My degree was mostly linguistics, I hated writing essays when I could be reading more. Languages were for nearly everybody when I started teaching and we were teaching better, students became fluent, had decent accents without "phonics" or Spanish through English from textbooks.

I don´t agree that some philology is useless. Not sure how else you can access C1 without philology content that includes modern linguistics, not the nonsense that passes for grammar in schools.
A friend of mine recently completed a masters in AI and he had to learn linguistics to be admitted.

The role play kills me. What is the point? Tell the students what to say in English before they hear the other person in the role play.

Cognitive overload for the examining teacher. A very stressful day.

I watched an ALL webinar last week that made me realise I have a lot to ponder before the speaking mocks in February.

I don't think I will ever teach it again, and I miss it. Stupid as it might be, it makes more sense than this "knowledge" GCSE, full of made up nonsense by non-native speakers and rules that have nothing to do with how one learns or speaks a language. If I could I would transfer to primary.

In a recent subject area meeting all teachers were concerned about the viability of MFL A Level. One school changed from AQA to Edexcel because paper 1 has less weight in the final grade.
My students have really enjoyed the syllabus. Boards are killing A level with ignorance and bad exams.

I'll teach till holidays. Exam week, I was sick but exams made it manageable. Yesterday I showed Y9 Saludos Amigos, gave historical content and I told them to focus on the portrayal of the four countries then and now and why. Poor behaviour made watching a movie not a nice experience.

Education reminds me of Tacitus: they create a desolation and they call it outstanding. Teachers are leaving the profession, UK children, unhappiest at 15 (just before GCSE).

Gove, Bennet and Gibb: I hope it is as good for you as it was for the rest of us.
www.theguardian.com/society/arti...

Children with more challenging needs often don't attend "outstanding" oversubscribed schools. They go to undersubscribed schools that have less money and overrepresentation of challenging needs. I am also reading of home educated children because they cannot cope with mainstream schools.

Overpromoted loud mouths arguing "evidence" while ignoring what is staring at them. A system allowing free academies to pick students, leaving other schools to clear their mess, as all children are entitled to education.

The siren suit is work wear? Please, where can I find out more!

I saw the tea party image before this one: what a gifted storyteller. I did not know her work, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Teacher for many years here, since we were "enemies of promise". We are still needed and it saddens me that the whiff of lazy uselessness we were tarred with is now spreading to doctors. Last year it was in the news that teachers and nurses were using foodbanks. Even doctors are militant now.

So this exam becomes more and more self-referential and removed from language use by actual speakers, not examiners.

We are teaching in a world where secondary school kids have not known si yo fuera rico for years. You can do it!

Not a good time for me now, but I will start saving for next Christmas :)
I love your work.

A bit related: I've heard Spanish kids say un dos, patata y arroz. As for the feminine pronoun... Spanish mothers swap genders for effect. My mother would say cerdo if I was making a mess, but cerda if it was my brother. Respectful distance? Intensifier?
Maybe an Asturian thing. We love piglets.