People are different and they have different aims. What is very important for one person means nothing to another. Mixed-ability classes are inevitable in all forms of education and within all age groups: people are born to be different. And instead of being an obtacle hampering everybody’s progress, this diversity of the human nature can be used for the benefit of every member of a team.

The sense of respect for everybody should begin with the teacher’s personality. And the main rule of teacher’s behaviour is to think of your class as a community. You should apply the principles of the peaceable classroom to improve communication, cooperation, tolerance.

I think you can integrate the theme of respect for toleranc and diversity in every topic the students learn. Every percon differs from another nd each has his own opinion and look on the same ubject or event. It takes all sorts to make a world. And it is very importsnt to teac children to respect other thoughs and views. For instance, talking about music or fashion, literature or personal qualities, cooking or studying at school every leaner has his opinion. One student likes heavy metal music. Does it mean that he is absolutely deaf to music? No, it doesn’t. Another student prefers wearing jeans with patches or has green hair and a ring in the nose. Can we say that he is a light-minded person? No, we cannot.

The theme itself is worth studying separately and very attentively. Every year some of my lessons are devoted to it. My first questions are: What is diversity? What is tolerance? What does it mean- to respect? Usually the easiest question for the learners is about diversity. They agree thar the world is the carpet of many colours and evert part of the carpet has its own history, traditions, customs, habits and manners.We, ourselves have different opinions about things and these differences are part of what makes us human. Then we look up the word “tolerance” in the dictionary and read that tolerance is a “fair and permissive attitude toward those whose race, religion, nationality differ from one’s own”. The next task is to continue the phrase “To respect means …”. They tell such words as to understand, to honour, to esteem, to love, to feel sorry, to be tactful, to sympathize with smb.

Russian and forign literature gives lot of examples of respect and makes people think of character’s deeds and his own actions. Fairy-tales, fables, shotr stories, myths are a good ground for discussion. Having read some extracts from the “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” the children come to theconclusion that we should consider other people as human beeings of intense individualities and creative personalities. Or working with “The Last Leaf” by O.Henry I teach the children to be unselfish and ready to help everyone who needs you, sympathize sincerely with somebody’s sorrow, rejoice at happiness of other people. Another kind of task is called “one storey with different endings’. Students propose various completions, listen to each ohter and learn to respect other opinion ( I think every teacher has many cards with situations that can be ended differently).

To my mind every teacher should read “Language and intercultural Communication”, the book written by Svetlana G. Ter-Minasova. The author of the book asks to be patient and respect others cultures, and your life will become easier and more peaceful. Patience, tolerance and indulgence is the formula of intercultural communication. “Tolerance education has become a problem of vital imprtanci in Russia now”, says S.G. Ter-Minasova. Students know a good saying “Every country has its customs” but at the same time tyey should know and understand another proverb: “When in Rome do as Romans do”. I think it is exciting and useful to propose such tasks as to draw cultural maps of America, Europe or Russia, write stereotype words that reflect cultural life of other countries and choose which stereotypes are true or false. Are all Russians foolish and gloomy? Are all Americans unceremonious and poorly read? Of course, not.

Важенина Татьяна Александровна, учитель английского языка

МОУ СОШ №8, г. Ржев