It's better if you actually register though, because guests won't always necessarily be able to post (I've actually suggested to André that he changes this).
importance of the ancient languages
<< Or Pauline, do you have a myspace? >>
no. But we can talk on the langcafé if you would like. I haven't more to tell you, but for sure I can undertsnad how it is for you & if you wish tell me more it's ok :-)
no. But we can talk on the langcafé if you would like. I haven't more to tell you, but for sure I can undertsnad how it is for you & if you wish tell me more it's ok :-)
<< I am Dutch.
The spelling reforms are modernisations for the sake of modernisations, I feel. Funny thing is the Flemish are / were always winning the spelling competitions between Holland and Belgium. ( I haven't seen it for a couple of years)
I also just saw that the modern 'Our Father who art in heaven' in Dutch gained a whole new extra sentence due to modernisation.
I can just imagine the older generation in church praying aloud
already having finished and the new generation coming 3 seconds later. >>
Ja, iets moderisieren gewoon om alles modern te behouden alleen omdat traditioneel en ouderwets niet gerespecteerd wordt - tenminste het gevoel dat ik daarvan heb. De vlamingnen kunnen inderdaad meestal beter spellen dan de nederlanders ; het zal waarschijlijk iets te maken hebben met de opleiding, en de gewenste precisie, discipline of dergelijke.
Wat grappig dat er een neiuwe zin erbij is gekomen .Haha!!! dat de jongere generatie meer woorden kennen en zeggen ; dit zou in de kirk inderdaad raar zijn.
Uit welke regio kom je ? Niet dat ik nederland ken, maar het is toch interessant.
Tot ziens.
The spelling reforms are modernisations for the sake of modernisations, I feel. Funny thing is the Flemish are / were always winning the spelling competitions between Holland and Belgium. ( I haven't seen it for a couple of years)
I also just saw that the modern 'Our Father who art in heaven' in Dutch gained a whole new extra sentence due to modernisation.
I can just imagine the older generation in church praying aloud
already having finished and the new generation coming 3 seconds later. >>
Ja, iets moderisieren gewoon om alles modern te behouden alleen omdat traditioneel en ouderwets niet gerespecteerd wordt - tenminste het gevoel dat ik daarvan heb. De vlamingnen kunnen inderdaad meestal beter spellen dan de nederlanders ; het zal waarschijlijk iets te maken hebben met de opleiding, en de gewenste precisie, discipline of dergelijke.
Wat grappig dat er een neiuwe zin erbij is gekomen .Haha!!! dat de jongere generatie meer woorden kennen en zeggen ; dit zou in de kirk inderdaad raar zijn.
Uit welke regio kom je ? Niet dat ik nederland ken, maar het is toch interessant.
Tot ziens.
Pauline,
Do they actually teach you Latin in your school? You attend public school right?
Do they actually teach you Latin in your school? You attend public school right?
<< Do they actually teach you Latin in your school? You attend public school right? >>
LAA,
What exaclty you mean : Public school ? It's the opposite of private ?
In Belgium we haven't this two systems. It's possible that in the big cities there will be some private schools, but in the countryside all the schools are free (not private) although there are some catholic ones who have much things with the church.
I've put in a message before, that there are different schools ; the school where you will go depend of you. If you can make well academic subjects, you can go to the Athénée, and if you have more ability for technical subjects you go to another school. At the athénée Latin is obligaotry -this is your first foreign language. You must stuyd this but after you can stop when you make your choices for subjects. So, yes, at my school everyone learn Latin, because my school is athénée (in Britain it's name is grammar school, you haven't this in the US ?) Although they've told me my IQ is exceptionelly high, I didn't managed Latin -it's beautiful and intersting, but for me it was very difficult. I not leanr anymore this language.
Is it not possible learn Latin at school where you live ?
I'm going to sleep now, good night !!
LAA,
What exaclty you mean : Public school ? It's the opposite of private ?
In Belgium we haven't this two systems. It's possible that in the big cities there will be some private schools, but in the countryside all the schools are free (not private) although there are some catholic ones who have much things with the church.
I've put in a message before, that there are different schools ; the school where you will go depend of you. If you can make well academic subjects, you can go to the Athénée, and if you have more ability for technical subjects you go to another school. At the athénée Latin is obligaotry -this is your first foreign language. You must stuyd this but after you can stop when you make your choices for subjects. So, yes, at my school everyone learn Latin, because my school is athénée (in Britain it's name is grammar school, you haven't this in the US ?) Although they've told me my IQ is exceptionelly high, I didn't managed Latin -it's beautiful and intersting, but for me it was very difficult. I not leanr anymore this language.
Is it not possible learn Latin at school where you live ?
I'm going to sleep now, good night !!
« (in Britain it's name is grammar school, you haven't this in the US ?) »
That's right. I go to a grammar school in Britain. It's basically a free selective school. However, my understanding is that a grammar school in the US is actually a primary school.
The issue of 'private schools' and 'public schools' is rather complicated because of different words used in different places. Basically, in Britain, a 'private' and 'public' schools are BOTH independent fee-paying schools; the normal free schools which most people go to are called 'state schools'. However, in most other English speaking places and also France, 'public' schools are the free schools, whilst 'private' schools are the fee-paying schools.
That's right. I go to a grammar school in Britain. It's basically a free selective school. However, my understanding is that a grammar school in the US is actually a primary school.
The issue of 'private schools' and 'public schools' is rather complicated because of different words used in different places. Basically, in Britain, a 'private' and 'public' schools are BOTH independent fee-paying schools; the normal free schools which most people go to are called 'state schools'. However, in most other English speaking places and also France, 'public' schools are the free schools, whilst 'private' schools are the fee-paying schools.
Pauline,
You can say that our educational system is quite inferior to what you guys have in Europe in your welfare state. We don't have a wide variety of schools to choose from based on our particular strengths or weaknesses or talents. For the most part, everyone goes to regular public school, where we are taught the same standard curriculum. Nobody specializes in any field or trade when they are in public school. We all just study the basics, - math, English, science, social studies.. along with a couple of elective classes like an art class or a foreign language. Each day is comprised of 6 Periods, which last about 50 minutes each, with each subject consuming each period. A student's typical schedule would look something like this:
1st period: Algebra
2nd period: Chemistry
3rd period: English (a.k.a. - Language arts, reading, writing, etc)
4th period: U.S. History
5th period: Spanish 2 (Elective course)
6th period: Sociology (Elective course)
For those who can afford it, some send their children to private schools which are funded by a private organization and require that you pay a tuition fee. Only a very small percentage of kids attend these type of schools. They are reserved for the financially prosperous.
You can say that our educational system is quite inferior to what you guys have in Europe in your welfare state. We don't have a wide variety of schools to choose from based on our particular strengths or weaknesses or talents. For the most part, everyone goes to regular public school, where we are taught the same standard curriculum. Nobody specializes in any field or trade when they are in public school. We all just study the basics, - math, English, science, social studies.. along with a couple of elective classes like an art class or a foreign language. Each day is comprised of 6 Periods, which last about 50 minutes each, with each subject consuming each period. A student's typical schedule would look something like this:
1st period: Algebra
2nd period: Chemistry
3rd period: English (a.k.a. - Language arts, reading, writing, etc)
4th period: U.S. History
5th period: Spanish 2 (Elective course)
6th period: Sociology (Elective course)
For those who can afford it, some send their children to private schools which are funded by a private organization and require that you pay a tuition fee. Only a very small percentage of kids attend these type of schools. They are reserved for the financially prosperous.
So Benjamin, what kind of school is a "grammar school"? Is it a school where you select a trade and only specialize in that, like say, engineering? Or, is it just a private school in the U.S. sense of the word?
And university tuition is funded by taxpayers over there is it not?
And university tuition is funded by taxpayers over there is it not?
« So Benjamin, what kind of school is a "grammar school"? Is it a school where you select a trade and only specialize in that, like say, engineering? Or, is it just a private school in the U.S. sense of the word? »
It's a state school, or a public school in the US sense of the world. However, most people at my school are there because they passed an IQ-like test when they were 10 or 11, which supposedly showed that they were intelligent enough to go there. I failed that exam, but I was allowed to join last year based on my GCSE exam results.
« And university tuition is funded by taxpayers over there is it not? »
In Scotland, yes. In England and Wales, mostly, but I still have to pay for some of it.
It's a state school, or a public school in the US sense of the world. However, most people at my school are there because they passed an IQ-like test when they were 10 or 11, which supposedly showed that they were intelligent enough to go there. I failed that exam, but I was allowed to join last year based on my GCSE exam results.
« And university tuition is funded by taxpayers over there is it not? »
In Scotland, yes. In England and Wales, mostly, but I still have to pay for some of it.
Yeah, we don't have that luxury in the U.S. There's no diversification in public education like they have in Europe. In elementary and middle school, they place exceptionally bright students in programs like "G.A.T.E." (Gifted and Talented Education), although you still go to the same school as everyone else. We got to participate in debate teams between schools, do additional science projects, and recieved a heavier workload, although mainly the additional challenge was only of a quanitative nature. In middle school, they placed us in honor programs where we recieved a junkload of homework. As far as high school is concerned, there are no different high schools besides the normal one where everyone is elgible to attend.
Do you recieve a better education at your school, as oppossed to a regular public/state school?
Pauline,
With respect to the language classes offered at your school, would you say that they are pretty extensive? Here at our public schools, some students elect to take three or four years in one language. The names of the courses are assigned levels which identify them numerically, like:
French I
French 2
French 3.........
......... And most kids, after completing three levels, don't come out anywhere near fluent in the language which they studied. The little which they do learn is usually quickly forgotten. Those that go on to university often remark that they didn't learn anything in High school language class. And they usually suggest that I don't even take a foreign language class in high school, as I won't learn that much. According to them, I should just wait until I reach uni, because you actually learn something there.
You (Pauline and Benjamin) are lucky that the government at least covers some if not all of the cost of university. Here, you have to pay all of your tuition, and if you can't afford, you go into debt paying for it. If that is still not an option, your only hope is to recieve a scholarship based on merit. And the cost of university tuition fees grows faster every year, at a much greater rate than inflation, much like our healthcare system here. In the U.S., we're fortunate to have low taxes, low unemployment rates, and relatively rapid economic growth, but you guys recieve the blessings of a superior education and health care system. It's one or the other I guess.
For Europeans, it's very common for a person to be multi-lingual. Here, the vast majority of people are not, and this includes the millions of people who took foreign language classes in high school.
Do you recieve a better education at your school, as oppossed to a regular public/state school?
Pauline,
With respect to the language classes offered at your school, would you say that they are pretty extensive? Here at our public schools, some students elect to take three or four years in one language. The names of the courses are assigned levels which identify them numerically, like:
French I
French 2
French 3.........
......... And most kids, after completing three levels, don't come out anywhere near fluent in the language which they studied. The little which they do learn is usually quickly forgotten. Those that go on to university often remark that they didn't learn anything in High school language class. And they usually suggest that I don't even take a foreign language class in high school, as I won't learn that much. According to them, I should just wait until I reach uni, because you actually learn something there.
You (Pauline and Benjamin) are lucky that the government at least covers some if not all of the cost of university. Here, you have to pay all of your tuition, and if you can't afford, you go into debt paying for it. If that is still not an option, your only hope is to recieve a scholarship based on merit. And the cost of university tuition fees grows faster every year, at a much greater rate than inflation, much like our healthcare system here. In the U.S., we're fortunate to have low taxes, low unemployment rates, and relatively rapid economic growth, but you guys recieve the blessings of a superior education and health care system. It's one or the other I guess.
For Europeans, it's very common for a person to be multi-lingual. Here, the vast majority of people are not, and this includes the millions of people who took foreign language classes in high school.
« Do you recieve a better education at your school, as oppossed to a regular public/state school? »
The teaching isn't necessarily better per se. However, the extra-curricular activities are far better (for me, that's been lots of music, a conference in Poland and a French exchange, and I'm doing a Polish exchange next month). Likewise, it's a much nicer environment and I find the pupils to be much more agreeable.
The teaching isn't necessarily better per se. However, the extra-curricular activities are far better (for me, that's been lots of music, a conference in Poland and a French exchange, and I'm doing a Polish exchange next month). Likewise, it's a much nicer environment and I find the pupils to be much more agreeable.
<< Do you recieve a better education at your school, as oppossed to a regular public/state school? >>
It depend of what sort of education is the good one for you - for some people an academic education is better, for other people it's better having more subjects for exemple child care, hairdresser etc...
So, I think it's not a better one, but more a suitable one.
To go to Athénée you prefer academic subjects, but it's not required to be especially intelligent ; you must achieve a certain level of stuyd at your primary school. It's not a system comparable with ''GATE'' what LAA has described.
___________________________________________________________
<< For Europeans, it's very common for a person to be multi-lingual. Here, the vast majority of people are not, and this includes the millions of people who took foreign language classes in high school. >>
In Europe there's much differences also. For exemple, in the Netherlands the people can speak very well english, sometimes German, but not ask them speaking Spanish becayuse they can't. In Belgium, the flemish people speak well Englsih and many of them also french. Here in Wallonie, many are monolingual, or can speak some Ducth or English.
The general trend in all of Europe is learn English, but to say it's ''very common to be mutli-lingual'' probably is little exageration.
________________________________________________________
<< I find the pupils to be much more agreeable >>
I find this also. For exemple at my school there's not a problem with discipline, but at the other schools there's people who behave themself bad in the lessons or in the lunchhour, and this would upset me.
It depend of what sort of education is the good one for you - for some people an academic education is better, for other people it's better having more subjects for exemple child care, hairdresser etc...
So, I think it's not a better one, but more a suitable one.
To go to Athénée you prefer academic subjects, but it's not required to be especially intelligent ; you must achieve a certain level of stuyd at your primary school. It's not a system comparable with ''GATE'' what LAA has described.
___________________________________________________________
<< For Europeans, it's very common for a person to be multi-lingual. Here, the vast majority of people are not, and this includes the millions of people who took foreign language classes in high school. >>
In Europe there's much differences also. For exemple, in the Netherlands the people can speak very well english, sometimes German, but not ask them speaking Spanish becayuse they can't. In Belgium, the flemish people speak well Englsih and many of them also french. Here in Wallonie, many are monolingual, or can speak some Ducth or English.
The general trend in all of Europe is learn English, but to say it's ''very common to be mutli-lingual'' probably is little exageration.
________________________________________________________
<< I find the pupils to be much more agreeable >>
I find this also. For exemple at my school there's not a problem with discipline, but at the other schools there's people who behave themself bad in the lessons or in the lunchhour, and this would upset me.