Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Olimpiada

Tuesday was the English Olympiad at our school, a competition that will choose a handful of students to represent our school at the county-wide competition in Hincesti. Fourteen students in 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th grades competed. Each class had its own essay topic, and the students had 35 minutes to write their essays. Since I haven't showcased student work for a long time, I thought I'd type some of the 7th- and 8th-grade essays to share with you. I hope you notice both the level of English that some of our school's best students possess, and also some of the thoughts that are in the minds of 13- and 14-year-old students, paying extra attention to the cultural leanings toward America, Russia, Romania and Moldova.

7th grade: Write about an imaginary trip anywhere in the world. Where will you go? What will you do?

First prize:
I will would to trip in America, this is one of my the bigest dreams. America is ones of the bigest country in the world. I want to visit the schools of America, the Statue of Liberty. For mee the most important will be to tack with people and with children of America. I think will have a very good opinions about their people, I now what in America live very interesting and nice people. If I will go in America I think my life would change only in the good thinks, but for this dreams I will be learn very good and menny, if I will learn good I will now very good language. I think in America will be a new life with a new friends with new people. In my dreams America is the most beautiful country. Every time I think how is atmosfera in America? How is vegetation, the people are a bed or a good than Moldova.

Second prize:
I visited city Boston then citys very big and very nice. In Boston very big houses and very biutyful. Boston in sud U.S.A., and then very nice people. Then are many rivers and likes. I go to the my friends Julia and Robert. They live in the very biutyful house and very comftable. Then I visited friends Julias and Roberds and very many markets and unyversity. I to mith very many good people. I did very mach friends nice. Then was very nice cat and doogs. I am happy because I go to the citys Boston and vizited this is a citis. I keep this is a trip because was very beutyful and intersting trip.

Third prize:
I like very much my countries. She is a wonderful for we. World is a very imaginary trip in we heart. France is one my prefered countries. In world I will and I visited Turnu Eifel and for me is a beautiful city Paris. In Franta I will do go in library, in university, in school, in governament and at distraction parc. I have many friends and colegi, they are ingenios, good and super friends.
Anglia is a big countrie. In she are a good people. In Anglia I will be go at my friend and I visited lie, mountains, rivers and etc. I go in the world and world for me is a enigma, for me world very important lesson. I visited in world the art, muzeu. I will do read book. In America I spoking wit Britney Spears and Madona. Britney is a good musician and Madona is a good mother.
I like very much world how is he.

8th grade: Describe someone who is a good role model. Why did you choose this person?

First prize:
I think that Angelina Jolie is the best women in the world. She really deserve to be called "a role model". Angelina is a beautiful women, a very good actrice and a wonderful mother. She adopted 2 kids from diferent countries. Now the poor baby and the young boy have all the chanses to live better. A. Jolie donated a lot of money for people with disabilities and for children from poor countries. And that's not all. She is alwais ready to help if that is necesary. It is very good that even Angelina look like a model, she is a role mode, to. When exist more persons like he world will become a little better. I choos her because maybe she is a ideal person.

Second prize:
A role model is that person who donated something for peoples who need help. I think that Angelina Jolie is a real good role model. She is thinking at that persons who don't have conditions to live anywere. Angelina Jolie have a family who need to live, and need money, but she donated her money to children hwo have a family in Africa. Also Jolie had visited children from any country. Why did she do this? The answer at this question is simple: maybe Angelina also in the past when she was a child, was very bad conditions. I would say that any person who know her should do like her. I chose Angelina Jolie because nobody who are actors didn't that many donations for people in the world. Maybe it isn't true, but this is my opinion.

Third prize:
I thinc a good role model is Stefan Cel Mare in the past became to was a king at 20 years and he was'nt very tall and very muscle but he was a very curajous and smart. He won 39 wars and lose only 2. He sayd "Moldova wasn't ours, not our sons, it were our future people. He is a very good role model and very good king. He has a 7 wifes and 11 children but only one wife was legaly. He protect our country at other countries. He was a very good warior. He made our country how it look like nou. I chose him because he was a very good and loves his country and he was friendly with other countries which was friendly with his country. And I like this tactic. He take people to war and he give them very mych land.

Honorable mention:
I think the role model is the president Russia, is Vladimir Putin because he help people with money. He have a good wife and two girls. He is very good president because he help every contrys with gaz.
For every president he is a good model. He is a good politician and speak with people with respect. Vladimir Putin have and a bad role but is very short. For him life is a respect and reciprocaly help. This president likes the life. In Russia are many posibilitys will be a better child and people are very hapy. In Russia people like hims president because he did for hims many good things.
Maybe this president for me is a nice men. He looked very good and he have a happy family. To be a good model is necesarry be a good men, to respected every children mens and womens, to help people and to looked very nice.

Honorable mention:
I thing that a good role person is Mihai Eminescu. He is a good role because he writed a good poez. He writed: "Luceafarul," "Codrule," "Sona pe deal," etc. He had a good friend Ion Creanga. He tired in 1891 summer in iulie. He was a good man.

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4 Comments:

At 2:48 AM, Anonymous Alex said...

Mda... "I am speechless, I have no speech". I didn't know that Putin had two girls, and that Angelina Jolie adopted two children. Speaking of Angelina, it is strange that two different people chose her as their role model. Are the authors of the essays boys or girls? I'd say they were boys, who picked her because she's beautiful; but on the other hand we have the "think of the children" argument, which probably comes from a girl. So, what's the real deal?

I liked the way the Romanian words were 'embedded' into the text when their English equivalent was not known :-)


After reading this, I asked myself - which person would I pick? I would probably write about the person I try to be.


represent our school at the county-wide competition in Hincesti

It is clear that they don't stand a chance, as their skills are far from perfect. Essays are about ideas; but in this case the winner is simply the one who made less mistakes. This is sad, but it is still better than nothing. I honestly hope the essays they write in Romanian are interesting reading material. Finally, I hope that with time you'll help them improve themselves and write better stuff.

 
At 8:10 PM, Blogger Peter Myers said...

My eighth grade girls love Angelina Jolie. She is a pretty good role model in the end, except for the adultery bit.

When taken as an aggregate, my school has some of the worst performance in English in the county and Moldova. This can't really be faulted on the students though, since the school went five years or more without a true specialist in English. The problem is that if you're a good English speaker, you probably don't want to waste your time working for peanuts in a village school. Until teachers are paid a decent wage, schools will get worse and worse.

But that pulls away from your idea that my students "don't stand a chance." I have some wonderful individual students who will continue to learn the language and become very good English speakers. My job right now is not just to teach them English, but to make sure they keep thinking on a large scale and want to work in a job where they will use English to experience the world.

 
At 3:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

... good answer Pete i'm with you

 
At 10:46 PM, Anonymous Dorin said...

Salut Peter. scriu in romana , ca sa nu o dau in bara cu engleza;)
m-a socat nu engleza scrisa de ei ci subiectele.
am impresia ca copii la sat au pierdut orice valoare spirituala.
bine ca vin voluntari din west ca sa mai cultive si alte valori decit cele materiale.

Succese!

 

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