Activity+8+-+Third+version

Open this doc **↑** to check grammar/vocabulary notes. Also, go to "DISCUSSION" to check my comments. Valéria =)

Gilma:Black Renata: blue Paula: Red Luciane: green or ligth blue?

=STRIKE STRIKES MINAS GERAIS = = =  **TEACHERS’ STRIKE IN BRAZIL ** Tuesday, June1, 2010.



Teachers' strike in the state of Minas Gerais,  Brazil , was featured in leading newspapers of the state and country. In addition to salary, teachers demanded better working conditions and the incorporation of the bonuses in the gross salary. The subject is controversial. Most parents and students do not agree about the strike. In European countries, parents, students and community unite for teachers in search of better education conditions, maybe that's why the European education system is ahead of the Brazilian one. The fact is that the teachers’ strike in Minas Gerais lasted on average 40 days and little has been achieved. Classes returned last Thursday, May 27, and students have been warned that they will have to make up for missed classes on Saturdays, holidays and school holidays, which left many students disappointed:  "We had no holiday right now so ...", says Fernanda Silva, a student from 4th grade of elementary education, at a state school in Belo Horizonte. Also, she complements: " The missed classes really have to be made up. The students are not responsible for the strike and many of them need these classes to be prepared for University Entrance Exams." On the other hand, some teachers say that the strike had a positive balance: "Our movement was important, we showed to society that we are dissatisfied with working conditions and the terrible wages paid to teachers in the state. Moreover, the days not effectively worked were not discounted, "says Polyanna, an 8th grade English teacher.

Also according to Rosa Helena, José Antonio Pessoa School teacher, in Ribeirão das Neves, the salary informed by the governor does not correspond to the reality and therefore she released her paycheck to demonstrate it. The governor stuck a spreadsheet with the salaries of school employees to prove to society that the strike was unjust. Thus, she stuck her own paycheck next to the spreadsheet to demonstrate that the salary reported by the governor is not the same they earn. So, there is disconected information.

The government  committed  days off were not cut and teachers will not be fired. <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> "Teachers will continue mobilized awaiting the results of government commitments," said Beatriz Cerqueira, <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">representative of trade union teachers <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> (Sind-UTE).

<span style="color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">According to Carlos Ramiro Castro, president of Apeoesp "The teacher’s devaluation in relation to their wages makes them to get a double or triple journey, making their work in another sector. This consequently brings problems to your health and generates faults and licenses. In addition, their own working conditions are adverse: overcrowded classrooms, lack of adequate infrastructure, which brings discouragement". A search of Apeoesp shows that 46% of professionals are in the process of stress (International Forum of Human Rights). This makes teachers enter into a process of apathy. To access the whole research go to: (http://www.direitos.org.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2275&Itemid=2 **

<span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> This strike is not a new fact. The teachers' claim mentioned above have been making for a long time and these are signs that nothing really consubstantial was done to improve teachers' life quality. Also, the strike brings up an old and important __**r//eflexion//**:__ Brazilian Educational System is precarious and <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">teachers work absolutely unmotivated. A conclusion can be drawn <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">: <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #000080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">How can a country that treats its educators with so much disrespect became a first world nation? <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> We know strike rights are provided and guaranteed by the Brazilian Constitution <span class="longtext" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">. <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> Although many segments of the society feel uncomfortable with this //__prerrogative__// we must understand it will <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #000080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">continue to exist <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">until   <span style="color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">the education, in this country, can be seen as one of the most important pillars <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">to a <span style="color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">free, fair and caring society <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">.

<span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">a movie about education in Brazil

Freedom Writers

interview

strike in MG

strike in California

[|sobre a greve.doc]

media type="youtube" key="Ip5B7lhs_nc" width="425" height="350" (Luciane)