Friday, September 25, 2015

Proficiency Lesson

The Refugee crisis.

In preparaton for a discussion and writing tasks to be set in class, please read through the articles here taking notes and creating a word bank of unknown vocabulary. Also watch the video on the Refugee crisis. This topic will be discussed at length in class so come with ideas! The comments section has questions for you to answer based on the video.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/the-dark-side-of-australias-refugee-policies-20150910-gjjhzi.html

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/syrian-refugees-you-are-welcome-here-20150909-gjimt9.html

http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=8994

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/greece-fights-next-crisis-and-this-time-it-s-not-about-the-euro

 https://youtu.be/RvOnXh3NN9w

A final text to read through written by someone on facebook.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ENOUGH OF THIS TRAGEDY!!!!!!
We have all witnessed the tragic events of the last weeks with the refugee crisis. We are all appalled by the dismissal by some governments of the situation. We are shocked by the abhorrent treatment of innocents, families, desperate mothers and fathers, children, infants!

What was their crime? What was their responsibility in all of this chaos that they now find themselves in? How are they accountable for the suffering that they now endure???

Well, there was no crime, no responsibility, no accountability and definitely no blame.

Who can blame a parent for wanting to protect his children? for wanting to leave the known and risk the unknown, for wanting to remove himself and his children from certain suffering and even death ????? NO ONE!!!

I live in fear of seeing the picture of the toddler washed up on the beach. I cannot bear to see it again because it causes me physical pain. I can feel the pain of the mother, I can feel the pain of the father, I can feel the pain of the siblings. I feel pain because I am HUMAN!

Governments turning a blind eye, governments talking of illegal migrants, governments not willing to reach out and help.......don’t you feel the pain? Don’t you see the pain?.......Are you human?????

It amazes me but once again that it is the have-nots that give the most and the have-it-alls that give the least and even that is given grudgingly. Greece is on the precipice, its people are floundering in depression-like conditions and yet so ready to give. But how much of what you don’t have can you give? The desire is great but the reality is harsh.

So to those of you who think you can pull the wool over the eyes of the world by dehumanizing or even vilifying these people, I for one would like you to know that NO we are not STUPID. We can see and we can feel no matter how hard you try to stop this. People are people regardless of skin colour, geography, culture or beliefs and they should be treated as such. My suffering today could become your suffering tomorrow. None of us knows what’s in store so do as you would like done to you.

Open borders, help the needy, give safety, give food, give shelter because YOU CAN!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Hello everyone! It's been a while but we are back with a vengeance! We are all set for another amazing school year and hope that you are too. Stay tuned to this blog for EFL material to help you improve your English language skills. There will be videos as well as articles that you can use to practise and improve you English.