Good Idea - Bad Idea

This session with work I am teaching two wonderful levels. Now, I know I wrote about how it was going to be brutal to teach one of the levels but it turns out its actually quite a bit of fun. But I also teach Level three. This level is dead center of the learning curve. They are not too low and not too high... they have fun learning and they make the best of it. They seem motivated and excited and that makes teaching fun.

The unit we had to cover today and yesturday was called Different Kinds of English. Now, I usually dont enjoy doing nationalities because the students dont seem to care that often but this time i decided to add a slant to it. I wouldn't focus on nationalities so much as types of English.

To do this I turned to my trusted computer/internet and got to work. Guess what I looked up. If you guessed British, american and Candian differences you are wrong. But if you guessed slang, you are correct. I found a big long page of different slang words that are used commonly in public. Of course I had to delete several that i had never heard before but others I kept.

" We have ways to make you talk," officer Mutt grinned. "IOf you guys dont start telling the truth, i'll find a way to make you come clean."

Next, I had them read the list for homework and come up with several that they enjoyed the most. Now, students dont tend to do their homework in class so we did a bit of recall while we were in the class. Some of the favourites were suck, booze, boozer, airhead... but the most enjoyable ones ( at least for the teens) were (can you guess?) the swear words. They especially like the word for female dog and 'arsehole' (both versions).

Once this was finished I had them each choose five words and create sentences with them. They didnt know what the purpose of the sentences were yet and that is what made the next step so much fun. I made them get into groups of three and create a dialogue using their sentences. It was so funny. Their English wasnt the greatest ( it is level three afterall) but they did it and I believe it went over pretty well.

Although I thought this was a very good and creative idea and soon came to realize the bad part of my plan. Which are the words you think the students are going to use the moment they leave the class? Not the ordinary ones. Of course not. They tend to choose the swear words. And so, the moment the door opened, one of my students went out the door and yelled " Hey Asshole!" to one of his friends. Oy! I expressed my concern by telling them that those words shouldnt be used within the school. Hopefully it will wear off soon and the words will be mostly abandonned.

In general, I think the lesson went well. My baqd for leaving in the cussing words but they will hear them around so... I guess its slightly helpful.

The summer of weddings

I have never been involved in a summer like this past one ever before. It was, what i would call, the summer of weddings. I had a wedding in May, July and August to attend.

The first wedding was for a couple from my church (Faye and Albertos). They had a nice wedding ceremony and then they held their reception at Britania beach. It was a very cold day and rainy as well but it was a nice time. The reception was a good dinner and then dancing. Dave ands I didnt really take part in the dancing part. Perhaps we're both a littler self concious?!

This picture is before dinner while people were just enjoying discussions with friends. Dave is holding my nephew. He loves Gabriel... he loves all my sisters kids. I love it.

*************************************

The next wedding was for Daves sister. She was married to Chris on June 30th ( my moving day and the day before Canada day). It was a beautiful wedding in a church in Russell. After the wedding the family and bridal party went across the street to have pictures taken in one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. I took several flower shots but wont exhaust you with them here.

The first picture is Dave and I in front of his house before the wedding. The one deside it is the garden... one part of it anyways. It was stunning.

************************************

The next and final wedding I went to was the most special one to me. It was my best friends and Daves brothers wedding. It was on August 5th and Dave was the best man. I sang "All Things Bright and Beautiful" during the wedding which was an honor but terrifying. I wont lie.

I was wearing an outfit that Dave chose. He made a good choice. In this picture he is wearing my hat for fun. He doesnt like the picture because he thinks it makes him look silly but now that you know it isnt his hat and it isnt him wearing it to look cool, it's all good.

350 Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Dinner Menus

I have been fighting laziness for a while now when it comes to creating food for myself. Anything that I could just grab and eat was what I was after. Nothing that involved any preperation.

For a while now dinner has meant a bowl of cereal and some toast. Extremely nutritional, I know. If it isnt that it is either a frazen hamburger patty that I create into something or nothing at all. Sound good? No, I know it doesnt.

Tonight i felt like actually eating something. i cant say i created the most wonderful meal ever. It was from a quick and easy cookbook but it is a start. It is a Chicken and pasta bake. That may sound gross but it isnt actually too bad. Its a casserol using cream soup, Pasta, chicken and peas... plus cheese and a bnit of butter. I dont think I have the right dish for it to be cooked in so I made it in a larger one which means my measurement were off slightly but i think next time I will be able to make it perfect. And it really is quite tasty. Its a step away from the cereal and toast and an even larger step away from no dinner at all.

If anyone knows some quick and easy but healthy and enjoyable dinners that do not involve seafood then please send it to me. I would love to try it out.

Happy eating.

Gifts

I mentionned that I got a gift from one of my students: A pair of sunglasses.

Well, i have received several more gifts. I think its so cute how ESL students give their teachers gifts before they leave. Not to say that they are all wonderful and useful gifts, but the thought is what counts.

*I received a really nice tea ball and cup from one of my French students.
*An interesting picture of a lighthouse was given to me from one of my students from Saudi Arabia.
And my last gift:
*A pair of earings from a Thai lady.

Of these gifts I think the sunglasses were the cutest because of the thought. My funniest one would have to be the picture. The thought was really sweet, however, and so was the student who gave it to me.

Teaching ESL is so much fun.

Catching up

For some strange reason, people drift apart. I dont know if I can ever understand how people just randomly stop talking. No damage done, no hard partings, just... no more communication. Often, the missing communication doesnt seem as bad when you have other people in your life who you spend your time with. In my case, I had Dave close by to do things with. But what happens when he leaves? God is good. He tends to bring people back into your life.

Several times in my not too long life I have had, and lost, so many friends that its hard for me to comprehend. And then, on some random day, in some random moment, I hear something from them. This morning, I was online for the second time on my new computer when who should come online but one of my friends from Tanzania. Helawi and I were really good friends and then -POOF!- we were not communicating at all. E-mails were sent but eventually the replies tapered out. And that's it. It is always so sad when you think back of the people you wish were still in your life and then realize you dont even know why you aren't still in contact.

Lately, however, I have had a few people step back into my life just a little bit. My best friend (Vanessa) is now working with me which makes it so wonderful. I see her every day. Its like being back in school. Helawi, like I mentionned earlier, caught up with me this morning. And then one of my friends who I was close with from grade 2 until grade 9 also contacted me. Talk about a serge of catching up. On top of all this, my season at the NAC is starting up again so I am back in contact with my friend Dounia. We are going to meet for coffee and a chat on Wednesday which is so exciting.

People come and go. I find it odd just how easily they can go and how hard it is for them to come. Yet, God always has someone in line for you to meet. Be it someone new or someone from the past.

An empty spot

I dont know how many of you have experienced this but I think most people have. It's this horrible feeling. A part of you is missing because it has left with someone else.

Dave has left for school. I think it's awsome that he has gone to Waterloo, Cambridge, for his studies and we both knew that it would be hard. I dont ever feel lonely because I get to talk with him all the time over the computer and he has already come back to visit me once. The feeling that I have is more of a longing to have him by my side all the time. Not an actual "by my side" in that he has to be with me at every moment but knowing he isn't far. An ache to have him as 'mine'.

He and I have worked out a pretty good system. We chat online often ( I am sure it will change when his school work picks up) but every morning we come online to do our devotions. We just started this morning because I didnt have a microphone but now that I have one we have begun. And I love it. I dont know if I love anything more then talking and discussing my walk with God with Dave or asking him questions that I have about things. It makes everything seem more meaningful and intimate.

God is good through everything. One thing that Dave and I read about was God's jealous love. How we so often forget about God to do our own thing when we deserve nothing at all. It made me realize that way too often I think of Dave and believe that everything will be better when he is home. That isn't all together true. Things will be lovely when he is back and I look forward to it all the time so much that I dont know if people could relate but God is first and foremost. Dave cannot be enough. I shouldn't believe him to be. I love him not because he does anything for me but because God has brought him to me and I love him for him. I dont know if I can express it the way I want. All I have to remember is that God is to be my first love always.

It's so sad how easily we put God to the side. special times for God in the morning, before meals, and before bed and the rest of the day is mine... what is that? I have a day because of God. I have love because of God. And I understand what life really is because of Him. I thank the Lord for his grace and mercy.

Dont bother trying to make it fun

So, this semester at my school I was the lucky teacher chosen to teach TOEFL. For any of you who are not aware of what that is, it is a horrible standardized test that ESL students usually have to take to get into English universities.

So, what I am suppose to do for this class is focus on purely academic topics (the first being addictions) to improve their English. They have to read and write and listen to professors give lectures on these terribly dull topics and then compare what they have read to what they have heard and ... the list of this boring test goes on.

This morning i had to teach my first lesson. To describe how difficult it is to prep for this let me just give an example. In an hour, i can normally get 3 to 4 full 2 and a half hour lessons planned. This morning i spent the whole hour trying to fgure out what i cold do for 20 mins. Thats right, 20 mins. When i thought of playing a game with my students i was told by another teacher "dont bother trying to have fun. stay away from fun." He is the pro in this whole test teaching thing so i figured it was against the rules to actually try and have the students enjoy the class.

It turns out that you can have fun with the students after all. But, please can anyone tell me how on earth you make talking about addictions and such topics fun and interesting? All i can come up with is listening, reading writing and vocab. And we have a few speaing things we can do. But man, ive been working on a lesson for about 3 hours and have come up with a big 15 mins. Not nearly enough.

So if you have any ideas these are my topics: Addiction, communities (Eutopia), personalities, trends, cross cultural insight, faith, the work place, perspectives on war and finally, the arts.
I hope to get some creative ideas from whoever reads this seeing as how i havent updated in ages im sure ive lost some readers.