In mi escuela

At my school we are learning past tense....wow, do you know how hard that is in another language? you keep wanting to say everything in present. it is very hard. I keep thinking about how my students have to write in past tense...Now I know how hard that is.

I also learned a good deal of slang from my conversation partner. I also confirmed that no one in Mexico has every heard of okra...in English or in Spanish. Slightly interesting because it would grow very well here.....

Ok, tengo sueño...I´m tired so I´m going to end this entry now. I am learning a bit and will try to write more when I am fresh.

I´m in mexico

So, I´m in Mexico....The girl in my class wrote her entry in Spanish last night. I don´t have time to do that right now. I am far far too slow.

While I plan on keeping up and writing here some, right now I just wanted to start by saying where I am.

Class is going well. It is entirely in Spanish. I know exactly how my students feel sometimes. I can see about a dozen things that I can do differently next year that have been suggested before but I have never been really good about remembering to do. For example, Having students turn to each other and repeat the directions. Simple thing huh? I am *dying* for some clarification at times.

Things I have learned in spanish so far....

My kids taught me how to say ¨what did you say?" I´ve been spelling it wrong. It is actually "que dijiste?"

M´hijo´s last name is Cortés. This apparently means polite. I plan on making full use of this.

Miedo means I´m afraid. miado (sp?) means half like "I woke up at cinco miado" I told the lady i am staying with that i woke up at 5 afraid....yeah....gotta re-explain that when i get home.

moving makes me grumpy

In case people don't know this. :) Today I worked on getting my 70 boxes unpacked. I hired one of our cross-country runners to help me, then later on another one of my students showed up to help me. I wish I had taken a before and after picture, but I did manage to get all the 9th grade workbooks sent away, most of the 10th and 11th. The novel class sets are organized along the wall and all my novels are on the shelves. The computers are put on the tables, The files are in the filing cabinet, I have a bookshelf for my teacher that floats into my room. While it isn't all put together by any means, it is a lot better than it was and enough that I can leave on Sunday without stressing about it for 4 weeks.

On a secondary note, I can't keep secrets and told my kids about studying spanish this summer...they were not impressed. I'm so sad! I mean, I guess, big whoop. They all know two languages, why shouldn't I? And if I were going to learn Spanish, why not go to Mexico? But my feelings got a little hurt cause I wanted them to be a *little* bit impressed I guess. Oh well.

My plane leaves for Mexico Sunday at 3:08. I guess I should pack sometime huh?

can you hear it?

They have come up with a new ringtone that can only be heard by the younger generation. Apparently teenagers are using it to let their phone ring in class where the teachers can't hear. :) I can hear it though. Yet another way to catch kids and then ask them, "Did you think that I was old?"

http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/audio/nyregion/20060610_RINGTONE.mp3

Lazy bum

I slept till 9 this morning....I am such a lazy bum.

Many exciting things going on. For instance the janitors have moved *most* of my stuff (all the boxes, not all the tables, chairs, etc. down the hall to my new room. I'm not complaining cause (now don't tell anyone this!) I should really be in the portables with the other elective teachers...but my friend who got the new position as instructional assistant is influencing the room assignments strongly and told me to just not say anything. :) I may have to hire some cross-country boys to help unpack my room though. There is no way that I will have enough time to get everything unpacked before school starts without help.

Also, I am going to go to Mexico to study Spanish this summer. I am going to the Spanish Institute of Puebla. from June 25-July 22. Anybody want me to bring them something back from Mexico?

Lastly, tonight I get to go to a quincenera. It should be a lot of fun. One of the ladies from school is going with me cause I don't know much Spanish (yet!). A quincenera is basically a cross between a 15 year old birthday party and a coming out party. I've always wanted to go to one and one of my 9th graders invited me this year. It should be really cool.

So are you Dixie?

This is dixie dialect quiz to let you know how Southern, or lack thereof, you really are.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/yankee_dixie_quiz.html

I scored 66% which they say is definitely Southern. Not bad considering I have picked up language lots of different places now....