Читать книгу The English Teachers - RF Duncan-Goodwillie - Страница 37

Setting the scene: I have sat in this long teacher training room many times for interviews and training sessions. This time it is different, though, as I’m with a colleague who wishes to remain totally anonymous. As a result I can’t describe anything more than the passion she speaks with, marked by the occasional levity.

VK: I did my BA in English Literature and moved to Moscow and did General Linguistics. Then, right after that, my CELTA and I joined BKC IH. I’ve been there ever since, going through all these extra certificates like YL* course, CAM** and now I’m doing my DELTA.

*Note: Young Learners are usually students between 7—16 years old.

**Note: Certificate in Advanced Methodology. An International House training course for experienced teachers.

RFDG: Why did you want to get into teaching?

VK: When I was in college, we had this internship where we were sent to state schools. We were divided among the teachers and got a chance to teach there and I just loved the feeling. Before that I’d been working as a translator/interpreter/personal assistant for an international film festival and while it was fun, I didn’t really want my life to go down that road.

RFDG: Was it a Russian state school?

VK: No, Ukrainian. In Kiev. I did my BA there.

RFDG: Is there a significant difference between Ukrainian and Russian education in your opinion?

VK: Well, I have experience with three systems actually. There’s also American – I graduated from high school there – and Russian college education. Russian college education is better in my opinion because it was more hands on and there was less Philological stuff that no-one can use in real life.

RFDG: What about between lower levels of education, like primary school and kindergarten?

VK: I don’t know. My son is in kindergarten and the system has been changing for several years. I know Moscow schools are quite different from other schools in Russia. Moscow schools tend to be better, especially if they are specialised like Math schools. There are Lyceums affiliated with the medical university here. It’s considered to be the best in Russia. Lots of kids want to get into these types of schools because they open a lot of doors.

RFDG: Why did you choose Moscow if you’re Ukrainian?

VK: I’m not actually Ukrainian. I grew up in Crimea as part of the Russian minority there. My parents come from Russia, but the reason I moved here was that I got married.

RFDG: And that was the only reason?

VK: Basically, yes. My husband has a business here so it wasn’t an option for him to move and I was doing my MA here at the time. It was the right choice.

RFDG: If you hadn’t become a teacher what would you have done?

VK: I had a dream of becoming a doctor, but my parents sent me to a language school from the start because it was the proper thing for a girl to study.

I can’t help but raise an eyebrow on hearing this.

VK: Really! I mean it. I used to be very bad at languages and had lots of problems with it when I was a kid. I was so much better at Math and Programming. They came very easily to me. It was like my second nature and I even won some Programming competitions. But my parents decided, because I was a girl, languages were a good career path. I went to the US for a year, came back here for the school leaving exams and then there was nothing else to do but enter a linguistic university.

RFDG: It sounds like you enjoy what you do anyway.

VK: I do. I’m not doing it because I have to do it. It’s not a means of survival. I had the choice of becoming a housewife, for example, but it’s not for me.

RFDG: Too boring?

She nods vigorously.

VK: Too boring.

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