Memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone - 3

A teacher (Editor of this blog) awarded

Upali Thilakarathne of C.W.W. Kannagara Central College, the English Teacher cum photographer captured the memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone.

 Here are some of them.

Mr. H.A. Sunil Raj, ISA-English

A teacher awarded

Best school - Category 1, Saranathissa K.V., Ovitigala M.V.

Best school  - Category 2, Merril Kariyawasam M.V.

Best school  - Category 3, C.W. W. Kannagara M.M.V.

ADE himself evaluated,
report handed in by Ms. Priyanka Chandanie, ISA - English

Vote of thanks by Mr. Joe Wijesinghe, ISA - English

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Memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone - 2

Upali Thilakarathne of C.W.W. Kannagara Central College, the English Teacher cum photographer captured the memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone.

Here are some of them.

Ms. Dulmini Senanayaka, Assistant Director of Education

Performance by D.D. Athulathmudali K.V.

Mr. N.W. Perera, Additional Zonal Director

Performance by St. Mary's College

Drama by Ananda Sastralaya

Ms. Rupa Senarath,   ISA - English   

Mr. Joe Wijesinghe,   ISA - English   

Ms. Nayana Gunaratne, ISA - English

Ms. Jayawickrama, retired English teacher

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Memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone - 1

Upali Thilakarathne of C.W.W. Kannagara Central College, the English Teacher cum photographer captured the memorable moments of the Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone.

Here are some of them.

Thank you Upali for your brilliant photography. Its a pity that the man who was behind the camera is invisible.

Guests of honour

Guests of honour

Lighting of traditional oil lamp

Compere Mr. H.A. Sunil Raj,  ISA - English

Welcome address by
Mr. Premalal B. Ranaweerage,
Assistant Director of Education - English

Address by Mr. Gamini Abedheera,
Deputy Director of Education - English
Western Province

Mr. Gamini Abedheera

Dance by C.W.W. Kannangara Central College

Vocal by a student of Andawala K.V.

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Zonal English Awards Day held in Matugama successfully

Zonal English Awards Day 2011 of Matugama Education Zone was held successfully at the auditorium of C.W.W. Kannagara Central College, Matugama on 6th December.

A section of the large number of award winner students participated in the Awards Day. 

Deputy Director of Education - English of Western Province Mr. Gamini Abedheera was the chief guest of the event. Addressing the gathering he said the Awards Day of Matugama Education Zone with its high quality souvenir was excellent and  Matugama Education Zone had come to the foremost position among the zones of the Western Province performance wise. 

Students of C.W.W. Kannangara Central College, Sr. Mary's College, Ananda Sastralaya and Andawala Junior School added color to the event with their fabulous performances. 

Teachers that excelled in evaluations their career performances were also awarded certificates at the Zonal English Awards Day. 

Assistant Director of Education - English of Matugama Education Zone Mr. Premalal B. Ranaweerage said he was delivering his last speech in the annual Awards Day as the Director - English since he would retire from the service in March. 

Four schools, namely Ovitigala M.V., Saranathissa M.V., Meryl Kariyawasam M.M.V., and C.W.W. Kannangara M.M.V. were awarded as the best schools since they bagged the highest number of certificates in the three categories of schools. 

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When the going gets tough, the tough gets going

As the year of 2011 is drawing to a close it is appropriate to write a note on what the English Department of the Matugama Education Zone has been doing in order to advance the standard of English of the student population of the Zone and the personality development and professional build up of the English teachers during the course of this year. Annual School English Development ProgrammeIt has been the practice since 2008 to send an annual English programme to every school to be implemented in order to raise the level of English in schools. On January 01st itself 2011 programme which included holding an English week, formation of school clubs, holding an awards day etc. was posted to every school in the zone. We are happy to note that it was implemented to a large extent by almost all the schools.
Results ImprovementIn the month of February the English teachers were summoned to the Zonal Education Office and emphasized the need of improving English language results by 10% in 2011. The teachers were given necessary guidelines and asked to work harder to achieve the target.
On October 05th, 06th and 12th three support seminars were conducted for grade 11 students in 21 centres to help them get more marks for English language question papers at the O/L examination. 59 English teachers and the ISAs - English conducted the seminars for which over 2000 students attended.
In addition to the above programme four model question papers were sent to schools to prepare the students for the examination.
Zonal Language Training Center (ZLTC)Opening of the ZLTC on February 11th was yet another achievement of the English Department of the zone. The centre, equipped with the state of the art facilities was opened by the Zonal Director of Education, Additional Zonal Director of Education and the other Directors of Education. This facility was used to conduct for teachers and students upto the sudden closure of the centre.
Website of the Zonal English DepartmentZonal English Department launched its blog on the same day the ZLTC was declared open. It was ceremonially launched by Mr. Keerthi Kariyawasam, Member of Western Provincial Council. The blog was maintained throughout the year disseminating information to teachers handling traffic of around 4000 page views. The aim of this endeavour was to broaden the horizons of the English language teaching learning process of the zone through the use of information and communication technology.
Bilingual Education Programme In order to accelerate the bilingual education programme, three workshops were conducted for the teachers on February 28, April 29th and 30th. While the February programme was conducted at Ananda Sastralaya National School, the next two day workshop was held at the ZLTC, in order to train the teachers to teach science, mathematics and citizenship education to grade 6 students. Seventeen schools of the Zone are now conducting lessons to Grade 6 students. Two more schools will follow suit from 2012.
English Language WeekAlmost every school in the Zone held the English language week from February 21 to 25. Adhering to the instructions given by us the morning assembly was conducted in English on all five days of the week. Language competitions were held for the students from Grade 3 to Grade 13. In addition to that, literary associations, English speaking clubs were formed during the week.
It was heartening to hear from all the authorities who had visited the schools during this week that the English week had been successfully held .
90-hour English Course for Bilingual TeachersThe 90-hour English course for Bilingual Teachers for which 25 teachers participated, held at St. Mary’s College on Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. commenced on May 05th and was successfully completed on November 21st. The focus of the course was mainly to develop the English speaking skills of the participants.
Basic English Course for Slow Learners in Grade 9A five day basic English course was conducted at the ZLTC for the Grade 9 slow learners from February to October 2011 for which 210 students from 15 schools participated in the course enthusiastically. The course was popular among the participants as state of the art facilities were used as teaching aids. The aim of the project was to make English an easy subject for the students who had received less than 40 marks in English at the school term tests. Mr. L.A.P. Jayasinghe conducted the programme.
Singing Workshop All the teachers in the Zone were at a loss when they had to prepare the students for the Zonal group singing competition as there were not a single western music teacher to help them. As a measure to meet this urgent demand we invited Mrs. Kanthi Priyadarshani, the Western Music Drector of the Colombo Education Zone to conduct a one day workshop for the English teachers of the Zone. She conducted a workshop on singing on June 3rd at Ananda Sastralaya national school, which immensely helped the teachers in training their students for the Zonal group singing competition.
Zonal English Language, Drama and Group Singing CompetitionsOn May 21st, 28th and June 11th the language competitions were held at St. Mary’s College while drama and group singing competitions were held at Ananda Satralaya on July 09th. More than 5000 students participated in all the competitions. It was due to the support given by the teachers that we were able to conduct the competitions successfully.
Workshop for A/L studentsUnsatisfactory results of General English subject was a major concern for all those in the English department of the Zone. It was known to many that A.L students’ priority is not General English, but the main subjects they learn in schools and elsewhere. However, we believed that it was our responsibility to encourage them to get higher marks for the subject. We organized a one day workshop for them at the public auditorium on July 08th for which more than 300 students including several Buddhist priests participated. Three foreign university students also took part as resource persons in the workshop
English Camps for English Teachers
There were requests from the teachers themselves to conduct subject knowledge enhancement programme for the teachers of English. To meet their request, we organized two, 2-day English camps at Panthiya Maha Vidyalaya during the August vacation. The first camp was held on August 8th and 9th and on August 15th and 16th the second English camp was held there. The areas encompassed in the programme were singing, English language, English literature, writing project proposals, how to use internet to improve English and how to conduct interviews. The following foreign university students who had arrived in Sri Lanka through AEISEC, an organization of university students in 112 countries, were interviewed by the teachers. They were Ms. Fan Sitting (Bess) from China, Ms. Xu Si (Maxxie) from China, Mr. Thalhar Waheed from Pakistan, Ms. Han Trinh from Vietnam, Ms. Hana Zemkova from Slovakia, Ms. Tina Herzbach from Germany and Julia Svandova from Slovakia.
The singing session was conducted by the Western Music Director of the Colombo Education Zone while the other resource persons were Mr. L.A.P. Jayasighe, the English ISAs and myself.
Here is one of the comments made by a participant in one of the camps.
"The tradititional way of conducting seminars and workshops has been revolutionary changed by this new innovatively organized camps. I am sure teachers will participate in this kind of workshops/ camps with delight and enthusiasm in future, The teachers must be enlightened on the use of new technology, as language teaching and learning must go hand in hand with the advancement of science. "M.D. Upali Thilakarathna – C.W.W. Kannangara M.M.V.
Spoken English TestWell Before the ‘English as a Life Skill’ programme came into operation, we had initiated a road map to improve the English speaking skills of the students in the Zone. The very first step was taken in 2008 by allowing students from Grade 3 to 5 to participate in the Zonal prepared speech competition which was limited to the students from Grade 6 upwards until then. The second step was adding picture description, announcing and news reading as Zonal competitions from 2009.
The third step was conducting a Spoken English test for Grade 10 students and the first Spoken English Test was held in 2010 and certificates were awarded to the deserved. The Spoken English Test in 2011 was held at eight centers on October 30th. We understand that the only education zone in the country which has held a spoken English test is Matugama.
Evaluation of English TeachersWe were well aware that teachers should be evaluated, appreciated and rewarded n order to motivate them to enhance productivity of the teaching leaning process. To achieve this objective, we launched a two pronged project in this regard and our ISAs visited all the schools in the Zone and evaluated their performance in classroom teaching and involvement in co-curricular activities by means of 20 criteria. The teachers who scored high marks in the evaluation process will be awarded Certificates of Appreciation on the Zonal Awards Day.
Foreign Volunteer TeachersAnother innovative project initiated by us was receiving the service of foreign university students to teach English in some schools in the Zone. We believe that one of the best ways to teach spoken English is creating an environment where the use of English language is esential. The students of Saranathissa K.V, Ananda Sastralaya national school, St. Mary’s College, Kamburawala M.V., Bopitiya K.V., Hedigalla K.V and Udugama K.V. were able to improve their speaking skills rapidly thanks to the services provided by these foreign students. The university students from China, Taiwan, Germany and Pakistan taught English in schools for two and half months from time to time. We understand some students are still in touch with them over Skype, telephone and through email.
Educational DVDs to SchoolAt present, steps are being taken to provide educational DVDs with funds provided by Mr. Chandrabanu Adikaram, honourable Member of Western Provincial Council. These DVDs, I have no dout, will serve the recipient schools as a catalyst for creating interest in English.
State of the Art Technology for 14 SchoolsFourteeen schools nominated by us will be provided with the state of the art facilities under the Presidential Intiative ‘English as a Life Skill’ programme to develop activity rooms. Ten other schools will share these facilities with neighbouring schools to teach English in a creative way. The Zonal English Department also will be equipped with the state of the art facilities under the same programme.
Zonal English Awards DayThe Zonal English Awards Day which is to be held on December 06th itself was a challenge to us as everybody was engaged in other urgent activities. Writing more than 1000 certificates for the students and teachers was an enormous task. However, we are sure that we will be able to overcome all these difficulties and hold the awards day successfully.
ConclusionIndeed the year 2011 has been such a challenging year to us that we had to run against the time in order to complete the projects in due time. Yet we were able to surmount all the challenges thanks to the unity, solidarity, corporation and above all the unfettered enthusiasm of everybody in the English Department who were yearning for a paradigm shift in the education of the Zone and indeed due to the overwhelming support given to us by the majority of the English teachers.
P.B. RanaweerageADE -English

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My teaching experience at Udugama Junior School

When I arrived at school on my first working day the 6th of September I was a bit surprised by the school assembly. We do not have something like this in Germany and we do not have school uniforms either. I got used to the school assembly quickly and in the end I enjoyed it even though I did not understand much. First students and teachers were praying, they hissed the Sri Lankan flag, one student was reading the news, one student was telling something about a famous writer and one student was telling something in English. The assembly finished with a little prayer and everyone saying “Ayubowan” and folding the hands in the typical gesture.

On the first days at school I was a bit overstrained. Everything was so new for me. I had not taught before and now it was even more difficult because the students I taught did not speak my language. After some days it became easier for me. I knew their English competencies (which are indeed not sufficient) and I got used to the (school) climate. Normally I taught for 4 periods in the morning and then one class stayed with me after school. Each day one of the other teachers prepared a nice lunch for me.

After half of the time of my 6 weeks stay had passed I came to a point where I felt exhausted. In some classes I did not see any progress. For example there was a girl in grade 8 which did not know the English word “Banana” and even I knew just after 3 weeks stay in Sri Lanka that the Sinhala meaning was “Kassel”. I realized that I could not keep up to the teaching plan I had prepared and I felt like I would not be able to teach for another three weeks. But then I over thought and lowered my expectations and started with games and group activities where every student could be involved. It worked out, every student was enjoying the lesson and most of them were not afraid to talk to me and ask me questions about anything.

My favourite classes were grade 5 (because no matter what I did with them they enjoyed it and we had so much fun together singing songs and playing games) and grade 9 (because for whatever reason their English was the best, so I could work well with them and moreover they were very interested in learning and using English).

I went on two fieldtrips with the school, which I enjoyed a lot. One was to the near surrounding of the school (they have a beautiful landscape there) and one to the ancient temple Pahurukanda.

On the 6th of October we celebrated World Teachers Day at my school. It was a very nice day. I was wearing a Saree, the students were singing songs for us and performing dances and every teacher got a medal and flowers.

I really liked the school atmosphere I think you could describe it very well by using the words “caring and sharing”. Everyone was friendly with everyone. Everybody shared his or her food with others. I remember me telling one teacher at school that the toilet flush at my boarding place was not working. Some minutes later there were 3 teachers including the principal coming to my house and repairing it.

The time passed so fast and I was very sad to leave the students and teachers and my Sri Lankan life behind to go back to my home country Germany. I had tears in my eyes when the students performed the songs I taught them on my last day at school. I will never forget all the nice experiences and memories I made in Sri Lanka the pearl of the Indian Ocean.

-Greta Alena Von Elsner

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Greta Alena Von Elsner volunteering in Sri Lanka

Greta Alena Von Elsner, a university student from Germany taught English at Udugama Junior School of Matugama Education Zone of Sri Lanka from Sep.6 to Oct.14.She left for her country on October 16th.

This picture was taken when she came to talk the bilingual teachers who attend an English class conducted by the Zonal Education Office, Matugama.

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Photos of the English Camp held in Matugama on August 8

panel discussion

panel discussion

panel discussion

foreign volunteers

group photo

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A list of over 500 proverbs

Proverbs are short and pithy sayings that express some traditionally held truth. They are usually metaphorical and often, for the sake of memorability, alliterative.

1. A cat may look at a king
2. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
3. A change is as good as a rest
4. A dog is a man's best friend
5. A drowning man will clutch at a straw
6. A fish always rots from the head down
7. A fool and his money are soon parted
8. A friend in need is a friend indeed
9. A golden key can open any door
10. A good beginning makes a good ending
11. A good man is hard to find
12. A house divided against itself cannot stand
13. A house is not a home
14. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
15. A leopard cannot change its spots
16. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing
17. A little learning is a dangerous thing
18. A little of what you fancy does you good
19. A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client
20. A miss is as good as a mile
21. A new broom sweeps clean
22. A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse
23. A penny saved is a penny earned
24. A person is known by the company he keeps
25. A picture paints a thousand words
26. A place for everything and everything in its place
27. A poor workman always blames his tools
28. A problem shared is a problem halved
29. A prophet is not recognized in his own land
30. A rising tide lifts all boats
31. A rolling stone gathers no moss
32. A soft answer turneth away wrath
33. A stitch in time saves nine
34. A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
35. A thing of beauty is a joy forever
36. A trouble shared is a trouble halved
37. A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
38. A watched pot never boils
39. A woman's place is in the home
40. A woman's work is never done
41. A word to the wise is enough
42. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
43. Absolute power corrupts absolutely
44. Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families).
45. Actions speak louder than words
46. Adversity makes strange bedfellows
47. After a storm comes a calm
48. All good things come to he who waits
49. All good things must come to an end
50. All is grist that comes to the mill
51. All publicity is good publicity
52. All roads lead to Rome
53. All that glisters is not gold
54. All the world loves a lover
55. All things come to those who wait
56. All things must pass
57. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
58. All you need is love
59. All's fair in love and war
60. All's for the best in the best of all possible worlds
61. All's well that ends well
62. A miss is as good as a mile
63. An apple a day keeps the doctor away
64. An army marches on its stomach
65. An Englishman's home is his castle
66. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
67. Another day, another dollar
68. Any port in a storm
69. April showers bring forth May flowers
70. As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it
71. As you sow so shall you reap
72. Ask a silly question and you'll get a silly answer
73. Ask no questions and hear no lies
74. Attack is the best form of defence
75. Bad money drives out good
76. Bad news travels fast
77. Barking dogs seldom bite
78. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
79. Beauty is only skin deep
80. Beggars should not be choosers
81. Behind every great man there's a great woman
82. Better late than never
83. Better safe than sorry
84. Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't
85. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
86. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
87. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt
88. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts
89. Big fish eat little fish
90. Birds of a feather flock together
91. Blood is thicker than water
92. Boys will be boys
93. Brevity is the soul of wit
94. Business before pleasure
95. Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
96. Carpe diem (Pluck the day; Seize the day)
97. Charity begins at home
98. Cheats never prosper
99. Children should be seen and not heard
100. Cleanliness is next to godliness
101. Clothes make the man
102. Cold hands, warm heart
103. Comparisons are odious
104. Count your blessings
105. Cowards may die many times before their death
106. Crime doesn't pay
107. Cut your coat to suit your cloth
108. Dead men tell no tales
109. Devil take the hindmost
110. Discretion is the better part of valour
111. Distance lends enchantment to the view
112. Do as I say, not as I do
113. Do as you would be done by
114. Do unto others as you would have them do to you
115. Don't bite the hand that feeds you
116. Don't burn your bridges behind you
117. Don't cast your pearls before swine
118. Don't change horses in midstream
119. Don't count your chickens before they are hatched
120. Don't cross the bridge till you come to it
121. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face
122. Don't keep a dog and bark yourself
123. Don't let the bastards grind you down
124. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
125. Don't meet troubles half-way
126. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
127. Don't put the cart before the horse
128. Don't put new wine into old bottles
129. Don't rock the boat
130. Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar
131. Don't throw pearls to swine
132. Don't teach your Grandma to suck eggs
133. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water
134. Don't try to walk before you can crawl
135. Don't upset the apple-cart
136. Don't wash your dirty linen in public
137. Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom
138. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
139. East is east, and west is west
140. East, west, home's best
141. Easy come, easy go
142. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die
143. Empty vessels make the most noise
144. Enough is as good as a feast
145. Enough is enough
146. Even a worm will turn
147. Every cloud has a silver lining
148. Every dog has its day
149. Every Jack has his Jill
150. Every little helps
151. Every man for himself, and the Devil take the hindmost
152. Every man has his price
153. Every picture tells a story
154. Every stick has two ends
155. Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
156. Everything comes to him who waits
157. Failing to plan is planning to fail
158. Faint heart never won fair lady
159. Fair exchange is no robbery
160. Faith will move mountains
161. Familiarity breeds contempt
162. Feed a cold and starve a fever
163. Fight fire with fire
164. Finders keepers, losers weepers
165. Fine words butter no parsnips
166. First come, first served
167. First impressions are the most lasting
168. First things first
169. Fish always stink from the head down
170. Fish and guests smell after three days
171. Flattery will get you nowhere
172. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
173. For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost
174. Forewarned is forearmed
175. Forgive and forget
176. Fortune favours the brave
177. From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step
178. Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains
179. Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration
180. Give a dog a bad name and hang him
181. Give a man rope enough and he will hang himself
182. Give credit where credit is due
183. God helps those who help themselves
184. Good fences make good neighbours
185. Good talk saves the food
186. Good things come to those who wait
187. Great minds think alike
188. Half a loaf is better than no bread
189. Handsome is as handsome does
190. Hard cases make bad law
191. Hard work never did anyone any harm
192. Haste makes waste
193. He that goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing
194. He who can does, he who cannot, teaches
195. He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day
196. He who hesitates is lost
197. He who laughs last laughs longest
198. He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword
199. He who pays the piper calls the tune
200. He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon
201. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
202. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty
203. History repeats itself
204. Home is where the heart is
205. Honesty is the best policy
206. Hope springs eternal
207. Horses for courses
208. If anything can go wrong, it will
209. If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
210. If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again
211. If God had meant us to fly he'd have given us wings
212. If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no work for tinkers
213. If it ain't broke, don't fix it
214. If life deals you lemons, make lemonade
215. If the cap fits, wear it
216. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain
217. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride
218. If you can't be good, be careful
219. If you can't beat em, join em
220. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen
221. If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas
222. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys
223. If you want a thing done well, do it yourself
224. Ignorance is bliss
225. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
226. In for a penny, in for a pound
227. In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king
228. In the midst of life we are in death
229. Into every life a little rain must fall
230. It ain't over till the fat lady sings
231. It goes without saying
232. It is best to be on the safe side
233. It is better to give than to receive
234. It is easy to be wise after the event
235. It never rains but it pours
236. It takes a thief to catch a thief
237. It takes all sorts to make a world
238. It takes one to know one
239. It takes two to tango
240. It's all grist to the mill
241. It's an ill wind that blows no one any good
242. It's better to give than to receive
243. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
244. It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness
245. It's better to travel hopefully than to arrive
246. It's never too late
247. It's no use crying over spilt milk
248. It's no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted
249. It's the early bird that catches the worm
250. It's the empty can that makes the most noise
251. It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease
252. Jack of all trades, master of none
253. Judge not, that ye be not judged
254. Keep your chin up
255. Keep your powder dry
256. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
257. Laughter is the best medicine
258. Least said, soonest mended
259. Less is more
260. Let bygones be bygones
261. Let not the sun go down on your wrath
262. Let sleeping dogs lie
263. Let the buyer beware
264. Let the dead bury the dead
265. Let the punishment fit the crime
266. Let well alone
267. Life begins at forty
268. Life is just a bowl of cherries
269. Life is what you make it
270. Life's not all beer and skittles
271. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place
272. Like father, like son
273. Little pitchers have big ears
274. Little strokes fell great oaks
275. Little things please little minds
276. Live for today for tomorrow never comes
277. Look before you leap
278. Love is blind
279. Love makes the world go round
280. Love thy neighbour as thyself
281. Love will find a way
282. Make hay while the sun shines
283. Make love not war
284. Man does not live by bread alone
285. Manners maketh man
286. Many a little makes a mickle
287. Many a mickle makes a muckle
288. Many a true word is spoken in jest
289. Many hands make light work
290. March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb
291. March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers
292. Marriages are made in heaven
293. Marry in haste, repent at leisure
294. Might is right
295. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
296. Misery loves company
297. Moderation in all things
298. Monday's child is fair of face,
299. Tuesday's child is full of grace,
300. Wednesday's child is full of woe,
301. Thursday's child has far to go,
302. Friday's child is loving and giving,
303. Saturday's child works hard for its living,
304. And a child that's born on the Sabbath day
305. Is fair and wise and good and gay.
306. Money doesn't grow on trees
307. Money is the root of all evil
308. Money isn't everything
309. Money makes the world go round
310. Money talks
311. More haste, less speed
312. Music has charms to soothe the savage breast
313. Nature abhors a vacuum
314. Necessity is the mother of invention
315. Needs must when the devil drives
316. Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
317. Never give a sucker an even break
318. Never go to bed on an argument
319. Never judge a book by its cover
320. Never let the sun go down on your anger
321. Never look a gift horse in the mouth
322. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today
323. Never speak ill of the dead
324. Never tell tales out of school
325. Nine tailors make a man
326. No man can serve two masters
327. No man is an island
328. No names, no pack-drill
329. No news is good news
330. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
331. No pain, no gain
332. No rest for the wicked
333. Nothing is certain but death and taxes
334. Nothing succeeds like success
335. Nothing venture, nothing gain
336. Oil and water don't mix
337. Old soldiers never die, they just fade away
338. Once a thief, always a thief
339. Once bitten, twice shy
340. One good turn deserves another
341. One half of the world does not know how the other half lives
342. One hand washes the other
343. One man's meat is another man's poison
344. One might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
345. One law for the rich and another for the poor
346. One swallow does not make a summer
347. One volunteer is worth ten pressed men
348. One year's seeding makes seven years weeding
349. Only fools and horses work
350. Opportunity never knocks twice at any man's door
351. Out of sight, out of mind
352. Parsley seed goes nine times to the Devil
353. Patience is a virtue
354. Pearls of wisdom
355. Penny wise and pound foolish
356. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
357. Physician, heal thyself
358. Possession is nine points of the law
359. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
360. Practice makes perfect
361. Practice what you preach
362. Prevention is better than cure
363. Pride goes before a fall
364. Procrastination is the thief of time
365. Put your best foot forward
366. Rain before seven, fine before eleven
367. Red sky at night shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning
368. Revenge is a dish best served cold
369. Revenge is sweet
370. Rob Peter to pay Paul
371. Rome wasn't built in a day
372. See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all day
373. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
374. Seeing is believing
375. Seek and ye shall find
376. Set a thief to catch a thief
377. Share and share alike
378. Shrouds have no pockets
379. Silence is golden
380. Slow but sure
381. Softly, softly, catchee monkey
382. Spare the rod and spoil the child
383. Speak as you find
384. Speak softly and carry a big stick
385. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
386. Still waters run deep
387. Strike while the iron is hot
388. Stupid is as stupid does
389. Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan
390. Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves
391. Talk is cheap
392. Talk of the Devil, and he is bound to appear
393. Tell the truth and shame the Devil
394. That which does not kill us makes us stronger
395. The age of miracles is past
396. The apple never falls far from the tree
397. The best defence is a good offence
398. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley
399. The best things in life are free
400. The bigger they are, the harder they fall
401. The bottom line is the bottom line
402. The boy is father to the man
403. The bread always falls buttered side down
404. The child is the father of the man
405. The cobbler always wears the worst shoes
406. The course of true love never did run smooth
407. The customer is always right
408. The darkest hour is just before the dawn
409. The devil finds work for idle hands to do
410. The devil looks after his own
411. The early bird catches the worm
412. The end justifies the means
413. The exception which proves the rule
414. The female of the species is more deadly than the male
415. The fruit does not fall far from the tree
416. The good die young
417. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
418. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
419. The husband is always the last to know
420. The labourer is worthy of his hire
421. The law is an ass
422. The leopard does not change his spots
423. The longest journey starts with a single step
424. The more the merrier
425. The more things change, the more they stay the same
426. The only good Indian is a dead Indian
427. The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings
428. The pen is mightier than sword
429. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance
430. The proof of the pudding is in the eating
431. The road to hell is paved with good intentions
432. The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot
433. The squeaking wheel gets the grease
434. The truth will out
435. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
436. There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream
437. There are none so blind as those, that will not see
438. There are two sides to every question
439. There but for the grace of God, go I
440. There's a time and a place for everything
441. There's an exception to every rule
442. There's always more fish in the sea
443. There's honour among thieves
444. There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle
445. There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip
446. There's more than one way to skin a cat
447. There's no accounting for tastes
448. There's no fool like an old fool
449. There's no place like home
450. There's no smoke without fire
451. There's no such thing as a free lunch
452. There's no such thing as bad publicity
453. There's no time like the present
454. There's none so blind as those who will not see
455. There's none so deaf as those who will not hear
456. There's nowt so queer as folk
457. There's one born every minute
458. There's safety in numbers
459. They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind
460. Third time lucky
461. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it
462. Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
463. Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas
464. Time and tide wait for no man
465. Time flies
466. Time is a great healer
467. Time is money
468. Time will tell
469. 'tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
470. To err is human; to forgive divine
471. To every thing there is a season
472. To the victor go the spoils
473. To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive
474. Tomorrow is another day
475. Tomorrow never comes
476. Too many cooks spoil the broth
477. Truth is stranger than fiction
478. Truth will out
479. Two blacks don't make a white
480. Two heads are better than one
481. Two is company, but three's a crowd
482. Two wrongs don't make a right
483. Variety is the spice of life
484. Virtue is its own reward
485. Walls have ears
486. Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
487. Waste not want not
488. What can't be cured must be endured
489. What goes up must come down
490. What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts
491. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
492. When in Rome, do as the Romans do
493. When the cat's away the mice will play
494. When the going gets tough, the tough get going
495. When the oak is before the ash, then you will only get a splash; when the ash is before the oak, then you may expect a soak
496. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over
497. Where there's a will there's a way
498. Where there's muck there's brass
499. While there's life there's hope
500. Whom the Gods love die young
501. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?
502. Women and children first
503. Wonders will never cease
504. Work expands so as to fill the time available
505. Worrying never did anyone any good
506. You are never too old to learn
507. You are what you eat
508. You can have too much of a good thing
509. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink
510. You can't have your cake and eat it
511. You can't get blood out of a stone
512. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear
513. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
514. You can't make bricks without straw
515. You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
516. You can't teach an old dog new tricks
517. You can't tell a book by looking at its cover
518. You can't win them all
519. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
520. You pays your money and you takes your choice
521. Youth is wasted on the young

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Thoughts of a foreign volunteer teaching at Ananda Sastralaya, Matugama

Name: Talha Waheed
Country: Pakistan
Intern at: Ananda Sastralay, Matugama
Date of internship: 27th June - 10th August (2011)

After arriving to Sri Lanka, I analyzed the general level of English knowledge among the student body, the situation was not that optimistic. The majority of the student population lacked basic knowhow for the language, they were reluctant to use it in class, and did not recognize its significance. This was an extremely worrying site in an otherwise well-structured education system. Taking this into account I revised my initial plans and focused on getting the students to be able to comprehend basic spoken English, and to push them to express themselves as much as possible. Looking back at my own performance, with all honesty I sensed that at several occasions I failed (frustratingly so) in achieving what I wanted to. I then tried implementing the native language into my lessons; this seemed to motivate the students. They appreciated the fact that a foreigner is trying to learn their language and hence made a similar effort in terms of English. I believe I might have been successful in instilling a bit of confidence in some if not all the students in using English as a means of education. I am most concerned about A’level students as their time to pass out is right around the corner, and ironically they were the weakest in English skills out of the entire student population. Unfortunately, they seemed like a lost cause considering the minimal school time they have left. I still made an effort in motivating them to read the English newspaper, to practice English exams, and to remind them of the significance of the language at university level. However, on an optimistic note, the younger students showed signs of progress; they can be groomed well, if taken the correct measures. Many more interns are required after me to reach the goal that we intend to achieve, this is a continuous process. In addition, I would recommend the hiring of a permanent English counselor who could understand the situation and the weak points better than a foreign intern, and could interact with the students for a longer period of time. I reiterate one last time that the importance of this target cannot be stressed on enough! The students of this country are well groomed, manner-able, and intelligent; but lack of English knowledge halting their progress would be extremely unfortunate.

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