4 October 1999
4.C: took a short quiz on the video episodes. Then we
played the "telephone game" and the results
were quite amusing. In conversation class we finished
Great Britain and had a few minutes left before class
ended. We did tongue twisters ("Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers. How many peppers did Peter Piper
pick?" and "Sally sells seashells by the
seashore," and "Rubber baby buggy
bumper."). We laughed really hard trying to get
through them. Then they taught me a Slovak tongue
twister: "Strc prst skrz krk."
Which basically means "Take your finger and stick it
through your throat!" They had a HUGE laugh when I
tried to muddle through that one!!! 5 October
1999
Yet another Headway video. This one
about a young lady who has lost her purse and goes to the
police station to report it. Very helpful, and kind of
goes with the clothing theme of last week, but I still
don't feel like I have a grasp of the class. Maybe it is
because I have only seen them four times this year. My
afternoon conversation class is my boredom barometer
class. We chose to cover the countries first for
precisely this reason: names, dates, and historical
events can get a little bogged and boring, and as much as
I want it to be fun, they have to learn this stuff in
English for their maturita exams. But this group
definitely lets me know when things are getting too
bogged and boring!
6 October 1999
Today was Headway video day! 4.D and first half
of 3.C. This video was actually interesting! It was on
the BBC World Service (radio). I learned some things
about BBC radio that I never knew, and it was, I think,
mildly enjoyable for the students. In the second half of
3.C, we watched another video, this one about the
musician Ed Alleyne-Johnson and his Purple Violin. The
music is great! I found a web site with his music and
bought one of his CDs. The kids really liked it too. In
conversation class today, we struggled through the
history, economy, and political system of Great Britain!
Whew!!! The kids are very attentive, but don't really
talk that much yet. This is only the third time I have
met with them, so I can't expect too much too soon. And I
KNOW I am still talking too quickly. Surprising how
difficult it is to slow down one's speech, especially
when one speaks as quickly as I do.
7 October 1999
Ah, the long day. First class, 4.D:
"BBC World Service" video. Enough said.
3.D: we finished "The Most Dangerous
Game" and discussed/reviewed the literary
terms they learned in the past two weeks. They
are very good, even though this is probably the
longest thing they have read so far in English. I
also have both section of 2.D on Thursdays.
Again, "BBC World Service" video.
Unfortunately, I didn't finish the class, as with
the changes in the weather and the radiator's
being turned on in the classrooms, I got a
nosebleed before class ended. Mortification is
not a strong enough word for what emotion I was
feeling. Of course, when the next half of 2.D
arrived, they were very concerned about my condition. The next day Dana, whose son is in the
second half of 2.C, told me that her son had told
her that one of my students (jokingly) told him
he hit me and gave me a nosebleed. Miro was quite
surprised the next day when in front of some of
his friends, I forgave him for hitting me in the
nose!!! My Thursday conversation class is VERY
GOOD, when I can get them to talk! They zipped
through Great Britain, I hardly had to provide
them with any information. Only a few of the kids
seem to do the speaking, but all of the students
contribute pieces of information sporadically.
Also, this is only the fourth class. I should not
expect and effusion of English from them--yet!! |
the post office
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8 October 1999
Hmmm . . . guess what we did in class today? That's
right! A Headway video! " The Purple
Violin." At least the kids, for the most part,
enjoyed the music. All week, my students and I have been
having a little "bonding" session,
commiserating over having to endure the videos. Played
Great Britain Jeopardy with my 3rd year
conversation students today. The members of the winning
team all received a Hilton Head Island pen, that the
Chamber of Commerce was kind enough to provide me 100 of.
Now I wish I had taken more!!! These students are bright,
funny, polite, and are not afraid to speak English. I
really look forward to Fridays because of them.
9 October - 10 October 1999: Budapest
11 October 1999
Gave my first test today in 4.C. My first test so far
this year. Vocabulary. I have to ask my colleagues the
policy on "helping." There was an awful lot of
helping going on during the quiz. And it wasn't that
hard! I asked the kids what happened when they cheated.
They didn't seem to know what I was talking about. I told
them that at home, I take the test and play basketball
with it (and demonstrated with a piece of paper from my
notebook). They seemed very surprised. Of course, they
could be completely pulling my leg, too! Conversation
class went very well. We played Great Britain Jeopardy
and the kids were excellent! The next topic is the United
States. We just free associated words that the kids
thought about in connection with the US. It was
hilarious! Everything from Lincoln and the Golden Gate
Bridge to The Streets of San Francisco and Beverly
Hills 30687. At a couple of their words and phrases,
I could do nothing but bang my head against the wall in
despair (Pamela Anderson, Backstreet Boys, Dynasty!!!!!!!
these made it into the worst column). We had a BEST and
WORST column, and I hate to say it, but the WORST column
filled up pretty quickly. The things that made it into
the BEST column were really good, though (Lincoln,
Nirvana, Thomas Jefferson, Chicago).
12 October 1999
Finally!!! A great class! We read "Charles," by
Shirley Jackson. It is a very funny/cute story with an
ironic ending. The vocabulary is relatively easy, and it
is short. The students did an excellent
job reading and discussing the story. It felt really,
really good to do literature with them. I am sure that is
not what I will do all year, but for a while, I hope they
can take it! The afternoon conversation class was great
(for once!). They did very well on Great Britain Jeopardy
and were very similar in their choices of
"worst" and "best" in the USA Free
Association Game as yesterday's class.
the "kino"
(cinema)--thank goodness the films
are in English with Czech subtitles!
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13 October 1999
Things are definitely getting into a routine
here--classes are going well, I am basically
covering the same material in most of my classes,
so I from this point on, I will just write about
anything unusual, outstanding, or exciting
happens in class. I did learn a new word today: biflos
[BEE-flosh]. It means dork! 14 October
1999
I am really amazed at how well my students read
and understand what they read. And when the bell
rings, NO ONE leaves class, much less gets their
things together until you stop talking or
indicate in some way that class is over.
Unbelievable!!!
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15 October 1999
A major accomplishment!! I knew everyone's name today! I
feel like I am making progress. This was a great week.
Students seem interested in the material, and they
participate in discussions, tell me when I am talking too
quickly, and are just as quick to tell me when I am
over-explaining something!
16 October 1999
Spent the day in Trencin with Barbora and Jan.
There was a hockey card expo there, and Jan is a
huge hockey fan, so we accompanied him and
decided to go shopping and visit Trencin castle. Trencin
was the northernmost point of the Roman Empire,
known as Laugaricio. The castle is built on rock
that is inscribed with a memorial (in Latin, of
course!) to Marcus Aurelius' victory over the
Quadi in 179 A.D. during the Marcomans Wars.
There is a hotel at the foot of the castle rock
now, and the inscription is visible through a
special glass wall on the first floor (which is
our second floor) of the hotel. Very odd to gaze
at an astonishing piece of history, a primary
historical document, through a window of a hotel.
The town is larger than it looks. In addition
to the town square, there seem to be many side
streets and arches, and entrances. The original
gate to the town is dated from the 13th
century. There is also a monument to remember
those who suffered and died in the Plague.
Ludivot Stur, who codified standard written
Slovak language, is from Trencin. The castle was
not as exciting inside as others I have seen.
There were mainly exhibits on Slovak history
(coats of arms, state/city/town seals and
symbols, and lots and LOTS of portraits of famous
Slovaks). There were about six or seven
pre-teenaged kids in out tour group. It was
almost (I said almost!) refreshing to know that
Slovak kids can be just as loud and rude as some
American kids. There were also three Japanese men
in the group. I could not understand what the
kids were shouting and laughing about, but I
definitely recognized the tone. I also noticed
the kids imitating how they probably perceive
Japanese people speak. Then one of the men said
something in Slovak to the kids, and they looked
very surprised. After a moment, the kids were
shyly asking the men questions and were pretty
quiet for the rest of the tour. I was glad.
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Trencin Castle: amazing that these
really, really old structures are built on such
high mountains/hills
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yet another Eropean monument to
the Plague!
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It was surprisingly difficult to find a
restaurant in which to eat on a Saturday
afternoon. After trying about five or six
restaurants (which were either closed or in
terrible condition), we eventually settled on a
restaurant that serves as a training school for
waiters. It was surprisingly good, and very
inexpensive. Then coffee, and the ninety minute
drive home 17 October 1999
Did absolutely nothing today except read, go to
Barbora's for lunch, and work on lesson plans for
next week. I almost feel guilty that I am not
doing anything when I stay at home and do
nothing, like I HAVE to be out and doing
something every day this year. But it is only
the second month, and I think I have packed quite
a bit into sixty days, so I'll give myself a
break.
18 October 1999
We read an article on the Internet in preparation
for what I hope will be an e-mail exchange with
Gymnázium Vel'ká okruzná and Hilton Head High
School. Friendship is a magazine
published for Slovak students of English. It is a
really good bi-monthly magazine that discusses
British and American culture, and deals with the
intricacies and sometimes, absurdities of the
English language. In conversation class, we
concentrated on the geography, economics, and
political system of the United States. Yawn.
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19 October 1999
Happy Birthday, Mary Beth! Started reading "The
Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. I love this story! I
hope the kids do, too. We didn't finish it, and will have
to finish it in class next week. I can't really assign
reading for homework, as we have to review any words
(which are many) that the students don't know, and we
usually stop every paragraph or so and paraphrase so that
everyone knows what is going on in the story.
Conversation. One word. Again. Yawn.
20 October 1999
Started "The Lottery" with 4.D. I LOVE these
kids. They are enthusiastic and genuinely nice. I look
forward to Wednesdays because of all of my classes on
this day. I had one half of 3.C (both sections of this
class are fantastic) today, but the other half went to
the Dom Odborov "House of Trade" (a former
trade-union headquarters) to see Ekotofilm (nature
films). At least the boredom factor in this week's
conversation classes is consistent! Thank goodness we are
finished with geography, economy, and the political
system!
Tonight I had "the girls," my colleagues in
the English Department, over for dinner. I made my Aunt
Florence's famous Italian Wedding Soup (which they LOVED
and raved about the next day and wanted the recipe for)
and served spaghetti, made the sauce and the meatballs
from scratch. I did my mother's recipe nowhere near the
justice it deserved, but they enjoyed it. I also set up
e-mail on the computer and they were able to write to
Jana. We are getting a computer in the English Kabinet
soon, so I will set up an e-mail account for the other
teachers, and eventually they will be able to set up
their own accounts.
21 October 1999
Although Thursday is my longest day, I really look
forward to this day. I have the other half of
4.D,and we read "The Lottery." The kids really
know how to read for meaning and don't have much
difficulty with the vocabulary. They ask appropriately
when they don't understand a word. Finally feel like I am
getting the hang of things. Am reading "The
Lottery" with all my Thursday classes, and it is
going quite well. We have not finished. I can't wait for
next week when the read the ending.
22 October 1999
Today was an absolutely horrible day. I read The
Island Packet On-Line every morning before I go to
work, and read that one of my former students was
involved in the murder of her mother. I worked closely
with this student when she was in my class and talked with her mother often. It is
nothing less than devastating. Two other students (and
two personal favorites, at that) were expelled for making
a bomb threat to the school. I can't help but feel just a
little guilty about not being there.
Almost half of my morning class was absent, so we had
a conversation about high schools in the United States.
What a day to have that conversation. In the afternoon
conversation class, students presented their research on
assigned American cities and places of interest in those
cities. It is like pulling teeth to get these kids to do
research on something. I guess it is because these
conversation classes are not graded, and they have so
much work to do in their other classes. But then they
complain that it is boring because I am doing all the
talking. I try to tell them that this is conversation
class, for THEM, and it would help immensely to lessen
the boredom factor, if they would do the assignment I
give them. Well, my Friday conversation class ALWAYS does
what I assign them. So we had a blast today. Of course,
I had to tell them how to pronounce the city in that
city's accent (Baahston, paahk the caah in haahvaahd
yaahd), make "Atlanta" into four syllables, say
"Nawlens" instead of New Orleans (and to visit
that city if they can only visit one city in America). We
laughed all day. When we got to Los Angeles, one of the
places of interest was the La Brea Tar Pits. I could tell
they had no idea what tar was, and there was only a
Slovak-German dictionary in the room. One student,
Martina, was trying to tell me that strk (sounds like
shtrk) was tar--we were trying to do the pointing sign
language game to the blacktop outside the window. I
thought she was right, the kids said she wasn't, we went
through this whole elaborate pantomime-other-
students-trying-to-translate thing, and I finally went
downstairs and got my dictionary and desk encyclopedia.
We laughed for another ten minutes when we found out that
tar is asphalt and the Slovak word for asphalt is
"asfalt"!!!!! It would have been so easy to
get the dictionary first, but I wanted her to use English
to explain, and the other students to use English to
explain, and it added that much more hilarity to an
already great class. Of course, I left school that day
and spent the rest of the evening writing e-mails and
talking to a friend about the events this week at Hilton
Head High School. It was good to talk, but the
circumstances around the conversation were not.
23 October 1999
Stayed home today. Cleaned house, did laundry, read,
wrote, read some more. Talked to friends via computer
about the events at the high school this week. Wrote.
Watched BBC World. Read. Ate. Read.
24 October 1999
It is dark and rainy today. A perfect day. Pretty much
repeated yesterday's activities.
25 October 1999
In 4.C this morning, students spent the class setting up
e-mail accounts so that they can write to Jana in the
States. I am also trying to get students from HHHS to be
e-mail pals. I hope it works. In conversation today we
reviewed the history and holidays of the US. Long and
tedious, but they have to be able to speak on these
matters for their maturitas. This is not a
graded class, but an ungraded seminar. I know that they
have A LOT of work for their other classes, but when I
assign little research projects, they either don't do
them, or report their research by reading off the page,
not relaying the information through
"conversation." This is slightly frustrating,
in that I have to do most of the talking. And it is
admittedly not fun. I hope that in a few weeks (months?)
they will feel comfortable enough to talk more in class.
I know that if I had to converse in Slovak, I would be
silent too!
26 October 1999
3.D: Most of the students were on a class trip,
there were only four students in class, so we
talked about Hilton Head Island and Hilton Head
High School. I passed around the post cards I
brought and the 1999 yearbook. The students
commented on how much everyone smiled. I found
that interesting. Again, the same dilemma in
conversation class. See Oct. 25. 27
October 1999
I love Wednesdays. The kids in all classes are
lively, they talk freely, and it is always fun,
yet we get a lot of work done. I have both
sections of 3.C and one conversation seminar. In
the first half of 3.C, we finished " The
Lottery." Same reaction as other classes:
"WHAT???" We had to reread the ending.
A couple of people knew immediately what
happened, but it went right past most of the kids
(as it sometimes does for kids in the US). So we
had a nice (I use that word because the language
skills were used well) discussion about human
sacrifice and how cultures can use scapegoating
to justify atrocities (Nazi Germany, for one
example). The second half of 3.C finished
"Charles." We didn't finish it,
though. In conversation, we went through US
history. These kids know a great deal about
American history, and they were able to
participate a great deal, as usual. A very good
class.
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need bread? fruit? shampoo? vodka?
you can buy ANYTHING in kiosks like this
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28 October 1999
In 4.D we finished "The Lottery" and reviewed
for the test next week. I think the kids are petrified
about the test. But I told them that this is my first
test for non-native speakers, and if they do poorly, they
will write it again, and I will make it easier. They
"write tests" here, they don't "take"
them. We reviewed for the test in 3.D, but I also
downloaded the text of "The Tell-Tale Heart"
and an actor reading it. So we listened to it in class.
Not for the test, just to read what most American
students read around Halloween. I also found a site that
had excerpts from Orsen Welles' 1938 radio production of The
War of the Worlds, downloaded and taped them and
played them for the class. They were amazed that it
actually happened. We talked about mass hysteria,
Halloween in the US, quite a good discussion. In both
sections of 2.D, we finished " The Lottery" and
reviewed for the test. Apparently everyone in my
conversation class took vacation early, as only five
students showed up! There is a five day holiday starting
tomorrow for All Saint's Day, which is a HUGE holiday
here. Everyone visits the cemetery, students and staff
alike have told me that I won't believe it when I see it.
Already, there are people who are going to the cemetery
next door to the school--DIRECTLY next door to the
school-with cleansers and brushes, and the market is full
of people selling wreathes and candles. I can't wait to
see this. I am leaving for Poland in the morning.
Itinerary: Auschwitz, Birkenau, Lodz, Warsaw, and Krakow.
I hope to do a little family research while I am there. I
have been waiting for this trip since I found out about
getting the Fulbright.
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