Saturday night I was introduced to a new game that I already find myself craving--and it has only 12 hours since I played it!
I went to a friend's apartment to do a scavenger hunt, but, unfortunately, not enough people showed up. We went up the road and had a pint and bite instead. After that, three of us went back to the friend's apartment where he taught us how to play Settlers of Catan (http://www.gamenight.com/html/Games/settlers_of_catan.htm). It is a board game from Germany that requires a certain amount of strategy and a lot of luck. We played for 4 hours Saturday night. We left his apartment with the promise that we would play again in a few weeks. End of story? No.
The next day, my friend sent me a link to a site that has a free online version of the game with a different name: Xplorers (http://games.asobrain.com/). Yes, my Sunday was shot because I am addicted. After figuring out the changes in the versions from the board game to the computer, I promptly dove in and played/practiced before I played my friend again online Sunday night. The practice didn't help as he beat me twice. Sigh. More practice?
My mom is coming to visit this weekend. I should teach her how to play and then we could play online from our homes on opposite sides of the continents. Don't worry, she'll probably be better than me soon and then I'll lose to her too.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
exercise!
This morning I got at 6:30--very early! I have been meaning to start exercising again (for three years now? four years?) but haven't. I was planning on starting last week (not the week before because that was the first week of school) but I got that terrible cold. I am still sniffling a little and I feel a little raspy in my chest, but I decided to get up and go for a walk. Not a run, not yet, and actually getting up earlier than I need to sounds like the hardest thing right now.
I have to admit that after I got up at 6:30, I crawled back into bed. I did not fall asleep again and got up. I walked away from my house for 15 minutes, until I got to a giant branch that had fallen on the pathway, and then I walked back. I felt good. It's funny--at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, when I was living in Harare, Zimbabwe I was running every morning for 30 minutes and then walking for at least two hours everyday. Sometimes, I would walk for closer to three hours!
I did call the city about the branch. That was a torturous phone call (the woman on the phone had no idea what part of the city I was talking about), but hopefully the parks department will remove it. Not that I will be walking past that point tomorrow--30 minutes sounds like a great amount for walking!
I have to admit that after I got up at 6:30, I crawled back into bed. I did not fall asleep again and got up. I walked away from my house for 15 minutes, until I got to a giant branch that had fallen on the pathway, and then I walked back. I felt good. It's funny--at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, when I was living in Harare, Zimbabwe I was running every morning for 30 minutes and then walking for at least two hours everyday. Sometimes, I would walk for closer to three hours!
I did call the city about the branch. That was a torturous phone call (the woman on the phone had no idea what part of the city I was talking about), but hopefully the parks department will remove it. Not that I will be walking past that point tomorrow--30 minutes sounds like a great amount for walking!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Old Students...
I just spent 10 minutes talking to an old student. She is a Spanish speaking student from Bolivia. Talking with her made me think about the many students I have been lucky to teach. When I first started teaching ESL in Salt Lake I had Spanish and Vietnamese speakers (Salt Lake had (maybe still has) a large Vietnamese population). I taught there for more than 2 years. Then I went to Zimbabwe where I taught Shona and Ndebele speakers. Since coming to New York in 2002, I have taught a wide variety of students: Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Jordanian, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian, Haitian, West African, Polish. Who am I forgetting? No, I am not forgetting Spanish speakers--they have been my largest population by far! Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Chilean, Guatemalan, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Salvadorian, Nicaraguan, Argentinian. Even Americans whose first language has been Spanish.
It has been a pleasant change teaching at St. John's where there has been a large variety of students--a little more weighted to the Far East though. Now this semester has come along and things are a little different; I have mostly Chinese speakers. Six of seven are Chinese speakers in my writing class and four of six in my speaking class. How did that happen? Luck of the draw, I guess!
I wonder what populations I might teach if I move? New York has everyone, but other places in the US are not so varied, many cities have only a few large groups/populations of immigrants.
It has been a pleasant change teaching at St. John's where there has been a large variety of students--a little more weighted to the Far East though. Now this semester has come along and things are a little different; I have mostly Chinese speakers. Six of seven are Chinese speakers in my writing class and four of six in my speaking class. How did that happen? Luck of the draw, I guess!
I wonder what populations I might teach if I move? New York has everyone, but other places in the US are not so varied, many cities have only a few large groups/populations of immigrants.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Achooooo!!!
Ok,
It is Saturday morning and this is way later than I wanted it to be. Yesterday I ran around doing errands after I worked at the Elementary School (where I teach M-W-F) and then did some vital paperwork that I was putting off. Then I went to meet a friend who is visiting from Chicago. Not a good excuse, I know, but I did it. It was good to see my friend who used to be my best friend when he was in NYC. I was home by 9:30 last night, but I was exhausted. Now I find I have a cold. Ick.
I find that the first couple of weeks of school are very stressful for me as a teacher. Summer is coming to an end and nobody wants it to. Time is spent wondering if there are things you should have done that you didn't do in August and planning for the new year. I start to worry about who will be in my class; will there be enough students? What kind of students will they be? You are reading this and probably having mirror thoughts: you were probably worried about your classes and about who your teachers would be, maybe even about your co-students.
I think that as September moves on, I will be less stressed and more relaxed: my cold will go away. I look forward to that, but in the meantime, I am worried about all my students, from the five year old kindergarten students to the graduate students. C'est la vie!
Remember for class, we are need to talk more about the blogging requirements: length, evaluation, and comments. Don't forget to read the second chapters reading, read the questions after the reading, and do the vocabulary. I look forward to reading your papers on Tuesday!
It is Saturday morning and this is way later than I wanted it to be. Yesterday I ran around doing errands after I worked at the Elementary School (where I teach M-W-F) and then did some vital paperwork that I was putting off. Then I went to meet a friend who is visiting from Chicago. Not a good excuse, I know, but I did it. It was good to see my friend who used to be my best friend when he was in NYC. I was home by 9:30 last night, but I was exhausted. Now I find I have a cold. Ick.
I find that the first couple of weeks of school are very stressful for me as a teacher. Summer is coming to an end and nobody wants it to. Time is spent wondering if there are things you should have done that you didn't do in August and planning for the new year. I start to worry about who will be in my class; will there be enough students? What kind of students will they be? You are reading this and probably having mirror thoughts: you were probably worried about your classes and about who your teachers would be, maybe even about your co-students.
I think that as September moves on, I will be less stressed and more relaxed: my cold will go away. I look forward to that, but in the meantime, I am worried about all my students, from the five year old kindergarten students to the graduate students. C'est la vie!
Remember for class, we are need to talk more about the blogging requirements: length, evaluation, and comments. Don't forget to read the second chapters reading, read the questions after the reading, and do the vocabulary. I look forward to reading your papers on Tuesday!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Second Day of Class
I got home to find a package I had been eagerly awaiting, only to find that it was missing some pieces, including the all-important AC adaptor (the plug to charge the battery or to run the machine without the battery). Can you imagine how frustrating that was?
Class went well enough today--except for the ones who didn't do their homework! However, that does remind me that I need to start and update a homework list on St. John's Central: https://cpprod.stjohns.edu/cp/home/displaylogin.
We are on our way though, and that is a good thing. Besides checking up on the Chapter One reading and writing your first draft possession paragraph, I want you to think about what sort of requirements for blogging we should have for our class. Imagine you are the teacher if it helps: What should be required for writing? How often? Any particular types? What type of requirements should there be for the others to read? Should there be evaluations--and if so, by whom? Other types of feedback? Anything else?
Think about these things for class on Friday. Be prepared to talk about them. If you have any questions, hit me at bramblec@stjohns.edu.
Class went well enough today--except for the ones who didn't do their homework! However, that does remind me that I need to start and update a homework list on St. John's Central: https://cpprod.stjohns.edu/cp/home/displaylogin.
We are on our way though, and that is a good thing. Besides checking up on the Chapter One reading and writing your first draft possession paragraph, I want you to think about what sort of requirements for blogging we should have for our class. Imagine you are the teacher if it helps: What should be required for writing? How often? Any particular types? What type of requirements should there be for the others to read? Should there be evaluations--and if so, by whom? Other types of feedback? Anything else?
Think about these things for class on Friday. Be prepared to talk about them. If you have any questions, hit me at bramblec@stjohns.edu.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
What a windy day!
It is Saturday morning and I do wish I had slept until noon today. It is ugly outside--ugly, ugly! I don't mind rain, but that wind is something else.
I'm glad you found your way to my blog. Look around the webiste while you are here. Use the search option at the top and see if you can find someone who has written about something interesting. I put in my own name and found someone talking about a young guy in his late teens in Pennsylvania who has 3 brothers and a dog. I also put in a movie I saw recently at a small screening and saw lots of interesting opinions. You can put in anything you want into the search, but be warned: you might be taken to a different blog website than blogger. You might even end up at a commercial site.
My good friend Daniel McMahon, had a blog spot for his high school class. You can check it out at: http://marblehillglobe.blogspot.com/
After taking the time to look around, I want you to think--what can blogging do for me? Be prepared to discuss your answer to that question in class.
I'm glad you found your way to my blog. Look around the webiste while you are here. Use the search option at the top and see if you can find someone who has written about something interesting. I put in my own name and found someone talking about a young guy in his late teens in Pennsylvania who has 3 brothers and a dog. I also put in a movie I saw recently at a small screening and saw lots of interesting opinions. You can put in anything you want into the search, but be warned: you might be taken to a different blog website than blogger. You might even end up at a commercial site.
My good friend Daniel McMahon, had a blog spot for his high school class. You can check it out at: http://marblehillglobe.blogspot.com/
After taking the time to look around, I want you to think--what can blogging do for me? Be prepared to discuss your answer to that question in class.
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