Interview to Isabel Chumbo

1- Why have you chosen languages?
I have chosen languages because it gave me the opportunity to do the things I liked most when I was younger – I could read and write a lot. I also felt it was a way to communicate with other and as such to overcome some of my shyness.

2- How long have you worked in IPB and are you enjoying the experience? Do you plan on working here for the future?
I have been working for the IPB since 1997, which is a lot of time now. I had another job at that time and I chose to come to the IPB. I don’t regret it. I plan to stay for some years more, although I feel tired at times. For me the IPB has become a lifetime project, so I’ll be around.

3- Where else have you worked at and did you like the experience?
I worked at secondary schools and at private schools. I liked the first more than the latter. Private schools put a lot of pressure on teachers, constantly reminding them that their students are paying to be there, so I don’t remember that as a very rewarding experience. Nevertheless I remember my students and those I did like.

4- Back when you were a fresh graduate, did you imagine your life as it is now? And what are your expectations for your future?
When I graduated I always thought about coming back to Bragança and I always dreamt about working at the higher education system. In the future I imagine myself working longer hours and becoming too old too quickly (). Unfortunately I think that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a lot to prove in the Portuguese Educational system. Different educational policies in a short time span are not good for the country and the direct consequences at HEI are quite visible. Students seem to be less well prepared to survive in a demanding public system, as it should be. I also believe that the future will be very hard for students in general. They face a very competitive world, even in Portugal, where the economy is suffering, the career market is narrowing and expectations seem to be down.

5- Do you like your job, what are the pros and cons about it?
To be honest, I love my job. What I like more about it is the fact that I am constantly learning, even when I don’t notice it. Besides I like dealing with people. And with this job I will always have to deal with different kinds of people. One big disadvantage nowadays is that teachers have to worry a lot with paper trails and spend less time than they should in actually working on themselves and learning new teaching strategies, in recycling knowledge, in upgrading. Most of my non-teaching hours are spent in answering to e-mails, writing letters, filling in forms. And sometimes it’s only at the end of the day that I find the time to look at my classes and plan them thoroughly.

6- What advice would you give to future graduates of the English Spanish degree?
To go abroad. This would give them experience of a different culture and a different way of life. Portuguese graduates are used to go back home to their parents and live as unemployed in a comfy environment. They are trapped between a late childhood and a secret new adulthood which they don’t feel prepared to embrace. My advice would be to jump into the future. An Erasmus placement seems a good opportunity.

7- What do you think about Portugal's Education System and particularly the teaching of languages?
A lot of what I’ve said is about the Portuguese Educational System. I think one can feel my mood about what has been said so far. The teaching of languages could lead me to write a dissertation! My concern is mainly with English and with language policies in general. In fact, there seems to be a lot of investment in the teaching of English which doesn’t seem to get to the right end. When students get to the IPB we realize that their level at English is getting worse year after year. This seems to be a clear contradiction to what is happening nowadays. Primary schools provide English teaching from a tender age. When children get to the 2nd cycle they do the same all over again, and then again and again. There seems to be no coordination in these different levels of teaching, a lack of motivation among the teachers and a system that does not assess what is going on in fact.
I would also like to see the students’ interest focusing on other languages. For years it has been French, English, some German and now Spanish. Languages like Greek and Latin are long gone and don’t seem to be an option. But what about other languages? Why not learn Chinese? Arabic? Or Dutch?

(Interview made by Elizabeth Rocha)