To my Dearest Teacher

Dear Mr Guillermo Levy,
I truly thank you for making me like History. I didn´t know such thing could be dome. I loved the debates we created in class and how the class was stressed free and everyone could voice their opinions and thoughts not only about history but also about anyother matter concerning us at that moment.
As a teacher to be, I only hope to implement your kindness towards your students your challenging class-discussions and all that I have learned so far.
I hope you are still teaching, spreading your knowledge, teaching by giving the example so that other students learn from you the way I did.
Thank you again for everything!

Romina Mermelstein

No pain, No gain

In any process of learning is impossible not to suffer in the way to achieve it.

As a result of her education, Rita has learned that there are sacrifices to be made (changing jobs, leaving a husband, changing friends)to achieve a certain goal and "your inner drive" will lead you to make those sacrifices.

The question is: How much pf you are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your aim?

Putting it in scale, I would say that Rita gained more than what she suffered. When we see all she has gained in the end, we realize that those sacrifices Rita made were insignificant compared to the way she lives now.

Take a look at all she has gained!:

*Independence

*Freedom in her decision-making

* New exciting experiences

*New friends

*Self-confidence

Isn´t all of this worth it??

Programme of Study - Question 5

Culture Clash or Culture Mix?

It is obvious that Rita and Frank have different backgrounds. Although there were times of misunderstandings ("off me cake"; the TV programme, and so on) there were other times where both cultures complemented each other and helped to overcome their problems.

I believe Rita was the most concerned about this clash, she was the one who felt she wasn´t up to the level of "Frank´s people" to have a discussion or simply to talk "about things that matter".

She is the one that is not happy with the class she is in and with the culture that surrounds her while Frank is thrilled by the way she speaks, makes herself understood and doesn´t want Rita to loose this important part of her life.

I believe we should get to know more than one culture at a time and form one of our own. Choose and select the parts you like, the parts you feel comfortable with and go with what you feel and believe and create your way. That is, in my opinion, what Rita does in the end. She is so intoxicated by this new culture that she cannot see properly.

When she takes the time to think about her actions (during the test) she realizes that each and everyone of her experiences have helped her create her own culture. That is why Rita goes to Frank´s office, she wants to tell him that she now understands the meaning of that "be careful" he once told her.

Programme of Study - Question 10

Educating Frank?

Both Rita and Frank have learned a lot during the course of the play.

Rita has learned that anything you want can be accomplished as long as you are persevering and eager to study and work hard. She has also learned to be independent, to listen to her wished and do what her heart tells her to. She has become a very strong, self-confident woman who is thankful for all the help and tools Frank has given her and, although is hard to let go, she knows it is the wise thing to do. Each person has to follow his/her own path to reach his/her destiny. Rita learned that the path she was taking wasn´t the one to reach her goal. She has learned which her real path is and how to walk on it.

Frank has learned to be more co-dependant and he has learned to express his feelings towards a person and not just to his poetry. He has also learned to make more challenging decisions and his has opened his heart to let Rita in.

The play finishes with Rita cutting Frank´s hair as an explicit sign of Rita´s contribution into this relationship the two of them have developed.

I say EXPLICIT OR CONCRETE sign because throughout the play Rita has contributed the same or even more them Frank has contributed. He has given her books, guidance. She has given him new points of view, confidence to believe in himself, a reason to stop drinking (although that is tough to change) : many things that books cannot teach.

In conclusion, "Educating Frank" would have been just as well a title for this book.

"SOMETIMES STUDENTS END UP BEING THE BEST TEACHERS"

Act 2, Scene 6 & 7 - What do you think + Question 5

Frank: Jealous, envious?

Frank has gotten used to seeing Rita around and the bond that they have created has led Frank into caring a lot about Rita. He wants her well and wants to still guide her in her decision-making. She is very independent now and feels that she can do anything on her own.

Frank is a little bit jealous. Not only because of her new life, new friends, new job, etc but also because he is not the center of attention any more. Frank is not the 1st one to turn to now when Rita has a problem but Trish.

Also, Frank feels a little bit envious by this new life Rita is creating. She has started from scratch, turned a new leaf and it actually LIVING her LIFE. I think Frank would definitely like to do something like that but doesn´t have the guts to do it. Teaching her and learning from her was a new part of his life and now that Rita doesn´t go to his office very often , seems that his life is going back to she same it has always been: dull.

During this scene, it seems like Rita has forgotten everything Frank has dome for her (besides teaching!).

That is why, taking into account this scene, I feel more identified with Frank.

It is nice to be the center of attention, to be the one a person turns to when he/she has a problem. It is only natural to feel jealous or betrayed when that stops happening. You feel that you were not appreciated.

Act 2, Scene 4&5 - What do you think?

Rita´s odd accent

Rita changes her way of speaking because she wants to talk properly. Frank doesn´t like it at all, he wants her to be herself.

Frank and Rita have different views on what means to talk properly.

Rita thinks that talking properly means talking in a sophisticated way, using fancy language and posh accent (in my mind I believe that it would sound like that).

Frank thinks that talking properly means talking the way she usually did, with slung language, talking fast and without caring what others think of her.

This, among other changes, is what Frank has been fearing all along: how much of the new environment has Rita acquired and up to what extent should she do it.

Should she change completely?

Franks fears for her, he never wanted her to change (although in the previous scene, he was excited by these new changes). In this scene, we can see the side effects of the changes, so to speak.

Frank has given Rita so much freedom in her choosing that now he doesn´t know how to cope with the new Rita. A very defiant Rita , trying to show Frank that she is now a little innocent girl any more, that she can take care of herself now.

Act 2 - Scene 2 & 3, Question 1

Rita´s changes

There are different aspects as regards Rita´s changes:

-As regards her feelings:

*After Summer School, Rita has build up her confidence. Not only has she opened up to meeting new people but also to getting to know new books, new poetry. She is trying to expand her knowledge on these new matters.

* She doesn´t feel old any more as in the beginning of the story. She now feels like the rest of those boys and girls sitting on the Grass, outside. She feels young (even though she is). She doesn´t feel that is late for her to start learning.

* She tells Frank that she asked a lot of questions during classes, that means that she was not afraid of making them or making mistakes. I think that is definitely Frank´job: he has been working on with Rita during their sessions, don´t you think? Trying to loosen her up, to relax and not to be afraid of making a mistake.

*She is living with a flatmate. Now that she is single, she is trying to get her life back on track, the way she always wanted and she is no longer living by the rules of her husband.

-As regards her experiences at Summer School and what she has learned:
*Her way of answering back to someone is not the same, she doesn´t make jokes now by gives "clever" answers. I think that the word is not clever but honest and respectful answers.

* Rita has never topped working: essays and more essays. Even though it was hard work, she liked it very much. I believe she didn´t mind working so hard because the whole experience (getting to know other people, listening to tutors and teachers, getting to know London, etc) was worth it, including the fact that she had to work a lot.

* Rita already knows the author Frank wants to introduce her. She even knows it by heart and what should be studied when reading him. Rita has enter into the University system, as I mentioned in previous posts.

However, there are things that NEVER change:

* Rita´s intention to reform Frank as regards his drinking problem.

* Rita´s intention to get Frank back into writing poetry (with her "subtle" present).

Frank is excited to see a renovated Rita. One that has learned a lot during the summer yet deep down she is the same Rita that he never wanted to change: a person who takes care of others, who explores her new experiences in depth, and so on.

Frank is shocked by how well she is entering this world, even though he never doubted of Rita´s capability.

Renovated Rita is peppier than ever.

Act 2, Scene 1 - What do you think?

I CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!

After Rita surrenders, she decides to forget about her dreams and go to the pub where her husband and mother are.

But when she sees her mother crying and saying " We could sing better songs than those" she is reminded of why she goes to Frank´s office, why she goes to see Macbeth and so on. She knows she can do better than that, she can do others things apart from drinking and hanging out in pubs. Her mother reminds her of her main objective: HER NEW LIFE AND CHANGE.

She remembers her main objective and the reason why she gives up many things (having a baby, agreeing with his husband, etc): she WANTS TO BE BETTER.

Her first hopes appear again, reminding her that by studying hard, and putting all her body and soul into it, she can achieve anything she wants.

I can even say that, maybe next time, she will have the guts to knock on Frank´s door.

Question 2 - Act 1, Scene 7 & 8 - Educating Rita

Share with your Students!

From the very beginning of the scene, we see a very caring and worried Frank who is 1st concerned about the way Rita enters his office (then he knows it was because of excitement), then he is concerned about her health and how she eats: "Look, how about a proper lunch?" he asks her.

This attitude of sharing, in this case the apple and the can of soda, between student and teacher is the one that called my attention.

In my opinion, this is a clear example that there is more to teaching than just delivering the lesson to the students but caring about them, asking them about their lives is also part of it.

In fact, Rita learns something in this "lesson": the difference between Tragedy and Tragic but what is important is the fact that Frank asks Rita about Denny, he invites her to his dinner party at his house, and so on.

HUMANIZE YOUR TEACHING!

THINK OF YOUR STUDENT AS A PERSON AND NOT MERELY AS A LEARNER!

Act 1 - Scene 6, Question 3

Rita´s Expressions

Rita uses a couple of expressions to emphasize how important the course is to her:

-"(I´m) Busy finding meself"

-" I´ve begun to find me"

-(to Frank) - " You give me room to breathe"

- " You just , like feed me without expectin´anythin´in return"

-(about Literature) " It´s providing me with life itself"

-" Coming here, doing this, it´s given me more life than I ´ve had in years, an´he (Denny) should be able to see that"

- " If it´s all in my head, he (Denny) can´t touch it"

What I loved about this Scene, is the fact that in this struggle for starting to work, the roles changed. In this scene, Frank is the one that wants to talk about personal problems, he wants to get involved in Rita´s life to find a way to help her. Contrary to what I may expect, Rita wants to start working right away, she doesn´t want to be affected by her situation, she doesn´t want to give Denny the satisfaction of having succeed in getting Rita distracted.

I like her last quote: " If it´s all in my head, he can´t touch it". It is dead true. Nobody can get into our mind but ourselves. Fortunately, our thoughts are ours only.

Act 1, Scene 5 - Question 1

University: Game with its specific rules

Frank tells Rita the story of the theology student so that she can realize that learning and going to University has its rules.

Unfortunately, you cannot do whatever you want(or write in this case); you have to stick to the rules that the professor imposes so that you can pass.

Sometimes you need the skill to "blend in" because that is what the professors, the University is asking for.

As Frank says, playing to be smart or clever is not the answer: that can get you into trouble.

I believe this story helps Rita to understand life a little bit more and not about just the fact of how to write an essay.

She learns that life has its rules and in some subjects is no good to break them.

In mi opinion, wanting to learn is absolutely key to start University, having that motivation is absolutely important but there are other things to take into account to start learning: TO KNOW THE SYSTEM.

If you understand how the system works, you can get into this game that is called LIFE.

Act 1, Scene 3&4 - Question 2

Frank´s room and the "Proper" Students

Rita loves Frank´s room. She thinks he has taste. She looks at it as her ideal room: full of knowledge, messy yet attractive. I believe she can smell when wisdom is around her and that turns her into somebody who is eager to learn.

When she sees this room, her mind starts to day-dream. She dreams about having a room like that one, having another life and fitting into the life of a "proper" student.

What´s a Proper Student? Well, in Rita´s terms, Proper students are responsible, nerd-like students who study all the time. She idealizes them and that is why she gets so upset when Frank implies that they are lazy or do not take education that seriously.

I believe that during this part of the play, Rita wanders if she could one day be at the same level of those proper students. She doesn´t want to miss the opportunity of being close to them, in fact, BEING ONE OF THEM is her ultimate goal.

Act 1, Scene 2 - Educating Rita

Why does Rita want to study?

Rita wants to know everything. She wants to learn things. She wants something more out of her life rather than getting stuck in a mediocre life. What she wants is a CHANGE.

For that, she decides to study; even though she implies that she doesn´t want to become one of those snobs/show-off women whom Frank, her tutor, is so well familiarized with.

I have to give Rita a lot of credit: she knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it. She is a determined woman who decides to take some risks in her life. Even though she is nervous and her husband does not support her much, she is persevering.

I have only read 1 chapter so far but I already feel identified with Rita. I think that she decides her change to be dramatic for her life to truly take a spin: she starts University, changes her name from Susan to Rita, so that she can feel renewed.

After my trip, I also feel renewed.

I have not changed my name yet (haha), but what I can say is that exploring, visting new places and learning and more learning changes your life and that is what Rita is looking for.

Act 1, Scene 1 - Educating Rita

The laws of Hospitality

Savater has, in the end, related all we have read in the book with the word "hospitality".

I think this word is a gook summary of what being a real human being is.

Hospitality involves respect, treating people like people, helping others and so on.

In fact, I have just realized that by answering "you are welcome" to "thank you" you are showing hospitality, you are saying to this person that he/she should be comfortable in your space/home.

After reading the whole book, I can only ask myself: Have I been a real human being? Are my principles (or even my ethics) contradictory to my actions?

The only thing I can do is reflect on those actions, thinking twice and remembering which is my true self, what do I believe in and just follow what my heart and my mind (difficult but possible) tell me to do.

In my opinion, the best part of the book is how by not being selfish and helping others we help ourselves and make our lives better too.

I have learnt that the word "guest" is more than staying in a person´s property but also the hostess is a guest as well. We always need the hospitality of others because without them, we could not live.

So, BE A GOOD GUEST/HOSTESS TO BE A REAL HUMAN BEING!

10 años despues ante el nuevo milenio, Savater - Etica para Amador

Choosing and more choosing...

The act of living can be summarized by the making of choices. The question is how?

Well, as Savater says, is something you have to figure out by yourself. You can listen to different options or ideas as helping tools but you have to create your own life journey. It is important to create it considering your individuality as well as your uniqueness.

I have chosen (so far) in my life trying to reflect on what I want and how am I going to reach those wants. What I would like to add to my choosing process is what Savater calls "opening up" to others, to new experiences and to different joys.

I think we sometimes choose out of practicality and we leave aside the idea of choosing options that could lead to more and more other options. We should keep our minds open to new challenging experiences, even if those choices are not that practical and need a little bit of more effort to reach them!

We may be surprised to find out how those risky choices can make our lives better!

Epilogo, Etica para Amador - Savater

And it all comes down to "Human Rights"...

Ethics and Politics can be sometimes linked and other cannot. But, what they surely share is the fact that we as humans in isolation as well as part of a community want life to be based on freedom, justice and help.
These requirements can be summed up in what we call: Human Rights.
As teachers, we should keep on insisting with these rights, trying to teach our students to be aware of them and show them that they are not words written in a document but powerful actions that CAN be achieved!
Teachers play an important role in this process that is not only filled in by showing them what can be done but by being a part of it!
Because we are helping are future politician, doctors, lawyers, etc to grow up, we should at least share with them what we want for our society; those minimum requirements that each individual wants: to have the possibility to choose, to be treated with justice and dignity and to promote mutual help between neighbours.
There are some problems (hunger, poverty, and so on) that cannot be easily resolved. But, we humans can make our place to live a little bit better:

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal the World by Michael Jackson (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/healtheworld.html)

Try to make our world inhabitable and beautiful: MAKE A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND FOR ME.

Chapter 9, Etica para Amador - Savater

Carpe Diem!

Enjoy life, enjoy each day as unique.

As Savater said, we need to search for today´s pleasures. This way will be easier to make those pleasure real, true. If you piled everything up and try to look for all of them in one day, you will probably feel frustrated.

The key is finding a way to enjoy everything that surrounds you: family, work, hobbies....

You should do what makes you happy, what brings you JOY. If you do things out of boredom, routine or because someone told you (orders) then the day will finish with you felling rather miserable.

I agree with the fact that true pleasure means knowing how to enjoy your everyday life.

Even when things get tough, the idea is to find a twist in the situation to make the most of it.

For example. if you decided to start working in place you thought it would be great and good for you but then you realize that was not what you expected, you should find something in that job that challenges you and makes you feel excited to go everyday.

In my life I have experienced some tough moments (choosing doing two careers at the same time, working, trying to find some "me" time, and so on) but then I think about it and I know that If I could do everything all over again, I would choose the same path. I try to give one step at a time, trying not to rush to satisfy all my pleasures at the same time yet slowly and with responsibility I reach (and still reaching) them one by one.

Regardless the situation, you should live for the moment and seize the day!

Chapter 8, Etica para Amador - Savater

Put yourself in my shoes!

Two posts before, I wrote about treating people like people. After reading this new Savater´s chapter I realize it is not only a matter of respect but also a matter of truly recognizing somebody as similar to you. This is not an easy job.
We might be so blinded by our whims and views that filling somebody´s shoes can be harder than it seems.
However, we should try to understand the situation in full, from the inside; trying to adopt other people´s view points.
In my experience, I sometimes feel that because I think my view is so true and the only right option, I do not stop and try to analyse other ideas.
As teachers, we need to take into account out students´s viewpoints i.e, take into account THEIR RIGHTS.
If one of my students could not come to class, I shouldn't be mad or upset with him but I should try to put myself in his position, trying to analyse the reasons why he did not come: tiredness, job problems, family issues, etc.
I think this is what being open minded means: DO not stick to one option, opinion or idea; DO research, find out motives and fill somebody´s shoes!

Chapter 7, Etica para Amador - Savater

Developing our "moral good taste"

I liked particularly this sentence because I believe it is a process to build up this conscience that will help you decide which things you despise and which others you side with.

I related this "moral good taste" with the snap reactions or decisions we take when a situation shock us.

When I see that somone or even me is not treated "fairly" I cannot help reacting: weather it is disrespect, violence or any kind of injustice that contradicts my beliefs.

Nowadays, students seem not to know or care about how to treat their mates, family or teachers.

As teachers, we cannot just sit there and watch it happen. If our "moral good sense" is switched on, we have to react. We should try to show our students (maybe by giving the example) how to treat the ones that surround you and at least we give them a taste of our "moral good taste".

Chapter 6, Etica para Amador - Savater

GIVE RESPECT. GET RESPECT!

Treating people like people pretty much involves taking into account their wishes, their needs, in other words: giving respect. Showing these attitudes to another person will probably lead to reciprocity; i.e, you will get the same respect that you gave.

As Savater said, because citizen Kane gave no respect to the people surrounding him, he got no respect at all so for that he felt empty.

We feel empty, upset or even sad when we perceive that people is disrespectful to us. I think this has to do with us feeling little, less in front of others. In my experience as a teacher, I sometimes feel like my students are disrespectful to me but I still do not "lose hope" and I keep on giving my respect to them.

I think that to treat people like people is important to think about how we like to be treated and implement those thoughts in our everyday-relationships: at work, at university, at home, etc.

Even if you still do not get the respect you expected (despite you efforts), you still have that person´s respect that follows you everywhere: YOU!

In my life, I try to give and show respect for others: my teachers, my mates, my coworkers and of course to my students.

Even if you feel you are not being treated with respect, you should not give up. Keep on giving the example, showing that in our world we treat people like people (or at least it should be our ultimate goal, don´t you think?)

Chapter 5, Etica para Amador - Savater

Setting our priorities

As adults, we often think that we know our priorities, we know what comes first in our lives and what comes next. We think that we give full attention to those thinks we most appreciate and give less attention to the other things that come after in "our list".
In my opinion, this is not what actually happens.
We WANT to think this is what we do when, in fact, we end up giving most of our attention to the items of the bottom of our list.
As teachers, for example, setting our priorities (or even our expectations) towards what we are going to teach to a new class is extremely important.
Some groups need to build up confidence before plunging into the simple past, others live in a situation where respect, new opportunities and help are more suitable to offer or teach than the use of can/can´t.
What I mean is: let´s try to start being open-minded, to see the broader picture of a situation and finding out our students´needs. That will help us set our priorities straight ahead.
Chapter 4, Etica Para Amador - Savater

Being good, an universal definition?

Who can say somebody is good or bad? In what sense? What "good" really means?
There are more than one answer to these questions. The definition of this word constantly changes according to the environment where the situation is set.
In the example of Savater, the Nazi officer that killed the Jewish in Awshuitz was a very good officer from his superior´s point of view but not so much from the point of view of the families of those Jews that were killed.
Many people may say that this officer was just following orders and that it was not his fault (otherwise he may have been killed as well) but I think that this kind of thinking is an easy way out.
It is easier to blame somebody else, "wash your hands" and put the responsibility on others but we are no children. As adults, we have the ability to choose, despite what anyone can order us to do.
That is why, my motto is: "think twice, no regrets later". In the above example, the 1st thinking process may have involved only but to follow the superior´s instructions. But, if there were any 2nd thinking process, it would have probably involved the officer´s reflection on what he is really doing; that is to say, killing innocent people. If those 2nd thoughts existed, the outcome would be probably different.
Before we perform an action is important to think twice. The 1st thoughts are always made out of impulse but the 2nd ones involve reflecting and analysing which is the best way to perform a specific action. After finishing those two thinking processes, the choosing part is easier: you know that you are deciding consciously and carefully, taken into account what your mind and your heart tell you to do, so, in that way, there cannot be any regrets later on.
Chapter 3, Etica para Amador - Savater

Choices: Conditioned by the circumstances

Decision making is not simple. We are constantly conditioned by the circumstances surrounding the problem. For example, if , as a teacher, I was offered a job in a place where I would get a better salary than where i am working now, should I take it? I would have to leave my students in the middle of the year knowing that is difficult to start learning with a new teacher that uses other ways of teaching.
Making a choice would be a lot easier if we were selfish. We would probably think only but ourselves, believing that the only choice would be to change jobs because you would get more money and that would help you a lot. However, the truth is a lot different than that.
Maybe because I was taught not only to think of me but also to think of others as well. Unconsciously, I think about my future and the future of the ones that surround me.
In the end, choosing becomes tougher because you know that you cannot please everyone and at least one of the people involved will be unsatisfied.
As I said in the previous post, the key element in decision making is to consider every aspect of the situation and stick to a choice that you feel pleased and happy with (Even if that involves other consequences).

Choosing is an arduous and (sometimes) painful job, but choosing wisely and with consideration makes it easier!
Chapter 2, Etica para Amador - Savater

Not everything is black or white...

When it comes to making decisions about a controversial issue, there are more than one answer to the dilemma. If, for example, an adolescent is being violated in the corner of the street and you are watching, the simpler answer would be to get involved and help her because you think that if you were in that situation, you would want someone to do the same for you. On second thoughts, you know that if you get involved, you could get hurt in the end. So, what should we do? Help a stranger or help yourself?
There is not a right or wrong answer to this problem but we should try to choose wisely, taking every aspect into account. Even though we do have the freedom to choose, it is impossible not to let our feelings interfere with our decisions. Each decision we make will help as grow as a human being and also help us shape our personality.

Savater said that we are free to try anything we want even though that does not mean achiving it. In the case of our profession, for example, we teach because of a particular reason: trying to make the world better, helping the ones that are not in a very good economical situation, passing on knowledge, etc. If the reasons for teaching were accomplished so much the better. However, the fact that we try and put our soul in it makes it all worthwhile.

Making decisions, choosing what path to take, shapes our lives. It doesn´t matter if you make mistakes in the way; those mistakes are part of the experience of growing.

Chapter 1 - Etica Para Amador, Savater

Belive in Yourself!

We, as teachers or simply human beings, often forget about the power of changing lives. Every action we take part on or even the slightest comment on a particular situation can make a difference on another person´s life.
We may do it un consciously. Sometimes, because we do not believe that we can.
The number one rule to grow as a person inmerse in a society is to never lose faith in yourself. For every day life, trusting you and every choice you make is important.
Be aware that anything you want to do is possible if you trust in your abilities.
However, trusting yourself is not the equivalent to being cocky.If you believe in yourself, confidence shows. An outsider can see that part of your personality, and in the best of cases, you can pass that confidence on others.

So BE CONFIDENT! TRUST YOURSELF! YOU CAN DO IT!