📕 Part 1: School

This episode's vocabulary

Mixed bag noun) - a situation that involves a variety of things, esp. good things mixed with bad things.

Conform (verb) - to behave according to the usual standards of behaviour that are expected by a group or society.

Pan out (phrasal verb) - to develop in a particular way or in a successful way.

Two-way street (idiom) - a situation in which both sides must put forth an equal amount of effort to achieve a desired result.

Rebel (noun) - a person who does not like rules or authority, and shows this by behaving differently from most people in society.

Titration (noun) - a method of finding exactly how much of a substance there is in a solution by gradually adding measured amounts of another substance that reacts to it in a known way, for example by causing a colour change.

Consensus (noun) - a generally accepted opinion or decision among a group of people.

Emphasis (noun) - the particular importance or attention that is given to something.

Foster (verb) - to take care of a child, usually for a limited time, without being the child's legal parent.

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Questions and Answers

M: Let's talk about school. Rory did you enjoy your school days?

R: I was a bit of a mixed bag, really. I was always misbehaving and messing things up. But at the same time, I think it was quite formative in terms of my character. I learned not to conform, which made me a bit more dynamic. Though I imagine my teachers were less than impressed at the time. Well, at least they were less than impressed at the time, despite it panning out well for me later on down the line.

M: What did you enjoy most about your school?

R: Well, I like the social aspect since the education aspects were pretty much lost on me. Most of what I learned was in books about what I was interested in that my parents bought. There weren't many inspiring teachers, although that's not because they were bad at their jobs. Education is a two-way street and I wasn't doing my part of it.  Just because I wasn't a very good student.

M: Was school difficult for you?

R: Yeah, I was a bit of a troubled youth, to be honest, or maybe something like a rebel without a cause. Looking back, there was probably a lot of wasted time and needless drama. I did learn a few things that came in handy later, though, none of them connected with mathematics, but it didn't cost much to fix that mistake. If we speak about subjects more broadly, apart from mathematics, then probably... Oh, chemistry was always a pain. I could never do, like titrations or things like that. That was really difficult.

M: Did you have many friends at school?

R: Not really, actually. I didn't have friends in my school. I had more friends outside of school due to some strange coincidences. And also when I was younger, a lot of my friends were actually older than me, like a couple of years above me, for example. Although as our final year in high school progressed, there was this kind of weird consensus or kind of gestalt friendship that formed among everyone and the teachers. It was a bit odd, but largely everybody got along and left on good terms. I wouldn't say we were like best buds or anything, though. I don't speak to anyone I was at school with these days, now that I think about it actually.

M: Did school act as a foundation in your life?

R: Well, it's a source of foundational education and socialization, but that's not really enough. Or at least it wasn't for me. You had to move beyond the baseline training and opportunities provided in some way in order to develop as a person, or at least I did. A good example of this could be seen in my relationships with mathematics and languages. I didn't move much beyond the basics of arithmetic with maths, but I developed a solid understanding of English and got really creative with it. So in the first case I took what was given and left it at that. And in the latter I took it and went beyond it.

M: What would you change in your school?

R: Um, I suppose the emphasis on academic success, and conformity in education bothers me a little bit. There's a saying that education isn't about filling a bucket, it's about lighting a fire. So it's not just about information, it's about fostering and maintaining interest. I like that idea, but schools don't because it's hard to measure and it's so unpredictable. I think, though, if school was more fun and promoted engagement with the basic knowledge of key skills like arithmetic and literacy than students would be less needlessly stressed out about life. And maybe the teachers would prefer that too.

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Discussion

M: Thank you for your answers. I feel like we're back to school. Rory, so we have primary school, right. Then we have secondary school and we have high school. And we can say in primary school, in high school, in secondary school.

R: Well, it's complicated because actually in Scotland, there's only primary and secondary school.

M: Oh, there we go.

R: But then there are further education colleges and then there is higher education, which is at university.

M: Yeah, I think it's all different in different countries.

R: But in Russia, for example, you have primary, middle, secondary and then... I don't think you have that many further education colleges. It's like university or army. Make your choice.

M: No, no. We do have colleges. Yeah.

R: But they're not as popular as in the west, for example. At least I don't get that impression.

M: Anyway. Just generally you can say, OK, in primary school, when I was a child, right. Then when I was a teenager in high school.

R: Make sure you understand the basic structure of your education system.

M: Yeah. And then we can say, for example, when I was in the 10th grade or form.

R: Yes, grade or form is fine, but I just remembered we skipped kindergarten. There's also kindergarten to a nursery. Yeah. Playgroup and nursery in the UK. Kindergarten in America.

M: Yeah, yeah, yeah. In Russia you just like choose which side you're on. In a kindergarten or a nursery play school. Right. Yeah. So in the fifth grade or form. We don't say in the fifth class. Okay.

R: Yeah. Even though that is the word in Russian.

M: Yeah it is the word in Russian but no. In the tenth grade, in the tenth form. So, Rory, you were a bit of a mixed bag. Wow.

R: Well school was a mixed bag. I was very consistent in my misbehaviour, to be honest with you. I still am.

M: So you were a rebel, a rebel. Spartak.

R: A rebel without a cause. It's just a bit of a cliche, really, isn't it? But a rebel without a cause just means somebody that rebels against the system just because. There's no reason why. It's just they're looking for something to rebel against.

M: So you weren't like cute, and funny, and cuddly? You were a rebel and a mixed bag.

R: Yeah, but I'm not saying that that's a good thing to be. That's not a great way to win friends and make your teachers like you. But I was just a bit rebellious at school. However, if you want to express this idea - a rebel without a cause.

M: And you can also say I was a bit of a troubled youth.

R: Yes. Or my youth was very troubled. It was, like I was a mess at school. Let's not pretend. However, it panned out in the end.

M: Yes. So panned out. Like a pan. Panned out, like it turned out.

R: Yeah. I think it's connected to panning for gold because you used to do that in the American West. They would stick their pans in the water and then get like the water out.

M: Oh, like frying pans?

R: I don't know if they were frying pans. I think they were specifically gold pans. And they put them in the water, and sifted out the rubbish, and they found gold. So if something pans out well and you find the gold.

M: So if you enjoyed school, you can say, oh, I really enjoyed school, or it was always a pain. Or for example, like chemistry was always a pain for Rory. Mathematics was always a pain for me.

R: Make sure you used the specific word, though. It was a pain. So it was not good because, well, I could only do arithmetic, which is doing calculations in your head, or I could do titrations. Do you know what that is?

M: No, I have no idea.

R: Nobody knows what that is. That's great. It is totally pointless.

M: Yeah, let's get nerdy.

R: Well, I should say, like hello to my fifth year chemistry teacher, Miss Connelly. Titrations are... In a nutshell, it's basically, it's when you measure the amount of a substance diluted in water. And you have to do complex mathematical calculations in order to be able to do that. At least that is my rubbish explanation of what titration is. I'm sorry, Miss Connelly. You were a very patient teacher, but it was all completely lost on me.

M: We are sorry, so sorry.

R: It was completely lost on me, though. Which is another one I used. So if something is lost on you, it just means you didn't understand it.

M: All school was completely lost on me. Yeah. Make sure that you remember school subjects like chemistry, geometry, geography, history. What else? Physical education. IT. Right. We don't say like technologies, but we say IT. Pretty much computer "thingy" science, whatever.

R: That's the technical description. Computer "thingies".

M: What about the classes, where you did learn how to survive in the forest, how to run away from a bear. What would you call this? In Russian, it's "fundamentals of life safety".

R: Well, in Scotland, in modern developed country, we do not have this problem of bears. Actually, no. I should say this is not a thing in Western education. But it is done by the Boy Scouts.

M: Boy Scouts. Oh, yeah.

R: Which is a voluntary organisation you could join.

M: So I wonder if people in Vietnam, in Thailand, in all over the world, do you have this at school? Do they teach you about radiation and how to survive in, like, radiation attack? Because in Russia yeah, they still do that.

R: Yeah, well, that's that's called, I think it's called civil defence training. In America it's civil defence training.

M: So serious.

R: If you're listening to us from Thailand and you'll have the Boy Scouts there, you'll understand what I'm talking about. Every former part of the British Empire has this influence, I think.

M: Yeah, but if you're not sure what it is, you can say like, oh some Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts classes?

R: Well, even if you're in Russia and you had, well, I don't know what do you call it now. But people used to have like the pioneers, for example.

M: Pioneers. Oh no, we don't have pioneers.

R: You don't know, but there are some youth organizations that do this kind of thing.

M: OK. Right. So social studies, another subject. Social studies, where you learn about social studies. Ha ha ha.

R: Or you learn about social issues and social study.

M: And study, you study social issues. One more word is to conform. So Rory learned how not to conform.

R: Yes. Well, I just didn't conform. I learned to maintain my lack of conformity.

M: Teachers told him, do your homework, wear black now. He was a rebel.

R: Well, doing your homework isn't conforming. That's just like being a student.

M; What is conforming?

R: Conforming is doing what you're told in a nutshell. But if you if you wear a uniform, for example, or if you do the exact same thing as everybody else, then that's conforming. Doing your homework isn't necessarily conforming.

M: Yeah, yeah, true. But agreeing with everybody else's opinion if you disagree, you are conforming. Right? So Rory was a rebel. And then you can say, like, I got along well with teachers, I got along well with my peers. Peers, pretty much your classmates. What about bullying? You didn't mention anything about bullying. So you can say I was bullied at school and then look at the examiner, like, please stop these questions. Let's move on. To be bullied.

R: Well, there was bullying at school, but it's always like that. And the thing is, for most bullies, like in equal parts, they are bullied themselves and bully other people. And I think at some stage in their life, everybody does this to somebody and they probably all regret it now.

M: Yeah. So if you were a bully. Oh well.

R; Well if you're a bully just make sure that you don't do it now. That's the most important thing.

M: I wouldn't say we were best buds.

R: Best buds. Best buds is like best friends.

M: BFFs. You are my best bud. Some school stuff was handy.

R: Yes. So if something is handy then is useful. Like arithmetic is useful. Learning about algebra is not really.

M: Physics. Astronomy is really useful.

R: Is it?

M: Planets. Yeah. You talk about it all the time. It's really useful, practical.

R: I agree. Learning about trigonometry has really changed my life.

M: Right. Rory, you did use some interesting ones. Like it isn't about filling a bucket, it's about lighting a fire. Wow. That's a quote.

R: It is. It is a quote from somewhere.

M: You stole it. You thief.

R: Well, I said there is a saying. What's it called when you steal people's ideas? Begins with p.

M: Plagiarism, it's called plagiarism.

R: Plagiarism. I can't say it or smell it.

M: Rory is a plagiarist.

R: No, I didn't. I said there's a saying and then I said the saying.

M: Oh, that's true. That's true. Yes. There is a saying that education isn't about filling a bucket. A bucket is like a bucket of water.

R: Well, actually, the expression is education isn't about filling a pail, it's about lighting a fire.

M: Oh, so sophisticated.

R: But it's just about you as a teacher, your job is to inspire people to learn.

M: Yes. To foster your interest, to kind of fire up your interest.

R: To give people an interest.

M: Yeah. Give people an interest.

R: Just to make it easier for people listening to us. Like, they were like, why are you using all of these idioms all of a sudden?

M: Yeah. So school is supposed to light a fire inside you. Rory, was your fire lit at school? Oh, he has such a face now. No, it wasn't.

R: Not really. But, like, I'm not really sure whose fault that was. Like, I just had a really rubbish time when I was a teenager.

M: Parents and teachers are always to blame.

R: No, I'm pretty sure I should have been a more responsible teenager, but I wasn't. And, you know, it worked out in the end because I became responsible. So the moral of the story is be responsible at some point in your life and find good friends and people who will help you be responsible. Like Vanya and Maria. And by be responsible, I mean do all of your work for you.

M: Find people who will do all the work for you. Yeah. So we can say that I went to school. I was a student. Can you say I studied at school?

R: Yes. I studied in school. I didn't study in school. I didn't study in school.

M: In school or at school?

R: Doesn't matter.

M: Yeah. At school, in school it doesn't matter.

R: Because it's not stressed. It's not clear enough.

M: No, no, don't do that. The examiner should clearly understand what you are saying throughout the speaking exam. We really hope that we did light your fire. Come on, baby, light my fire.

R: But if we didn't light your fire, at least we filled your bucket with vocabulary.

M: Oh, wow. Yes, you do have a vocabulary and grammar buckets and we are filling them. That's it for today's episode. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so that you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes.

R: Also, if you're listening to us on Apple podcast, please rate us. And by rate us I mean give us five stars. It only takes 10 seconds to find the five star button and press that. Before we all get back to our lives, let's listen to the question and answer part again. See you in the next episode. Bye!

M: Bye!

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