Magazine for and by

English learners and teachers

Editors

Maja Ivanović prof

Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar

Irena Pavlović prof mentor

Srednja škola Čazma

email sparklesnewslettergmailcom

Facebook httpswwwfacebookcomSparklesnewsletter

lsquoWould you tell me please which way I ought to go from herersquo Alice asked

lsquoThat depends a good deal on where you want to get torsquo said the Cat

lsquoI donrsquot much care wherendashlsquo said Alice

lsquoThen it doesnrsquot matter which way you gorsquo said the Cat

lsquondashso long as I get SOMEWHERErsquo Alice added as an explanation

lsquoOh yoursquore sure to do thatrsquo said the Cat lsquoif you only walk long enoughrsquo

This brief dialogue from chapter 6 of Alice in Wonderland is one of my

favourite book quotes of all time It is often shorten to If you dont know

where you are going any road will get you there which basically does the

trick ndash it tells us the whole point is not arriving to our destination but

enjoying the journey

With December on our calendars we have made another 365 steps on our

way One more year has come to its end and it is time to count the score

Has it been a good one Do the memories yoursquove made put a smile on your

face Have you learnt anything new Been somewhere yoursquove never been

before Met the people who make your life better If the answers are

affirmative then you did well If nothellip well there is always a new year ahead

with hundreds of blank pages for you to fill in

For me 2015 has been amazing All the changes were for the better ndash

simply because I have decided that they would bring if nothing else an

idea what I do not want happening again Life is made of 10 of what

happens to us and of 90 of how we react to it Keep that in mind

And in the meantime browse through the issue on front of you Fall through the rabbit hole meet the Mad Hatter see what is going on in the English Proficiency Centre and the School of Economics and Tourism in Daruvar find out something about curricular reform CARNet usersrsquo conference and current UK slang And donrsquot miss out Lararsquos column Sentiments like hers are what keeps your teachers going See you on February 1st

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles lsquoWhere shall I begin please your Majestyrsquo he asked lsquoBegin at the beginningrsquo the King said gravely lsquoand go on till you come to

the end then stoprsquo IP

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

Romana Gašpar prof mentor

The School of Economics and

Tourism Daruvar

Lara Lovrić

High School ldquoAugust Šenoardquo

Garešnica

Or Did they

is proud to present Alternative

fairy tales written by second grade grammar

school students from High

November December 2015 Issue 2615

Lion King

Written by Denis Savić

httpissuucommajaivanovic1docsthe_lion_king

Snow White

Written by Matea Valenta

httpissuucommajaivanovic1docs snow_white

Erasmus+ from Daruvar 2

Curricular reform 3

150 years of Alice in Wonderland 4

UK slang 6

Live from EPC 8

With or without you 10

What makes a great teacher 11

Inside this issue

2

Students Begin Erasmus+ Project

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROATIA ACROSS EUROPE

Twenty students of School of Economics and tourism Daruvar are about

to begin a two year European project on entrepreneurship This Erasmus

plus project is funded by the European Union and the Agency for

mobility and EU programmes It is aimed at inspiring and developing

our businessmen and women of the future The students will work with

schools and colleges in six other European countries the aim is that the

students will develop a business plan for a new product or service and

present their idea in a lsquoDragonrsquos Denrsquo style format at a final business

conference in Romania In the meantime members of the Daruvar team

will visit the partner schools take part in activities to help them develop

their business plan and visit successful inspiring entrepreneurs in France

Italy Spain Portugal Romania and the UK Three students of School of

Economics and tourism Daruvar will be visiting the French partner

college in Toulouse in November 2015 The students and teachers from

all the schools and colleges will be visiting Daruvar during the next

academic year RG

SHARING A LONG TRADITION OF WINE GROWING ACROSS EUROPE

School of Economics and tourism Daruvar has just begun a two-year

European project on wine growing as an integral part of the European

cultural heritage This historical beverage travelled through Europe and

can be labelled as a symbol of common European roots a promoter of

civilization collaboration and exchanges between different countries as

well as a boost for the economy in ancient times and today

This project revolves around the development of friendship and

connections between the people of Europe and aims at highlighting our

common history while retaining local characteristics

We aim at raising awareness on our European citizenship among

students and shining a light on the common culture we have been

sharing for a long time

We will work with schools from France Italy Slovenia and Greece The

first kick-off meeting was held in Slovenia with the aim to agree on the

tasks and their implementation Twenty students will have a chance to

visit the partner schools and share their knowledge with their peers The

Erasmus+ team is working hard on the current tasks preparing for the

first student exchange in Marignane France in December 2015 The

partner students and teachers from all the schools will be visiting

Daruvar during the next academic year RG

School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar Begins Erasmus+ Project on Wine

The Erasmus+ students pictured are Meri Sabo Ilija Darmanović

Mario Volgemut Paolo Kurtović Barbara Drkulec

Lorena Čikor and Ivana Komljenović

The teachers pictured are Erasmus+ teams from partner schools

3

Curricular reform (well) under way

For the first time in Croatian history education is being closely

examined and thoroughly studied What is good and should be

preserved vs what isnt and needs to be improved or just

modernized

430 people are currently working on what has been neglected

for the past 25 years Practitioners and theoretical experts from

various institutions ndash from kindergartens to universities All

working together to bring the ideas from the National Strategy

of Science Education and Technology to life For the first time

we have a reform of creation not reduction

Though mostly mentioned as an isolated thing curricular reform

is just one segment of the Strategy It refers to and deals with

all the levels of primary and secondary education

kindergartens and preschools primary schools and all kinds of

secondary schools grammar vocational and art schools Its first

part includes preparing all the necessary national curricula ndash the

documents responding to the needs of different levels of

education of curricular areas subjects and cross-curricular

topics (see picture) Next to those curricula task forces also

work on documents proscribing a whole new way of monitoring

giving feedback and evaluating students and separately on

curricula for students with special needs ndash the gifted ones and

those experiencing various difficulties

The curricula should be published online in January 2016 and

open for discussion Once they have been adopted by the

authorities a new phase of reform starts But more about that in

the upcoming issues of Sparklescopy IP

17th CARNet Users Conference

NeW-Schools

The 17th CARNet Users Conference CUC was held in Dubrovnik from 18th to 20th November 2015 under the title New Schools

This year through its e-Schools project CARNet has begun the systematic transformation of teaching and educational processes by

creating new digitally mature schools The foundation of such a school is a digitally competent teacher who assists in the development of

creative and critical thinking in his or her students Technology has erased the limits in peoples lives and the classroom is a place where it

can be demonstrated how collaborative learning and connecting create a better view and understanding of the world The Internet is

becoming the medium through which the world is observed so why not discover apps contents multimedia and other formats within that

medium and show the best way to use them in teaching

CuC did its best to familiarise teachers with the challenges of new network technologies as well as with the background of ones mobility

and the ways in which online resources are used In digitally mature schools students and teachers develop digital competences and learn

through innovative educational methods There are modifications which need to be implemented in the field of learning and technology in

e-schools and CuC tried to reveal them The participants had a chance to share experiences problems and solutions related to the

application of new technologies in teaching IP

4

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 ndash 14 January 1898)

better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll was an English

author mathematician logician Anglican deacon and a

photographer His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in

Wonderland and its sequel Alices Adventures Through the Looking-

Glass as well as the poems The Hunting of the Snark and

Jabberwocky - all examples of the genre of literary nonsense He is

noted for his facility at word play logic and fantasy and there are

societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works

and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world

Alice a 7 year old girl who while sitting with her sisters falls asleep and enters

a strange place called Wonderland by falling down a rabbit hole must find her

way through the situations she is in She follows the White Rabbit who leads

her on many adventures throughout the book full of fanciful characters each

one adding a bit of humour and dimension to the story

The White Rabbit the first character she meets reappears throughout the book

and acts as Alices guide which is amusing because he doesnt seem to know

even what time it is She also meets various talking animals like the Caterpillar

and the Cheshire Cat and comes in contact with the Hatter and an unusual

Queen ndash the Queen of Hearts the mad tyrant who rules Wonderland

The book is very complex and has a lot of symbolism conveyed through the

characters and setting The story is intricately woven using a number of

characters Carrollrsquos goal was to teach children a lesson about growing up in an

entertaining way and each character teaches Alice something about life and

growing up in a dangerous world

Besides that Alice made an impact due to its wordplays puns and various

jokes The parodies in the book are subversive making fun of the didactic

moralizing of the childrens literature that had preceded it but the book is also

interesting because it feels like there is a level of meaning below the surface

What kind of meaning It is for you to find out IP

5

1 Alicersquos character was based on a real-life little girl named

Alice Liddell She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the

book but a brunette The real life Alice has been portrayed in fiction

almost as many times than the fictional one Recently in John

Loganrsquos stage play Peter and Alice in which she was played by

Dame Judi Dench

2 The tree that is said to have inspired the Cheshire Catrsquos tree

stands in the garden behind Alicersquos home at Christ Church

College Oxford

3 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL It was a popular dish in Victorian

times created as a cheaper version of green turtle soupIt was made

from various odd parts of a calf such as brains head and hoof

4 After reading Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland Queen

Victoria having loved the book suggested that Carroll dedicate

his next book to her And so his next work An Elementary

Treatise on Determinants With Their Application to Simultaneous

Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations was presented to the

Queen ndash perhaps not quite what shersquod had in mindhellip

5 The names of the three little sisters in the Dormousersquos story

(Elsie Lacie and Tillie) also refer to the names of the three

Liddell sisters Elsie originated from the initials of Lorina

Charlotte Lacie is a transformation of Alice and Tillie was short for

Matilda a name given to Edith by her sisters

6 Lewis Carroll suffered from a rare neurological disorder that

causes strange hallucinations and affects the size of visual objects

which can make the sufferer feel bigger or smaller than they are ndash a

huge theme of the book The disease first discovered by English

psychiatrist John Todd in 1955 was later named Alice in Wonderland

Syndrome It is also known as Toddrsquos syndrome

7 Lewis Carrollrsquos real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson His

pseudonym is an Anglicization of Ludovicus the Latin version of

ldquoLutwidgerdquo and the Irish surname Carroll which bears great

resemblance to the Latin forbear of ldquoCharlesrdquo Carolus

8 The novels were banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that

ldquoanimals should not use human languagerdquo

9 In 1890 Lewis Carroll released a shortened version of Alicersquos

Adventures in Wonderland for smaller children aged ldquo from

nought to fiverdquo It includes 20 of John Tennielrsquos illustrations from the

original book coloured enlarged and in some cases revised

1931 film 1933 film

1985 film

1999 film 2010 film

1972 film

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

2

Students Begin Erasmus+ Project

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROATIA ACROSS EUROPE

Twenty students of School of Economics and tourism Daruvar are about

to begin a two year European project on entrepreneurship This Erasmus

plus project is funded by the European Union and the Agency for

mobility and EU programmes It is aimed at inspiring and developing

our businessmen and women of the future The students will work with

schools and colleges in six other European countries the aim is that the

students will develop a business plan for a new product or service and

present their idea in a lsquoDragonrsquos Denrsquo style format at a final business

conference in Romania In the meantime members of the Daruvar team

will visit the partner schools take part in activities to help them develop

their business plan and visit successful inspiring entrepreneurs in France

Italy Spain Portugal Romania and the UK Three students of School of

Economics and tourism Daruvar will be visiting the French partner

college in Toulouse in November 2015 The students and teachers from

all the schools and colleges will be visiting Daruvar during the next

academic year RG

SHARING A LONG TRADITION OF WINE GROWING ACROSS EUROPE

School of Economics and tourism Daruvar has just begun a two-year

European project on wine growing as an integral part of the European

cultural heritage This historical beverage travelled through Europe and

can be labelled as a symbol of common European roots a promoter of

civilization collaboration and exchanges between different countries as

well as a boost for the economy in ancient times and today

This project revolves around the development of friendship and

connections between the people of Europe and aims at highlighting our

common history while retaining local characteristics

We aim at raising awareness on our European citizenship among

students and shining a light on the common culture we have been

sharing for a long time

We will work with schools from France Italy Slovenia and Greece The

first kick-off meeting was held in Slovenia with the aim to agree on the

tasks and their implementation Twenty students will have a chance to

visit the partner schools and share their knowledge with their peers The

Erasmus+ team is working hard on the current tasks preparing for the

first student exchange in Marignane France in December 2015 The

partner students and teachers from all the schools will be visiting

Daruvar during the next academic year RG

School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar Begins Erasmus+ Project on Wine

The Erasmus+ students pictured are Meri Sabo Ilija Darmanović

Mario Volgemut Paolo Kurtović Barbara Drkulec

Lorena Čikor and Ivana Komljenović

The teachers pictured are Erasmus+ teams from partner schools

3

Curricular reform (well) under way

For the first time in Croatian history education is being closely

examined and thoroughly studied What is good and should be

preserved vs what isnt and needs to be improved or just

modernized

430 people are currently working on what has been neglected

for the past 25 years Practitioners and theoretical experts from

various institutions ndash from kindergartens to universities All

working together to bring the ideas from the National Strategy

of Science Education and Technology to life For the first time

we have a reform of creation not reduction

Though mostly mentioned as an isolated thing curricular reform

is just one segment of the Strategy It refers to and deals with

all the levels of primary and secondary education

kindergartens and preschools primary schools and all kinds of

secondary schools grammar vocational and art schools Its first

part includes preparing all the necessary national curricula ndash the

documents responding to the needs of different levels of

education of curricular areas subjects and cross-curricular

topics (see picture) Next to those curricula task forces also

work on documents proscribing a whole new way of monitoring

giving feedback and evaluating students and separately on

curricula for students with special needs ndash the gifted ones and

those experiencing various difficulties

The curricula should be published online in January 2016 and

open for discussion Once they have been adopted by the

authorities a new phase of reform starts But more about that in

the upcoming issues of Sparklescopy IP

17th CARNet Users Conference

NeW-Schools

The 17th CARNet Users Conference CUC was held in Dubrovnik from 18th to 20th November 2015 under the title New Schools

This year through its e-Schools project CARNet has begun the systematic transformation of teaching and educational processes by

creating new digitally mature schools The foundation of such a school is a digitally competent teacher who assists in the development of

creative and critical thinking in his or her students Technology has erased the limits in peoples lives and the classroom is a place where it

can be demonstrated how collaborative learning and connecting create a better view and understanding of the world The Internet is

becoming the medium through which the world is observed so why not discover apps contents multimedia and other formats within that

medium and show the best way to use them in teaching

CuC did its best to familiarise teachers with the challenges of new network technologies as well as with the background of ones mobility

and the ways in which online resources are used In digitally mature schools students and teachers develop digital competences and learn

through innovative educational methods There are modifications which need to be implemented in the field of learning and technology in

e-schools and CuC tried to reveal them The participants had a chance to share experiences problems and solutions related to the

application of new technologies in teaching IP

4

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 ndash 14 January 1898)

better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll was an English

author mathematician logician Anglican deacon and a

photographer His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in

Wonderland and its sequel Alices Adventures Through the Looking-

Glass as well as the poems The Hunting of the Snark and

Jabberwocky - all examples of the genre of literary nonsense He is

noted for his facility at word play logic and fantasy and there are

societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works

and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world

Alice a 7 year old girl who while sitting with her sisters falls asleep and enters

a strange place called Wonderland by falling down a rabbit hole must find her

way through the situations she is in She follows the White Rabbit who leads

her on many adventures throughout the book full of fanciful characters each

one adding a bit of humour and dimension to the story

The White Rabbit the first character she meets reappears throughout the book

and acts as Alices guide which is amusing because he doesnt seem to know

even what time it is She also meets various talking animals like the Caterpillar

and the Cheshire Cat and comes in contact with the Hatter and an unusual

Queen ndash the Queen of Hearts the mad tyrant who rules Wonderland

The book is very complex and has a lot of symbolism conveyed through the

characters and setting The story is intricately woven using a number of

characters Carrollrsquos goal was to teach children a lesson about growing up in an

entertaining way and each character teaches Alice something about life and

growing up in a dangerous world

Besides that Alice made an impact due to its wordplays puns and various

jokes The parodies in the book are subversive making fun of the didactic

moralizing of the childrens literature that had preceded it but the book is also

interesting because it feels like there is a level of meaning below the surface

What kind of meaning It is for you to find out IP

5

1 Alicersquos character was based on a real-life little girl named

Alice Liddell She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the

book but a brunette The real life Alice has been portrayed in fiction

almost as many times than the fictional one Recently in John

Loganrsquos stage play Peter and Alice in which she was played by

Dame Judi Dench

2 The tree that is said to have inspired the Cheshire Catrsquos tree

stands in the garden behind Alicersquos home at Christ Church

College Oxford

3 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL It was a popular dish in Victorian

times created as a cheaper version of green turtle soupIt was made

from various odd parts of a calf such as brains head and hoof

4 After reading Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland Queen

Victoria having loved the book suggested that Carroll dedicate

his next book to her And so his next work An Elementary

Treatise on Determinants With Their Application to Simultaneous

Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations was presented to the

Queen ndash perhaps not quite what shersquod had in mindhellip

5 The names of the three little sisters in the Dormousersquos story

(Elsie Lacie and Tillie) also refer to the names of the three

Liddell sisters Elsie originated from the initials of Lorina

Charlotte Lacie is a transformation of Alice and Tillie was short for

Matilda a name given to Edith by her sisters

6 Lewis Carroll suffered from a rare neurological disorder that

causes strange hallucinations and affects the size of visual objects

which can make the sufferer feel bigger or smaller than they are ndash a

huge theme of the book The disease first discovered by English

psychiatrist John Todd in 1955 was later named Alice in Wonderland

Syndrome It is also known as Toddrsquos syndrome

7 Lewis Carrollrsquos real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson His

pseudonym is an Anglicization of Ludovicus the Latin version of

ldquoLutwidgerdquo and the Irish surname Carroll which bears great

resemblance to the Latin forbear of ldquoCharlesrdquo Carolus

8 The novels were banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that

ldquoanimals should not use human languagerdquo

9 In 1890 Lewis Carroll released a shortened version of Alicersquos

Adventures in Wonderland for smaller children aged ldquo from

nought to fiverdquo It includes 20 of John Tennielrsquos illustrations from the

original book coloured enlarged and in some cases revised

1931 film 1933 film

1985 film

1999 film 2010 film

1972 film

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

3

Curricular reform (well) under way

For the first time in Croatian history education is being closely

examined and thoroughly studied What is good and should be

preserved vs what isnt and needs to be improved or just

modernized

430 people are currently working on what has been neglected

for the past 25 years Practitioners and theoretical experts from

various institutions ndash from kindergartens to universities All

working together to bring the ideas from the National Strategy

of Science Education and Technology to life For the first time

we have a reform of creation not reduction

Though mostly mentioned as an isolated thing curricular reform

is just one segment of the Strategy It refers to and deals with

all the levels of primary and secondary education

kindergartens and preschools primary schools and all kinds of

secondary schools grammar vocational and art schools Its first

part includes preparing all the necessary national curricula ndash the

documents responding to the needs of different levels of

education of curricular areas subjects and cross-curricular

topics (see picture) Next to those curricula task forces also

work on documents proscribing a whole new way of monitoring

giving feedback and evaluating students and separately on

curricula for students with special needs ndash the gifted ones and

those experiencing various difficulties

The curricula should be published online in January 2016 and

open for discussion Once they have been adopted by the

authorities a new phase of reform starts But more about that in

the upcoming issues of Sparklescopy IP

17th CARNet Users Conference

NeW-Schools

The 17th CARNet Users Conference CUC was held in Dubrovnik from 18th to 20th November 2015 under the title New Schools

This year through its e-Schools project CARNet has begun the systematic transformation of teaching and educational processes by

creating new digitally mature schools The foundation of such a school is a digitally competent teacher who assists in the development of

creative and critical thinking in his or her students Technology has erased the limits in peoples lives and the classroom is a place where it

can be demonstrated how collaborative learning and connecting create a better view and understanding of the world The Internet is

becoming the medium through which the world is observed so why not discover apps contents multimedia and other formats within that

medium and show the best way to use them in teaching

CuC did its best to familiarise teachers with the challenges of new network technologies as well as with the background of ones mobility

and the ways in which online resources are used In digitally mature schools students and teachers develop digital competences and learn

through innovative educational methods There are modifications which need to be implemented in the field of learning and technology in

e-schools and CuC tried to reveal them The participants had a chance to share experiences problems and solutions related to the

application of new technologies in teaching IP

4

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 ndash 14 January 1898)

better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll was an English

author mathematician logician Anglican deacon and a

photographer His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in

Wonderland and its sequel Alices Adventures Through the Looking-

Glass as well as the poems The Hunting of the Snark and

Jabberwocky - all examples of the genre of literary nonsense He is

noted for his facility at word play logic and fantasy and there are

societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works

and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world

Alice a 7 year old girl who while sitting with her sisters falls asleep and enters

a strange place called Wonderland by falling down a rabbit hole must find her

way through the situations she is in She follows the White Rabbit who leads

her on many adventures throughout the book full of fanciful characters each

one adding a bit of humour and dimension to the story

The White Rabbit the first character she meets reappears throughout the book

and acts as Alices guide which is amusing because he doesnt seem to know

even what time it is She also meets various talking animals like the Caterpillar

and the Cheshire Cat and comes in contact with the Hatter and an unusual

Queen ndash the Queen of Hearts the mad tyrant who rules Wonderland

The book is very complex and has a lot of symbolism conveyed through the

characters and setting The story is intricately woven using a number of

characters Carrollrsquos goal was to teach children a lesson about growing up in an

entertaining way and each character teaches Alice something about life and

growing up in a dangerous world

Besides that Alice made an impact due to its wordplays puns and various

jokes The parodies in the book are subversive making fun of the didactic

moralizing of the childrens literature that had preceded it but the book is also

interesting because it feels like there is a level of meaning below the surface

What kind of meaning It is for you to find out IP

5

1 Alicersquos character was based on a real-life little girl named

Alice Liddell She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the

book but a brunette The real life Alice has been portrayed in fiction

almost as many times than the fictional one Recently in John

Loganrsquos stage play Peter and Alice in which she was played by

Dame Judi Dench

2 The tree that is said to have inspired the Cheshire Catrsquos tree

stands in the garden behind Alicersquos home at Christ Church

College Oxford

3 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL It was a popular dish in Victorian

times created as a cheaper version of green turtle soupIt was made

from various odd parts of a calf such as brains head and hoof

4 After reading Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland Queen

Victoria having loved the book suggested that Carroll dedicate

his next book to her And so his next work An Elementary

Treatise on Determinants With Their Application to Simultaneous

Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations was presented to the

Queen ndash perhaps not quite what shersquod had in mindhellip

5 The names of the three little sisters in the Dormousersquos story

(Elsie Lacie and Tillie) also refer to the names of the three

Liddell sisters Elsie originated from the initials of Lorina

Charlotte Lacie is a transformation of Alice and Tillie was short for

Matilda a name given to Edith by her sisters

6 Lewis Carroll suffered from a rare neurological disorder that

causes strange hallucinations and affects the size of visual objects

which can make the sufferer feel bigger or smaller than they are ndash a

huge theme of the book The disease first discovered by English

psychiatrist John Todd in 1955 was later named Alice in Wonderland

Syndrome It is also known as Toddrsquos syndrome

7 Lewis Carrollrsquos real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson His

pseudonym is an Anglicization of Ludovicus the Latin version of

ldquoLutwidgerdquo and the Irish surname Carroll which bears great

resemblance to the Latin forbear of ldquoCharlesrdquo Carolus

8 The novels were banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that

ldquoanimals should not use human languagerdquo

9 In 1890 Lewis Carroll released a shortened version of Alicersquos

Adventures in Wonderland for smaller children aged ldquo from

nought to fiverdquo It includes 20 of John Tennielrsquos illustrations from the

original book coloured enlarged and in some cases revised

1931 film 1933 film

1985 film

1999 film 2010 film

1972 film

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

4

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 ndash 14 January 1898)

better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll was an English

author mathematician logician Anglican deacon and a

photographer His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in

Wonderland and its sequel Alices Adventures Through the Looking-

Glass as well as the poems The Hunting of the Snark and

Jabberwocky - all examples of the genre of literary nonsense He is

noted for his facility at word play logic and fantasy and there are

societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works

and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world

Alice a 7 year old girl who while sitting with her sisters falls asleep and enters

a strange place called Wonderland by falling down a rabbit hole must find her

way through the situations she is in She follows the White Rabbit who leads

her on many adventures throughout the book full of fanciful characters each

one adding a bit of humour and dimension to the story

The White Rabbit the first character she meets reappears throughout the book

and acts as Alices guide which is amusing because he doesnt seem to know

even what time it is She also meets various talking animals like the Caterpillar

and the Cheshire Cat and comes in contact with the Hatter and an unusual

Queen ndash the Queen of Hearts the mad tyrant who rules Wonderland

The book is very complex and has a lot of symbolism conveyed through the

characters and setting The story is intricately woven using a number of

characters Carrollrsquos goal was to teach children a lesson about growing up in an

entertaining way and each character teaches Alice something about life and

growing up in a dangerous world

Besides that Alice made an impact due to its wordplays puns and various

jokes The parodies in the book are subversive making fun of the didactic

moralizing of the childrens literature that had preceded it but the book is also

interesting because it feels like there is a level of meaning below the surface

What kind of meaning It is for you to find out IP

5

1 Alicersquos character was based on a real-life little girl named

Alice Liddell She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the

book but a brunette The real life Alice has been portrayed in fiction

almost as many times than the fictional one Recently in John

Loganrsquos stage play Peter and Alice in which she was played by

Dame Judi Dench

2 The tree that is said to have inspired the Cheshire Catrsquos tree

stands in the garden behind Alicersquos home at Christ Church

College Oxford

3 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL It was a popular dish in Victorian

times created as a cheaper version of green turtle soupIt was made

from various odd parts of a calf such as brains head and hoof

4 After reading Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland Queen

Victoria having loved the book suggested that Carroll dedicate

his next book to her And so his next work An Elementary

Treatise on Determinants With Their Application to Simultaneous

Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations was presented to the

Queen ndash perhaps not quite what shersquod had in mindhellip

5 The names of the three little sisters in the Dormousersquos story

(Elsie Lacie and Tillie) also refer to the names of the three

Liddell sisters Elsie originated from the initials of Lorina

Charlotte Lacie is a transformation of Alice and Tillie was short for

Matilda a name given to Edith by her sisters

6 Lewis Carroll suffered from a rare neurological disorder that

causes strange hallucinations and affects the size of visual objects

which can make the sufferer feel bigger or smaller than they are ndash a

huge theme of the book The disease first discovered by English

psychiatrist John Todd in 1955 was later named Alice in Wonderland

Syndrome It is also known as Toddrsquos syndrome

7 Lewis Carrollrsquos real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson His

pseudonym is an Anglicization of Ludovicus the Latin version of

ldquoLutwidgerdquo and the Irish surname Carroll which bears great

resemblance to the Latin forbear of ldquoCharlesrdquo Carolus

8 The novels were banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that

ldquoanimals should not use human languagerdquo

9 In 1890 Lewis Carroll released a shortened version of Alicersquos

Adventures in Wonderland for smaller children aged ldquo from

nought to fiverdquo It includes 20 of John Tennielrsquos illustrations from the

original book coloured enlarged and in some cases revised

1931 film 1933 film

1985 film

1999 film 2010 film

1972 film

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

5

1 Alicersquos character was based on a real-life little girl named

Alice Liddell She was in fact not a blonde as illustrated in the

book but a brunette The real life Alice has been portrayed in fiction

almost as many times than the fictional one Recently in John

Loganrsquos stage play Peter and Alice in which she was played by

Dame Judi Dench

2 The tree that is said to have inspired the Cheshire Catrsquos tree

stands in the garden behind Alicersquos home at Christ Church

College Oxford

3 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL It was a popular dish in Victorian

times created as a cheaper version of green turtle soupIt was made

from various odd parts of a calf such as brains head and hoof

4 After reading Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland Queen

Victoria having loved the book suggested that Carroll dedicate

his next book to her And so his next work An Elementary

Treatise on Determinants With Their Application to Simultaneous

Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations was presented to the

Queen ndash perhaps not quite what shersquod had in mindhellip

5 The names of the three little sisters in the Dormousersquos story

(Elsie Lacie and Tillie) also refer to the names of the three

Liddell sisters Elsie originated from the initials of Lorina

Charlotte Lacie is a transformation of Alice and Tillie was short for

Matilda a name given to Edith by her sisters

6 Lewis Carroll suffered from a rare neurological disorder that

causes strange hallucinations and affects the size of visual objects

which can make the sufferer feel bigger or smaller than they are ndash a

huge theme of the book The disease first discovered by English

psychiatrist John Todd in 1955 was later named Alice in Wonderland

Syndrome It is also known as Toddrsquos syndrome

7 Lewis Carrollrsquos real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson His

pseudonym is an Anglicization of Ludovicus the Latin version of

ldquoLutwidgerdquo and the Irish surname Carroll which bears great

resemblance to the Latin forbear of ldquoCharlesrdquo Carolus

8 The novels were banned in China in 1931 on the grounds that

ldquoanimals should not use human languagerdquo

9 In 1890 Lewis Carroll released a shortened version of Alicersquos

Adventures in Wonderland for smaller children aged ldquo from

nought to fiverdquo It includes 20 of John Tennielrsquos illustrations from the

original book coloured enlarged and in some cases revised

1931 film 1933 film

1985 film

1999 film 2010 film

1972 film

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

6

UK SLANG FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Sophie Cannon at Education UK 27 January 2014

Hiya mate fancy a cuppa and a chin-wag I cant sorry pal Im skint Gutted

When you first arrive in the UK for your studies you might be mystified by some of the words and phrases local people use Dont worry this is

completely normal and you will soon be fine

People here often use slang ndash especially with friends You might hear some regional dialect words too A lot of these words are shared with other

English-speaking countries but many are unique to the British Isles so even if youre a grade A student or a native speaker you might still be baffled

To help you cotton on (slang for understand) here are some common words you may hear It is best to avoid using slang with strangers in the classroom or in formal situations until youre confident with the language People may think it impolite if you use slang inappropriately With your

friends however it can be great fun trying out new words We hope you enjoy this guide

Work and play

Swot up = To revise or study for an exam

Knuckle down = To concentrate and work hard eg Knuckle

down you have work to do

Muck around = To spend time doing nothing or fool around eg

Stop mucking around there is lots to do

Muck in = To lend a hand and help someone with a job eg

Thanks so much for mucking in You really helped

Mooch = To idle away time in a pleasurable way for example

Ive been mooching around the shops today

Faff = To waste time or fuss for example Stop faffing we will

miss the train

Hit the hay = To go to bed

Kip = Sleep - in particular this means a short sleep for example

Im just going for a kip after my lecture so I feel fresh for the party

Sleep like a log = Sleep soundly eg After handing in

my coursework I slept like a log last night

People friends and family

Dont be confused if someone calls you pet duck sweetie love

chicken chuck chucky-egg or sunshine Older people in the UK

often use these terms when they are addressing younger people as a

sign of affection and friendliness (It is usually not appropriate for

younger people to use these terms with older people however)

Other common slang and dialect terms you will hear are

Bairn = Baby or young child This word is especially popular in

Scotland and the north east of England

Lad = Boy

Lass or Lassie = Girl

Bloke or Chap = Man

Mate or Pal = Friend

Me old mucker or Chum = These both mean Friend too They

are more old-fashioned now but you may still hear people use them

in a light-hearted way

Mum Mummy Ma or Mam = Mother

Dad or Daddy = Father

Our kid = This means my brother or my sister It is especially

popular in the north west and midlands of England

Gran Nan or Granny = Grandmother

Grandpa or Grandad = Grandfather

Greetings please and thank you

Alright = Hello How are you

Hiya or Hey up = These informal greetings both mean

Hello and are especially popular in the north of England

What about ye = This is popular in Northern Ireland and is

another way of saying How are you

Howay = Lets go or Come on This is popular in the north east

of England

Ta = Thank you

Cheers = This is usually said as a toast when you raise your

glasses to celebrate but it also means Thank you

See you = Goodbye and see you soon

Descriptions and exclamations

There are lots of slang and dialect words to say something is good or

cool ndash for example in Wales you might hear people say tidy or lush

while in Birmingham you might hear bostin In the north of England you

might hear ace and mint and in Northern Ireland you might

hear dead on or grand

Wicked and sick formally mean evil or distasteful but in slang terms

they can mean cool too These words are particularly popular in

London and the south of England

If something is uncool people may say it is naff or cheesy If it is bad

or suspicious then it is dodgy

If someone is happy they might say Im made up or Im well

chuffed When disappointed though they might say Im gutted If

someone is being mardy this means they are acting moody or sulky

Its doing my head in means it is annoying me and Its all kicking

off means an argument is happening

The word solid usually refers to an object but in slang it can mean

that something or someone is resilient or difficult For example She

has just run the London marathon Shes solid or That economics exam

was solid

Words for emphasis

In the UK you may hear people use the slang terms well dead or mega instead of

very or really For example It was dead good or That exam was well difficult

Meanwhile a tad means a little bit For example That is a tad expensive

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

7

Socialising dating and parties

Do Bash or Get together = Party

Knees up = This is a more old-fashioned term for a party People may

use this in a light-hearted way

BYOB = Bring your own bottle In the UK it is common for the party host

to ask guests to bring their own drinks You might see BYOB written on the

invitation

Mosh-pit = At a rock concert this is the area at the front of the stage

where the most enthusiastic dancers gather to jump around

Dance-off = That magical moment when people on the dance floor

compete to see who is the best dancer

Its your round = In a UK cafeacute or pub it is common for small groups of

friends to take it in turns to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the table In

a large group this may not be practical ndash people may decide to buy their

own or split into smaller rounds If you dont want to take part or you cant

afford to it is perfectly acceptable to say so and buy your own

Fancy = To find someone attractive eg He just smiled I think he fancies

you

Ask out = To ask someone if they want to go on a date eg He asked

me out Were going to the cinema this Friday

Chat up = To flirt with someone eg He was chatting me up at the

party

Snog = To kiss passionately eg Oh dear My dad and mum were

snogging at their anniversary party I didnt know where to look

Chin-wag = Talk or gossip with friends eg Fancy a chin-wag

Food and drink

Butty or Buttie = Sandwich

Barm cake Cob Bap or Batch = Bread

roll

Cuppa or Brew = Cup of tea

Fry-up or Full English = Full English breakfast usually with

eggs bacon sausages baked beans grilled tomatoes and

toast

Sunday roast = A popular Sunday meal which usually

includes roast meat with roast potatoes carrots gravy and a

Yorkshire pudding

Brekkie = Breakfast

Tea = This usually means a cup of tea but in some parts of

the UK it also means the evening meal How confusing

Greasy spoon = A cafeacute serving unhealthy food

Gastropub = A pub which specialises in delicious food

Chippy = Fish and chip shop

Money

Quid = Pounds sterling If something costs pound1 you may be

asked for a quid the word doesnt change in the plural so pound50

is fifty quid

Skint = Poor or lacking money eg I cant come to the

restaurant as Im skint this week

Minted = Rich eg It was my birthday last week and I got

some money off my family so I am minted now

Splashing out = Spending a lot of money

Thats as cheap as chips = That is very cheap

That costs a bomb = That is too expensive

Thats a rip-off = That is not worth the price

Cough up = Pay your share of the bill

Objects

Brolly = Umbrella

Telly = Television Some people also say Whats on the box to mean

Whats on TV

Loo = Toilet

Wellies = Short for Wellington boots a type of rubber boot great for

music festivals when it rains

Mobile = Mobile telephone It is unusual to say cellphone in the UK

Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang uses rhymes to hide another meaning It began in Londons East End during the 19th century as a way for

local people to share secrets and ideas without others understanding Now people across the UK often use rhyming slang for

humour Here are some examples

Apples and pears = Stairs

Youre having a giraffe = Youre having a laugh which means Youre joking

Dog and bone = Telephone

Mince-pies = Eyes

Boat race = Face

In some cases the rhyming word has been dropped over time which can make it a bit harder to understand For example

Use your loaf = Use your head meaning be sensible This used to be loaf of bread which rhymes with head

Lets have a butchers = Let me have a look This was originally butchers hook to rhyme with look

Stop telling porkies = Stop lying This was porky pies which rhymes with lies

New rhymes are still being invented often related to celebrities

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

8

Its hard to believe but its been six weeks

since the opening of the EPC in Bjelovar

Five topics already learnt five amazing

Saturdays spent with great students doing

all kinds of activities growing all together

So far we talked about our identities

fashion styles emotions families and

friends education and lifelong learning

jobs and occupations We had debates

presentations role-playing essay writing

listening singing and learning while having

fun And were just getting started If you

ask me thats what education is all about

MI

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

9

Awesome Wordplay Jokes That Every Grammar Nerd Will Love

Is it

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

or

ldquoA woman without her man is nothingrdquo

Knock knock

Whorsquos there

To

To who

Itrsquos to whom

Every time you make a typo the errorists win

Whatrsquos the difference

between a cat and a

comma

One has claws at the end

of its paws and the other

is a pause and the end of

a clause

An English teacher asked a

student to name two

pronouns

Child McSass answered

ldquoWho merdquo

Well I once heard a story of the past

the present and the future walking

into a bar

I am sad to say that it was tense

But just what do you say

when comforting a grammar

nerd

There their theyrsquore

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

10

Im only 16 and I dont know much about life but one thing I know for

sure is that not everything goes as planned Sometimes you miss the

bus you fail your exam break a nail while opening a chocolate bar

(but hey at least you still have chocolate) spill coffee on a white shirt

pull the door that say pushor lose someone who means a lot to you

All of these happened to me but one of them made my heart feel a bit

heavier than the others Losing people is something that nobody can

avoid but its important to understand why it happens and why its

important for you to have that experience

Sometimes you meet someone and they make you feel warm inside

as soon as they step into the room Maybe you smile whenever you see

them smiling Maybe they make you feel special when all you do is

feel like just another insignificant person on this planet Maybe they

make you look forward to Mondays even though yoursquove never liked

them before Maybe they make you feel excited for Thursday

afternoons Maybe they make you step out of your comfort zone

although they know its your biggest fear Maybe you love how

thoughtful and caring they are Maybe their endless support means the

world to you

One thing nobody warns you about is that maybe youll have to watch

them leave Not because they want to hurt you on purpose but

because its time for them to spread happiness and positivity

somewhere else Leaving is always unannounced so if someone you

care about leaves feeling as if your heart has just dropped is

completely normal Its painful but it will pass People say that things

pass and time heals every wound The truth is you heal when you

understand that things are exactly the way they should be It probably

doesnt make sense to you now but it will eventually The best thing

you can do is let them go Letting go doesnt mean youre giving up on

someone it just means that youre letting them grow after theyrsquove

helped you grow Time doesnt stop The sun will rise when you wake

up tomorrow The leaves will keep changing colours Seasons will

change Days will melt together like a candle you burned down last

Sunday Your heart wont stop beating Youll wake up and breathe

and let it all go Please let it go and help your heart feel less heavy

Years and years will pass but your mind will always remember the

faces Youll imagine that special someone sitting across the table and

youll remember the way their eyes used to light up when they talked

about something they loved and you will smile No matter how old

theyll look when you see them again their face will always be

beautiful in your mind because (like they taught you when you were

16) beauty comes from inside Sometimes youll spend nights thinking

about them and where they are and who theyve become but as soon

as you remember those crispy Monday mornings in autumn youll feel

warm inside again Thats how you keep them alive Thats how you

know they mattered You have to keep in mind that when someone is in

your heart theyre never truly gone You carry pieces of them inside

you They live there forever

If you have found someone you genuinely care about please

appreciate every given moment with them One day you might wake

up and realise theyre gone Theres no warning Just a reminder to let

them go because that way youll allow them to be happy and to

grow Its hard when you miss people but if you miss them it means you

were lucky It means you had someone special in your life someone

worth missing Im writing this is for you and everyone who makes you

feel lucky This is for someone who made me feel lucky This text is

dedicated to my wonderful English teacher Her name is Martina

Terranova and shes my favourite person in the whole wide world She

helped me become the person I am today and made me believe that

Im good enough When youre 16 having someone so special in your

life is like winning the lottery LL

Dear teacher I want you to know that Ill

always remember you no matter where you

are and how long its been since I last saw you

Why Because when you care about someone

you never really lose them Theyre in your

heart forever If youre reading this please

dont cry You know I like to see you smiling

Love always Lara )

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

11

Show us that you care

Ofsted says outstanding teachers demonstrate

a ldquodeep knowledge and understanding of

their subjectrdquo Although passion is inspiring a

deep knowledge and understanding of their

children is just as important

I have a teacher who from the beginning of

my two-year course has offered an after-

school session every single week for however

long we need I am often the only one there

but she doesnrsquot mind She has completely

changed my life by believing in me pushing

me and caring about me Obviously I donrsquot

expect every teacher to be like her but to

know someone values you enough to put time

in is amazing

I have been lucky to have teachers who taught

me far more than the syllabus who showed me

how to tackle obstacles head-on and become

stronger as a result Perfectly planned lessons

are one thing but to an insecure teenager

showing that you care is essential

Show us your personality

(but not too much)

Letrsquos face it nobody wants to be up at half

past eight on a Monday morning But the

best teachers are the ones whose

personalities are so bright that the lightbulbs

inside 30 heads are switched on anyway

We genuinely like the teachers who smile

who can do the voices in books without

feeling embarrassed and can hear one of

those innuendos that we find hysterical and

not tell us off for being teenagers We know

yoursquore not here to be our friend but some

sort of relationship is important

A balance is crucial however the teachers

who try too hard to ldquohave a laughrdquo run the

risk of students taking advantage to the

point where therersquos no going back

Tell us when wersquove done well

Teachers may be expected to write pages

of feedback but if you want to improve

your studentsrsquo self-esteem and encourage

them to further their thinking but itrsquos the

verbal feedback that really sinks in It can

be as simple as ldquoYoursquove got itrdquo ldquoSpot onrdquo or

ldquoAbsolutelyrdquo ndash it could just be an enthusiastic

nod and a proud glint in your eye It sounds

simple but being told that yoursquove achieved

something means the world

Verbal criticism in front of our peers is not so

great however Put yourself in my shoes

yoursquore in a food technology class and you

have forgotten your tea towel It is a

mistake so great in scale that you will still

regret it when writing an article four years

later Being told yoursquore stupid in front of

your friends hurts please donrsquot forget that

Remember that we do appreciate you

Believe it or not we know you have it tough

We know that the stress you are under is

ridiculous that you sometimes do more

paperwork than teaching that a one-hour

lesson can take more than an hour to

prepare and that you hate learning

objectives as much as we do We know that

setting us targets and marking our books can

feel like a waste of time when you could be

kindling a love of your subject

We might not always show it but we really

do appreciate what you do Because when it

comes down to it great teachers are like

melodies that you canrsquot get out of your head

As children and teenagers we are constantly

changing and you ndash who see us through that

time pick us up from the wrong paths failed

tests and mistakes ndash are the truly great ones

Irsquom not sure that the perfect teacher exists

but the incredible teachers Irsquove had arenrsquot

the ones who never make mistakes theyrsquore

the ones who never give up on me and have

taught me that I should never give up on

myself

Donrsquot shout at us

The teachers who screamed at my class when

I was 11 are the ones I still canrsquot form any

kind of relationship with Respect isnrsquot about

having 30 silent faces shouted into

submission If you treat us as humans know

what yoursquore talking about and take an

interest in what we have to say you will gain

our respect Thinking of your lessons

spontaneously and spending an hour

shouting at us for our ldquodisrespectrdquo wonrsquot get

you anywhere

Therersquos a teacher whorsquos renowned at my

school ndash shersquos the one everyone dislikes

mainly because she screams and gives

detentions all the time We have no

motivation to work for her because we just

canrsquot talk to her Shouting us into silence

doesnrsquot give you more authority

Great teachers are like melodies that you canrsquot

get out of your head

httpwwwtheguardiancomteacher-network2015oct11 The Office for Standards in Education Childrens Services and

Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of the UK

government

Show us that you care a students

view on what makes a perfect teacher

Ofsted has its own ideas about outstanding

lessons but what young people love about

teachers is quite different

lsquoThe incredible teachers Irsquove had are the ones

who never give up on me and have taught me

that I should never give up on myselfrsquo

Anonymous

The perfect teacher In Ofstedrsquos eyes that

probably means exemplary lesson plans

and 30 immaculately marked books with

targets for improvement But as a 16-year-

old Irsquom not sure I agree What students love

about the best teachers ndash the ones whose

lessons are discussed at the dinner table

whose names are always remembered and

whose impact is never forgotten ndash is quite

different

12