LETTERS TO ESPERANZA AGUIRRE

After reading some articles published on the international press about the cuts on education, BTO students from a non-bilingual school have written letters in English to Esperanza Aguirre, stating their own opinions about the situation. They are published below with their consent. English still exists beyond bilingual schools; I just wonder how long for.

Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

With this letter we want to protest for the staff-cutting measures, because it's bad for our education and future generations. With this staff-cutting measures some teachers hace to teach other subjets that they didn't study.
Also there are more students in the classroom. If the education is bad , now with these measures it will be worse. You mustn't give financial help to private education, but you must give this help to the public education.
On the other hand, with these measures the unemployment rate will grow.
Esperanza, we know that you want to privatize public education.

Victor Tíscar, Sergio Pérez, Héctor Jiménez, Roberto Secayán. 2º Bach A T



Dear Mrs Esperanza Aguirre,

The students at Galileo Galilei high school want to write this letter to you in answer to your education policy.
The consequences of the staff-cutting measures are varied. One of them is the rallies that teachers and students have prepared and will prepare in response to the government, because all students need a good education. These measures mean fewer lessons and it causes worse learning. Moreover, it's a problem for Bachillerato students, because they are going to do an exam to access University, and it's very important for the future of the country and for their own future.
For these reasons, we think that it is better to take money away from other less important things than education. For example, we can save energy and water. We hope that you think about our request, because if education is very good, the future of the country will be better than now.

Fátima Arrogante, Raquel Flores, Raúl Pérez and Alejandro Sánchez 2ºBACH.A 

 
Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

We want to tell you about our disagreement with the changes you have made in public education. This year we are a lot of students in the same class and we don't have enough teachers. Every year in the ESO we have been divided into levels, but this year it hasn't been possible. Due to the cuts, the students have fewer lessons in laboratories or computer classes.
We ask for classes with fewer students. We want the money to go to public education, and not so much to private schools. We also want more aids for books and school material for needed people.
We have been studying in public schools all our life and we don't want to leave public education because of worse quality.
We hope you consider our opinions and change something in favor of public education.

Artem Hrytsay, Aarón Alonso, Irene Ortiz, Sandra Pérez


Dear Esperanza,

We are five students from a public high-school, and we are writing a letter to express our worries about the stuff-cutting measures which the government has made.
Some of these problems are :
- Withdrawal of direct tutoring with students and this is essential to be ok in the high-school.
- There are more students in each class and less personal attention and for this reason the school quality is worse.
- Teachers won't have time to plan extra-activities.
To finish we would like you to change this law because it's very bad for public education and we haven't got the same chances as those in privte education.
Thank you for your time and we hope you to listen to our request and try to make our education better because we are the future of this country and its development depends on us.


Marta Souto, Elena Pascual , Andrea Baguena ; Sofia Morales y Ana Garcia



Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

We are sending you this letter because of the steps you have taken against public education since we are students from a public school in Alcorcon.
What encourages us to write this letter is our disagreement with your educational policy.
The strike is causing serious consequences on students, especially on the students of 2nd of bachillerato, who are missing many lessons in the year on which they are asked to face the University Entrance test. Due to the cuts, teachers and school are not able to provide basic services like library, back up teachers and sets.
Now that we've explained what's going on in the school itself, we're going to talk about the teachers' behavior.Students are cooperating and joining the teachers' movement. Protests and demostrations are being carried out around certain points in the cities according to their strategy, which is based on catching everyone's attention howards the complainers, so the protests are taking place in places like city halls.
We hope this letter will make you think about our poor situation.


Juan David, Cristian, Daniel and Ruben


Dear Mrs Aguirre,

This year I have been a really good boy. I have studied a lot at my public school to get good marks. I have helped my parents at home and I have looked after my little sister. I have even gone to see the Pope.
After all this good behaviour, I want to ask you for something. You should remove the cuts that you have made in public education since I hvae been such a good boy.
I don't deserve this treatment. I can't afford a private school but I'd love to have a good education. With your cuts in public education, that would be imposible for me.
For this reason I won't rest until you remove the cuts.
Good night! I'll prepare you biscuits with milk for you and your camels.
Enrique Bala, Raul Ortis, Isidoro Gonzalez, Javier Miguel 2º Bach A

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Watch the following presentation to understand Personal Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives in English.

A1 U1 Possessive Adje

View more presentations from crisholm

Now, if you are in 1ºESO you can do the activities in your Virtual Course



Look at the chart below with all the Personal Pronouns in English.

Let's revise personal pronouns by retelling "Little Red Riding Hood" tale.
Part 1 
Part 2

MADRID TEACHERS ON THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

On the second day of the strikes against the cuts on public education, Madrid teachers have been echoed today, September 21st, by The Wall Street Journal. You can read the article here.
It seems our voice is being heard. Will they hear it too where it matters most?
There is also a video. Your teachers are becoming international!!

CUTTING ON YOUR FUTURE

Most Secondary Education teachers in Madrid are feeling quite demoralized at the beginning of this school year due to the budget cuts imposed by the regional government. We sadly see how all the hard work and sacrificices made in the past years have been crushed into mere dust thanks to the miscalculation of those in power. It's not the two-extra hours that we're complaining about but the fewer teachers and the more students per class. Having students grouped into different sets according to their competence in English enabled teachers to attend diversity among students. However, this year's cuts will make them impossible.
The situation is not better in other countries, such as Chile or even USA, where they risk losing some good teachers. Nonetheless, there will always be people who speak up for teachers in public education. Matt Damon, whose mother is a teacher, made a speech in favour of public education in USA.

Wath the video and try to answer the questions below:



1. How many children did Matt Damon's mother have?
2. Why is Matt bald?
3. How did Matt get to the rally?
4. What did he learn at school?
5. What does he think about tests?
6. Why didn't he take standard tests?
7. What should teachers do rather than test students' knowledge?
8. What does he appreciate more now that he's older?
9. Who is behind teachers, thanking them?