A sotry from Greece

 

             Dear Persephone,

Your absence devours my heart like a famished wolf delights his first meal after month and month of abstain from eating. I feel like one of those wandering hopeless souls who stride along my underground kingdom.

I’m rocked by the melancholy of Charon crossing the Styx on his dark bark, singing a Lacrimosa which does not yet exist. But any lullabies can help me to sleep. Any ghost whispers, any agonizing moan, any tearful mother’s wailing, any human desperation have succeed to appease my loneliness.

Do you enjoy the life out there? Do you miss me?  I neglect my King of Hell‘s duties, thinking of you in this beautiful world full of happiness and pleasures. How can I imagine taking you back in my cold, dark place? But am I not Hades?  I despise their wishes.

 Why being immortal if I can’t be with you forever? I don’t care about their laws and their obligations.

Sorry, I’m being rude but our separation drives me insane.

Fortunately, your return is close. The winter will cover the world from above of his freezing snow and you will recover your throne. And nothing will interfere with our passion for four month in our cozy home.  

                With all my love.

                               Your devote husband.

                               Hades.

 

A different way of life

The Amish are people who form an old community religious, which is considered as a sect. There are different kinds of Amish which have migrated in America at various moments in their history, like the Mennonites.

They live in community and are really helpful toward each other. They choose a farming way of life, but a rural one, they don’t use tractors but horses.

They keep away the modern life by prohibiting electricity or telephone in their home and by limiting the use of television, radio or telephone in general.

By the way, they have their own interpretation of the Bible.

Their really different way of life can afraid some people.  For my part I can’t imagine living without electricity or telephone. I’ve always lived in a modern world so, I would have really difficulties to become an Amish but I think if you’ve never known internet, cell-phones or TV shows, you can live without all of these things.

But the fact that they live on the fringe of our society can afraid me a little, but I was born in a society rocked by “freedom” and different habits so if I were born in an Amish family I think my opinion will be different.

Moreover, the rural life could be interesting in an ecologist point of view but that seem a little idealistic.

Also their community spirit is attractive, this kind of spirit don’t really exist in our modern society.

                But this community spirit was questioned by recent events. A young girl and a man have had their hairs and bear cut by members of their community. But they’re not the only one, others attacks of the same kind have been perpetrated on other members.

Furthermore, a man, Samuel Mullet had been accused to force members of his community to sleep in chicken coop and to force women to have sexual relations with him in order to purify them of the devil. These kinds of assaults are really disturbing especially coming of a community which extols the virtues of loving each other and of having a community spirit.

But all society has its own demons.

What's wrong with your education system?

        

          1.Katherine Birbalsingh believes that there is a problem with UK's education system. Can you identify it within the first three minutes of the video? What is the problem?

   The problem with UK’s education system is the fact that people give excuses to the children for their behavior or fails. So the children are not responsible for themselves. There is a “culture of excuses” which can’t help children to understand their rights and their obligations.

2. Why does this problem exist according to this teacher? (from 3 min to 4 min 26 sec)

  This problem exists because of the “culture of excuses”, for example a difficult background can be an excuse for the child behavior. Katerine Birbalsingh think there are too much excuses and so children can’t work for real and be responsible for themselves.

3. What do the government ministers think about this problem? Who is to blame for the condition? (from 4 min 30 till about 6 min)

   The government ministers agree with Katerine Birbalsingh’s point of view, they did try to help teachers but they can’t really success. So they think the government is not to blame.

4. Which suggestions does Katherine make to improve the system? (6-7 min)

  To improve the system Katherine suggest “the idea of being responsible of your-self”, for everyone: pupils and staff and “having this culture of looking after everyone all the time”, get a job and a spot in school and be responsible for that.

5. Which changes would Katherine make in the education system if she were given a choice? (till the end of the video)

   If she were given a choice, Katherine would change three things:

-          Trust the teachers, head-teachers… etc…

-          Give them more power, more freedom, to help them to bring discipline in schools.

-          Looking at the exams, they become easier.

   Does the education system of your country have a problem/ several problems too. Which ones? Why would you say that? Which suggestions would you make to improve the situation in your country?

   Of course, our French’s education system has several problems. 

First, we have the same problem that in the UK’s system, the same kind of “culture of excuses” exists in France. Children’s behaviors are forgiven without blame except for the teachers or the school staff. I work in a canteen at lunchtime in a public school and sometimes it’s really hard for us and for the teachers to bring discipline and get silence because the children don’t care about sanctions.

Then, in France our exams become also easier. Soon, we will have our High School Degree without sitting for an exam. With that, our degrees will lose their importance and their meaning and it’s not a great new for us, students and teachers.

Moreover, we are not really good in languages. French people are worse than other people in foreign languages, maybe because of a poor practice of the oral language.

In conclusion, to improve the situation in our country we have to give importance to teachers and school staff,  maybe change the exams or improve them.