Teaching English is funny. You do a lesson on something, say occupations. Then you start talking about uniforms and farmers in overalls and realize your students don't know much about clothing. Which is not much of a surprise, since we... Continue Reading →
Because I'm what we call a "specials" teacher, as in I pull students out of their regular class to make them double-fist English vocabulary and grammar, I don't have a core group of kids that I get to know really... Continue Reading →
"But why are apples so boring and cupcake so delicious? This is first thing I asking Jesus when I go to Heaven." -- what I would classify as a legitimate question from one of my students last week, when I tried... Continue Reading →
I'm a pretty good teacher. My kids learn the stuff. I always have stickers in my room. And candy for my fellow teachers. I attend meetings and rarely pretend to go to the bathroom just so I can play a quick round of Trivia Crack. I answer emails. I participate in every dress-up day. But, of course, I have a few bad habits.
I like to video my ELL kids every few weeks so that I can see progress. This week I asked one of my kinders "How old are you?" and he answered "Monday! Monday Tuesday. WizzdayTursdayFriday." "Oh! I didn't know you knew the... Continue Reading →
I had my flatulent little princess first thing this morning. She was sitting in my lap and we were playing sentence-building games when she ripped a glorious one that vibrated my legs. I'm serious. My thighs jiggled.
People often ask me what has changed since I've moved to Brazil. There are things that I notice, things maybe others notice more than me. I'm not sure. But here are some basics: My most intense conversations are with bugs. For example:... Continue Reading →
Nothing is quite so beautiful and terrible all at the same time as an all-school Christmas musical. Our first rehearsal was Wednesday, and I was shaking with silent belly laughs, tears streaming down my cheeks from watching the little kids perform.
I look forward to Mondays. I look forward to the challenges I will face with my students. To the words I will discover they don't know and figuring out a meaningful way to act them out and a poster I... Continue Reading →
The thing about teaching is that every week holds its own mysteries and moments of joy. The job changes every day, because you can't count on kids for anything. They are unpredictable monsters that you want to squeeze in either... Continue Reading →
"I am not Chinese. She is not Chinese. We are not Chinese. Are we Chinese? That's my marker. That is my desk. She is a professor. How do you write your last name? Is your mom Russian?" Yeah. If you want... Continue Reading →
I've played this (F)unemployment game before. When I came back from backpacking Central America (read some highlights here) I spent about seven months in sweatpants, tears, and job applications before I somehow landed my teaching gig. Luckily my sister had... Continue Reading →
Sunglasses Always Fit 