Idegennyelvek

Johanna Tengler:

Bad news for students, good news for teachers:

'should, could, would and may I ?? matter' - says Tim Whitney, an experienced native speaking teacher of English

Some of you have already met Tim when he visited our school in 2015, but let me introduce him and his teaching career in a few sentences:

Tim started teaching as a non-qualified teacher in a boys' school when he was seventeen, so he's got long years of experience. He didn't earn much money, so besides teaching he got a job on the railway. He went to college in 1967 and started teaching in 1970 in a High School and was given more and more lessons in the supposedly 'naughty' classes. Later he worked in a residential boys' school. He was teaching Maths, History, Religion and Environmental Studies, too. Later he worked in other schools, too. He even worked as a headmaster in Manchester. He retired when he was fifty years old and came to work in Hungary in the 1990s.

Tim still keeps in touch with a number of colleagues and student from the years he spent teaching in Hungary.

I asked Tim the following questions:

Johanna: 'Why is it important to learn foreign languages in your opinion?'

Tim Whitney: 'English has became the international language and so is very important for anyone who wants to work in industry or commerce or art or music, even in their own country. Most of the people I taught will be using English whether they work in education, banking, engineering or even in the world of art. Being able to talk fluently to one another is very, very important. It is the ability to say and understand the subtleties of language that matters. So should, could, would and may I ?? matter. Things can become very difficult when meanings are misunderstood and life is difficult enough without misunderstandings.'

Johanna: 'As an experienced teacher what advice would you give to language learners?'

Tim Whitney: 'For language learners the best thing is to be living in the country whose language you want to learn. It is best to have some basics of grammar and vocabulary before you do this. You can improve by watching television in the language you want to learn and there are lots and lots of apps for phones and free programmes on your PC which will help. You need to spend time doing this. As we say in Yorkshire you don't get owt for nowt. Translates as anything for nothing.

Tim Whitney and our class back in November 2015

Tim in class

Készítette: Tengler Johanna

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