Donald J. Trump -- My View

 

Donald J. Trump

President of The United States of America  2016 -- 2020

It is pitch black outside -- every lamp has been switched on -- people (if there are any) must be wondering why I've illuminated the whole street outside -- there may be a few Antifa zombies about, but they're invisible.  I have been awake all night and it is 5:00 anti meridiem (I looked it up ... I'm biding for time) but it will be be midday before I'm satisfied, although satisfaction may, perhaps, be left for the Comments section.

Let me be controversial, immediately.  Donald Trump has been one of the best presidents in United States history.  Once the smoke has cleared in a month or two ... probably, a year or two, when the criminally, despicable, Biden Family and their cohorts, Obama, Clinton, Pelosi, et al, are revealed, there will be a realization why more than half of the balloted population needed Donald Trump to establish a second term. 

Allow me to provide an example.  All during his tenure, he held popular rallies where hundreds of thousands of followers crowded to take part -- some wore MAGA hats, some didn't, and it was noticeable how peaceful they were -- yes, noisy, but peaceful.  Last week, a pre-arranged Trump March was held and, outside the White House, after keeping a peaceful crowd patiently waiting for more than an hour, he congratulated them and wished them well (An action that he will regret for the rest of his life) not realizing the terrible events that were to follow.  What followed, was how the crowd changed into baton-carying, helmeted, body-armour, rent-a-thug, Antifa, Chinese funded hooligans, very noticeable by their increasingly extensive use of MAGA hats.  Of course, the media were nowhere to be seen but, unfortunately for them, and fortunately for history, public cameras were everywhere.

During the next four years of America's non-democratic, liberal, social, communism, the Peoples Republic of China will further establish their planned global power ... and our children and grandchildren shall never forgive us.

Education 14 - Linguistics of Foreign Language Teaching

Teaching foreign languages may be considered by some as the prerogative of bilingual teachers.  This assumes (a) bilingualism, and (b) teacher training, but one important qualification is usually forgotten … linguistics.

     Bilingualism - Although a bilingual teacher should be able to teach reading and writing, listening and speaking must be the prerogative of the native language teacher.  This principle is also known for its importance with translators.

     Teacher Training - Knowledge of the subject is, of course, essential, but formal teacher training is crucial.  Registration at teaching colleges should center on graduates of major subjects, with concentration on teaching philosophies and practise.

Thus, from experience, one observes new teachers presenting themselves in front of classes with a teacher trainer hovering, necessarily, in the background.  Difficulties occur when a foreign language is the subject to be taught.  For example, a British teacher teaching English to British students would be a straight forward matter, but the same teacher teaching French to the same students will need additional qualifications and experience.  Equally, a Chinese teacher using English to teach Chinese to Bangladeshi students, a common example, will require even greater experience.

Linguistics, in these, and similar scenarios, is often ignored.  A common problem seen with learning a foreign language is accurate pronunciation in speaking and listening.  British students in London will have some difficulty if taught by a teacher from Edinburgh, and, obviously, Bangladeshi students will have even greater difficulty learning Chinese from a teacher using English as an implement (Even though English is an official language of the country).

Teachers of foreign languages are often unaware of linguistic principles and sometimes use their intuition towards success.  Others, usually, those without training, unfortunately, may develop unfair thoughts about their student's ability.  The answer is both interesting and simple, and therefore, enjoyable.

Linguistics teaches us that our speech varies enormously because of the distances that we live away from each other.  Over long periods of time, we create different words and phrases for the same thing.  Physically, our vocal cords adapt differently, such that one ethnic group is unable to make the ‘th’ sound, and another group will pronounce an ‘f’ as a ‘v’, etc.  Such detail includes those who may have many different words for one item, for example, the word ‘ice’ by the Inuit people, or the absence of the word ‘please' in the Chinese language. 

Such knowledge becomes enjoyable for most of us when it is realized that to overcome these problems we must study, not only the history and culture of the people, but the history and culture of the language.  In fact it is our duty to the students to diligently make this study.  Then, when you, next, face the student with an arm raised to ask the question, “Why are the words ‘meet’ and ‘meat’ spelt differently, but pronounced the same?” you could discuss Germanic origins, etc.  It is probable that listening to William Shakespeare would, then, be enjoyed.