The other day I observed my first interrogazione. Throughout the school year in Italy students are assessed in two different ways: 1. compito in classe are written responses to teacher-posed questions (short compositions in class). 2. interrogazione is an oral test in which the students are asked questions by the teacher and respond in front of the class. Teachers will announce when there will be an interrogazione, but they will not tell the class which students will be interrogated. Interrogazione lasts one class period (50 minutes) and the chosen students are interrogated for about 15 minutes. In the class that I observed, the students were tested on a specific reading passage and certain grammar points and vocabulary. The teacher asked questions about specific events of the reading passage, what happened, why it happened, etc. He also said sentences in Italian that the students had to translate into English. In one of the upper level classes the students were interrogated on different themes, symbols, and quotes of Shakespeare’s most famous works. The students are then graded on a scale from 1-10, left to the discretion of the teacher. There is no rubric.
It was interesting for me to observe this type of assessment because it is so different from America. As one student was being interrogated you could see the others shuffling through their textbooks and notebooks to get in extra study time in the case that they would be called on next.
Cultural Notes: 1. In my upper level classes we did a lesson on Obama’s health reform and compared the American and Italian health care systems. It was interesting for me to discover that in Italy you don’t pay a single penny for health care and if you get a referral from a doctor, you don’t pay a single penny for medication either. Without a doctor’s note you pay a little for the medication, but not too much. If you feel very sick the doctor will come to your house…no charge…it’s completely standard. I thought that doctor house calls were obsolete. According to World Health Organization, Italy’s health care system in ranked 2nd best in effectiveness. America ranks 37th. (FYI: France is number one)
2. The garbage men come at night. In my neighborhood, they come at around 11:30. For some reason it’s soothing to me to listen to the trucks and the transfer of the garbage…I know, it’s weird…don’t ask. Also note worthy, many of the garbage workers are women.
3. At the grocery store there is no employee at the other end that helps you bag your items. Italy lacks the notion of customer service across all sectors. In America customer service is highly valued from everything to the largest restaurant chain to the smallest boutique. This is not the case at all in Italy. There is, however, one wine bar/restaurant that I continue to go to because they have the best customer service in Rome. And it’s authentic customer service, not cheesy touristy customer service. So let me take the moment to promote this place: Etablì on Vicolo delle Vacche (near Piazza Navona).
Highlights of My Week: 1. Since I arrived in Rome I have been disappointed with the sweets. Nothing seemed exceptional to me. The other day on my way home from tutoring my eye caught hold of a little sign that read castagnole ripiene alla ricotta (castagnole stuffed with ricotta). Le castagnole are similar to mutchkins from Dunkin Donuts…if I had to make some sort of comparison. My host mother loves all sweets made with ricotta, so I stopped in to pick up a tray for her. To reintroduce the topic of customer service, I was taken back when the worker offered me one to try. It was absolutely delicious and when he saw how much I liked it he offered me a taste of their homemade gelato. I was expecting a little teaspoon taste, but he gave me an entire full cup…now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Now I go there all the time both for the amazing sweets and the customer service.
2. My books arrived!!! I will be conducting an after school book club with a few of my upper level students on Friday afternoons. My cooperating teacher and I were so excited when we received the delivery: sixteen copies of The Hunger Games. Our first meeting will be on Friday Feb.24th. I’m so excited to carry out this project with them; they are such great kids.
3. Last weekend my fellow Fulbrighter friend, Natalie, and I went to Etablì for dinner. Our dinner lasted from 8pm-12 because we were having such a great time talking and laughing over delicious food and wine. Natalie’s adamancy of liking grappa was hysterical to watch…she couldn’t refrain from a cringe of disgust after each sip. Afterwards one of the other Fulbrighters in Rome was having a little Fulbright gathering at her apartment. It was nice to see some of the research scholars that I haven’t seen since the initial orientation.
Impara con me! 1. stampare fronte e retro- to print back-to-back
2. sono arrivato/a al pelo- I arrived by the skin of my teeth
3. spalare- to shovel
4. treccia- braid
