Generation of 90-th is really lucky because it has new opportunities and great future. “Ferrous curtain” fell down, so now young people can travel all over the world, can consort to the people of the same age from different countries, can study culture of capitalistic nations. Certainly, it is impossible to do it if you don’t speak foreign language. I suppose, that the most useful language in modern world is English. It is spoken in many countries, millions of people speak English because it is their own language, millions of people study it, because it is probably impossible to make a good career in any branch if one doesn’t speak English.
In Russia just few last generations realized the necessity of studying English. I think, it partly depends of computerizing of our country. Now computers are used everywhere: in banks, offices, shops, hotels etc. Certainly, no one can live without computers in present time. Also a lot of people can’t imagine their life without using World Wide Web Internet. But using Internet and computers is connected with studying English, because English is mostly used in programs.
For example I decided to study English when I had got a computer. Since that time I’ve been studying English at school. I had my first lessons of English in the fifth form. Those lessons interested me very much so I understood, that English - is what I’m really fond of.
As I remember, our teacher of English did everything to make us interested. She used toys and pictures, also we learnedsongs.
But some months or probably a year had passed and our lessons became rather monotone and alike. Day in day out we read similar stories about celebration of different holidays or about heroes of revolution. The strangest thing was, that we read topics about the USSR, which already didn’t exist, and even the memory about that country gone away from our minds.
I think that communication with English-speaking people is very important and unvalued for pupils, who learn English. Opportunity of communication with English-speaking, was a real luck for me. And I’d like to have meetings with guests from England in my own school. My parents remember: “Even in soviet time we had meetings at our schools, where we could talk to foreigners, though we lived far away from the capital”. Now, when Russia is opened for the West, it is not really difficult to invite to school foreigner, isn’t it? More over we live in Moscow, which is full of foreigners. I’m sure, that such a meeting could be very interesting for pupils.
Teachers of English in our school are great professionals. They speak English perfectly. Certanly, they are always ready to teach and help us, but as the matter of fact they has no opportunity to do it. For example, my group even can’t use the same classroom. And we haven’t got any tape-recorder and tapes. We use textbooks, which are far not new ones. Is it possible to study language with old textbooks, if the language changes as the water in the river? I do not think so.
Besides, I suppose, that it is impossible to have a good pronunciation without listening to the speech of English-speaking people. The most of pupils has no opportunity for travelling abroad or talking to foreigners in their motherland. That’s why it is really necessary to have a tape-recorder at the lessons.
In our school teachers, unfortunately, have nothing ,except old textbooks. It is clear, that there is the crisis in Russia, but the education is one of the most important problem. The future and the well-being of our country depend on the quality of the education of our generation. That’s why I think those problems of education must be discussed and solved. Certainly it is very important, because the solving of those problems will help teachers as much as pupils.
English - is one of the most important lessons in school. If I speak English, it is easy for me to read books of English writers. Reading of originals helps to understand the ideas of the novels, stories, etc. And I also suppose that it is very exiting to find something new in our favorite characters, such as Tom Sawyer, Jane Air, Romeo and Juliet or Sherlock Holmes. The opportunity of communication, which English gives me is also a great thing. So I think that English will help me not only in my future life, but it helps me now in my school life. My good marks in some subjects partly depend on my marks in English lessons.
In my composition I discussed some questions, which interest me very much. I found some problems, but in spite of them I think I’m really lucky because it is possible in our country to get free education. And I am happy that I’m studying English. I suppose that every problem will be got over. I really think so!