B. Pair Work

1. You want to quit school and start work, but your parents feel it is important to finish high school. Talk to them.

2. Your child has very good grades and wants to go to college. You feel that you cannot afford to send him/her. Tell your child this.

3. You want to stay in the US/Great Britain and study but your family wants you to return. Call them and ask them to permit you to stay.

4. Describe some of the teachers at this school to a student who is just beginning the programme.

5. Ask your partner what qualities he/she (dis)likes in a teacher.

6. Discuss with your partner how important you think a college education is nowadays.

7. You are at interview. You want to get into a very prestigious school. Explain to the Dean of Admissions why you think you should be accepted.

8. Ask your friend which he thinks is more practical – dropping out of school and getting a job or continuing at school and having very little money.

9. Ask the school receptionist for some information and a school entrance application.

10. Tell your teacher that you want to apply to a university in Great Britain/the USA and ask if he/she would write you a recommendation.

11. Even though your grades are not very good, you think you want to go to university. Talk to your school counsellor about the possibilities open to you.

12. You just took a very difficult exam. You feel the exam was unfair because there were several things on it that your class had not studied. Complain to the teacher.

13. Exchange opinions with your partners on the problems:

there should be no tests in school; children get a better education outside the classroom; parents should be stricter with their children.

14. Your student is constantly late and has been absent for several tests. Ask him/her to come into your office. Tell him/her to "shape up."

15. Imagine, your partner is a student at a London school. Interview him/her about a typical school day.

C. Group Work

1. Work in groups of 3–4. Imagine that you have to choose a place to study at 16. Make a list of possible educational establishments you'd like to enter. Now discuss your list with the other members of your group.

2. Read the text and do the assignments given below.

a) Imagine that you are one of the people chosen for the survey. What did you actually say?

Make your criticisms like this:

I wish I had had a better Maths teacher or I wish I hadn't wasted so much time at school.

Work through all the criticism and regrets in the same way.

b) Now link possible causes to these consequences. Complete the sentences in any way you like:

I would have got into university if ...

I might have passed my exams if ...

I could have gone to medical school if ...

I would have got a much better paid job if ...

c) Work in pairs. Ask your partner if he/she has any criticism or regrets about his past life, anything that he would or might have done differently in different circumstances.

Does a Good Education Really Matter?

We went along to Wandsworth Job Centre and surveyed some people to find out how important they felt that a good school education was.

The results showed that many people were disappointed in their education. They put the blame sometimes on themselves. Many felt that their teachers were not good enough, that many of the textbooks were out-of-date, especially when it came to science, and that they should have had more or better careers advice. They also felt that they should have been made to work harder, either by the teachers or by their parents. But people seemed equally ready to put the blame on their own shoulders. Many felt that they had chosen the wrong subjects when they started to specialize, or that they had wasted time at school. Others felt that they had left school too early in their eagerness to get a job and earn money. A few even thought that their failure was due to the type of school they went to, and that they would have been better off somewhere else.