. Think and say whether the video is related to the Text below. Which way?

Task 4. Read the text and write the analysis.

The Fun They Had

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17, 2155, she wrote, Today Tommy found a real book!

It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.

They turned the pages, which were yellow and crankily, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to – on a screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

Gee, said Tommy, what a waste. When you’re though with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.

Same with mine, said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen.

She said, Where did you find it?

In my house. He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. In the attic.

What’s it about?

School.

Margie was scornful. School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school. Margie had always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at her and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part she hated the most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.

The inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted her head. He said to her mother, It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs. Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the over-all pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. And he patted Margie’s head again.

Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

So she said to Tommy, Why would anyone write about school?

Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Margie was hurt. Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago. She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, Anyway, they had a teacher.

Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.

A man. How could a man be a teacher?

Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.

A man isn’t smart enough.

Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.

He can’t. A man can’t know as much as a teacher.

He knows almost as much I betcha.

Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.

Tommy screamed with laughter. You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.

And all the kids learned the same thing?

Sure, if they were the same age.

But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.

Just the same, they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.

I didn’t say I didn’t like it, Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.

They weren’t nearly half finished when Margie’s mother called, Margie! School!

Margie looked up. Not yet, mamma.

Now, said Mrs. Jones. And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.

Margie said to Tommy, Can I read the book some more with you after school?

Maybe, he said, nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.

Margie went to the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except for Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

The screen was lit up, and it said: Today’s arithmetical lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.

Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the school yard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things so they could help one another on the homework and talk about it.

And the teachers were people…

The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen. When we add the fractions ½ and ¼ …

Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.

ALONE

1.       Read your extract of the story.

2.       Note down all words/expressions you might like to teach your colleagues.

3.       Describe the setting.

4.       List and describe the characters.

5.       Define the style and technique used in this short story.

6.       Be ready to summarize the extract you read.

7.       Be ready to read it aloud. Check pronunciation. Use a dictionary.

8.       Summarize and read your extract of the story.

9.       What is the story really about? Discuss.

10.     Write an ending to this story. Write about 100 words.

KEY / NOTES

SETTING

May 17, 2155 No schools as we know them; children stay at home and have mechanical teachers (machines) that explain, check and assess. Materials and subject-matter set to fit each child individually, and each child is taught differently. Children ‘communicate’ with teacher by means of a punch-card which they learn to use at six. Books are not printed, only on-screen (tele-books).

Margie	11 years old (but the inspector sets her ‘teacher’ for an average 10-year-old); just a child so has no experience; curious (wants to find out more about the mysterious book/reads over Tommy’s shoulder). Doesn’t like school, hates homework and tests; looks up to her brother
Tommy	Margie’s friend (probably, he lives in another house); 13-year-old boy; likes to give himself airs (show off) when Margie is around; acts superior and patronizing;
Mother/ Mrs Jones	Very strict with ‘school’ timetables; believes you should learn at regular hours; worries about her daughter’s learning
Inspector	Round lttle man with red face; friendly, pats Margie’s head; encourages her; tries to boost back confidence back; sets her teacher so lessons will be easier
Teacher	A machine that sometimes malfunctions/breaks down/’crashes/goes blank/is not adjusted. Large, black and ugly screen with a slot to insert punch cards. Made of dials and wires.

STYLE & TECHNIQUE

Informal style. Past tenses mainly – past simple / past perfect simple and continuous The narrator conveys the atmosphere and the naivety of 10-13 year-olds. Simple sentences, mostly dialogue to portray the atmosphere – and the mind – of children. Interjections (Gee); childish talk ‘My father knows more…’; the thrill of discovering things…

THEME

Set in the future but not really about the future… The things we take for granted because we don’t know more; we grow up with them and we don’t even imagine they can be different; Also about learning: how do you learn? And interaction and communication: you need to be with your peers… (there’s always talk about machines ‘suck life out of you’ SEE BELOW

Press lesson for 9.04.2020

Task 1. Read the article "Coronavirus in Suifenhe: Remote border town locks down as China opens up". Make a list of new words with their definitions written out.

Task 2. Translate the passage from “A Chinese city on the Russian border is entering… something of a hotspot.” in a written form.

Task 3. Make up 5 questions related to topic of the content of the article. 

Task 4. Write and send a rendering. 

Task 5. Go through this link https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52225475  to watch the video “Message from Wuhan: "Learn from our mistakes". Is it related to the topic of the article? How? Justify your point of view. Send me back a recorded audio file with the answer.

Coronavirus in Suifenhe: Remote border town locks down as China opens up

A Chinese city on the Russian border is entering a "lockdown" due to an increase in coronavirus cases - even as the rest of China cautiously opens up.

In Suifenhe, 1,000 miles from Beijing, people have been ordered to stay indoors, with some exceptions.

The border is closed to people, although not goods, and a 600-bed isolation hospital is being built.

One business owner told the BBC she was "very scared" - but another local said he had confidence in the government.

What is the virus situation in Suifenhe?

On Wednesday, China reported 59 imported cases of Covid-19 across the whole country.

According to state media, 25 of them entered the country via Suifenhe - making the remote north-east crossing something of a hotspot.

 

The patients were all returning Chinese citizens who had flown from Moscow to Vladivostok, a Russian city around 100 miles south.

All the new patients were taken to hospital, with two in a serious condition.

In addition, another 86 people in Suifenhe - who came via the same route - were classed as "asymptomatic" but positive for the virus, which China counts separately.

What has Suifenhe done?

The border was closed to people on Tuesday, the local government said, although cargo can continue. Russia closed its border with China in February.

People in the city have been told to stay at home, although the lockdown isn't as severe as Hubei province experienced. One person per house can shop for essentials every three days.

At the same time, the new hospital - in an existing building - is due to open this weekend, intended for patients with mild symptoms.

"Of course I'm very scared," one woman who runs a bakery shop told the BBC.

"We don't leave the house now. Many people already left the city. But we can't do that, because we have a shop need to take care of."

Meanwhile, a member of staff at a restaurant in the city said it was normally their high season, with around 1,000 customers a day.

Instead, they were told to close earlier this week, with "no idea" when they can open again.

But the staff member was not critical of the government. He said the lockdown made him feel "secure" - and that he was "very confident" the government would look after the situation.

What is the situation in the rest of China?

China's recorded rate of Covid-19 infections has slowed dramatically in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, it reported no new deaths for the first time since publishing daily figures in January.

On Thursday, it reported 63 cases - 61 imported from overseas - and just two new deaths.

The "flattening of the curve" has allowed restrictions to be lifted, and some normality to return.

China records no new virus deaths for first time

Can we trust China claims of virus success?

On Wednesday, people were allowed to leave Wuhan - where the outbreak emerged - for the first time in 11 weeks if they were deemed virus-free.

There were 221 inbound and outbound flights, with more than 7,000 people leaving and 4,500 arriving. More than half a million used public transport, state media reported.

But although people from Wuhan can leave, they still face restrictions in other cities. In Beijing, for example, they will be tested upon arrival, according to local media.

Even if they pass, they will then be quarantined for 14 days - and tested again - before being released.

Compulsory Assignments for Group 2,1 - 3rd year

Compulsory Assignments for Group 2,1 -  3^rd year

24 March, Tuesday	CB	Test on Unit 5 The tasks will be delivered at 12:20 on Google Classroom and on http://dinintohead.blogspot.com/
25 March, Wednesday CB	CB Unit 6 Education	1 Reading pp. 126-127 2 Make a list of unknown words; make up sentences (min. 6 sent). 3 Tasks 1,2,3 4. Answer the questions to the text (Task 8, p. 134)
26 March, Thursday	Grammar	Do the ex. 7,8,9,10, 11 (Home task) Do the test on Survey Monkey and Google (Subject and Predicate).  The links will be delivered at 12:20 on Thursday.
7 March, Tuesday 12:20	CB	1 Glossary on page 129 2 Word study – 1,2,3 make up a short story 3 Tasks 4,5,6 4. Summarize the text
8 April, Wednesday 10:15	CB	1 Tasks 7,8,9,10,11,12 2 Make up sentences using the first 17 words from Glossary
9 April, Thursday 12:20	Grammar	Do the test on Coogle classroom (Subject predicate agreement) Do the ex. 13,14,15,16 Study §§ 22-28. Object Read the info on https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/objects
13 April, Monday 10:15	Home Reading	Discussing a short story Hubert and Minnie by Aldous Huxley (do the tasks on smartenglish-5.blogspot.com)
14 April, Tuesday 10:15	CB	1 Make up sentences using the words from 18 to 34 from Glossary 2 Task 13 – read, translate, summarize 3 Tasks 14,15,16
15 April, Wednesday 8:30	CB	1 Word study – make up sentences 2 Task 17 (Listening) 3 Task 18 Watch the video “Great education in Great Britain” https://dinintohead.blogspot.com/search/label/UNIT%206%20Video 4 Task 19. Make a PPT on:       Primary and secondary education in GB       Types of schools in GB       Higher education in GB
16 April, Thursday 8:30	Grammar	Object. Types of Object. §§ 22-28.  Ex. 17,18,19 Attribute. Study §§ 29-33. Ex. 20-21.
21 April, Tuesday 12:20	CB	1 Language focus tasks 20,21,22,23,24. pp. 140-142. 2 Listening tasks 29, 30. pp. 143-144.
22 April, Wednesday 10:15	CB	1 Language focus tasks 25,26,27,28. pp. 142-143 2 Opinion writing.    Do the tasks 31,32,33,34,35  pp. 145-148. 3 Supplementary reading.    Read the text “To Sir, with Love” by E.R.  Braithwaite.
23 April, Thursday 12:20	Grammar	Adverbial modifier. Types of AM. §§ 34, 35. Ex. 22, 23. Detached parts of the sentence. §§ 36,39 Ex. 27 The Independent elements of the sentence §§ 40,41 Ex. 26
27 April, Monday 10:15	Home Reading	Discussing a short story ‘The Rocking-Horse Winner’ by D. H. Lawrence (do the tasks on smartenglish-5.blogspot.com)
28 April, Tuesday 10:15	CB	1 Opinion writing.    Do the tasks 36, 37, 38, 39 pp. 148-151. 2 Discussing “To Sir, with Love” by E.R.  Braithwaite. Make a summary.
29 April, Wednesday 8:30	CB	1 Revise the vocab of Unit 6. (Glossary, word study, language focus) 2 Analyse “To Sir, with Love” by E.R.  Braithwaite. (Post you analyses in Google Class) 3 Read the text ‘Critical Issues Facing Education’ Summarise.
30 April, Thursday 8:30	Grammar	The Compound sentence. §1,2 Ex. 1The Complex sentence §§ 3, 4,5. Ex. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IYy_xZEdPg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5RwztLGdPI&t=9s