Book of the Week

A long time ago when the world of English Conversation was a bit more innocent I　worked at a school called NOVA.  I liked working there. It was easy and both the people that I worked with and the people I tried to help with their English were fantastic.  The lessons were pretty much taken from one book, New American Streamline.  In my four years at Nova I learned some of the lessons in this book by heart.  I learned how to twist and manipulate the texts and pictures to target language that I felt was essential for my students.  This text is always at my fingertips and seeing as how my copy has been around for eight years the corners are bit rounded and ragged.  I bought a new one and I will buy more to have in case someone decides they want to have it around at their house too. The price is $2,560 from Junkudo is you are interested...  The blue book below is the first in a series of three books.

Spring is Coming

Spring is on it's way.  The snow is melting

and the roads are clearing up.  Be careful

not to slip and fall. I have gone down hard

twice in the last week.  Lucky to be walking...

This is a 15 centimeter paper model of the trailer

I will be pulling when spring finally comes.  I'd like to

thank one great kid for making it.  I like it more than

the real trailer!

It doesn't need a SHAKEN!!!!!!

 A radio controlled car racing champion!

Book of the Week

I　should say it's book of the month and not book of the week! One reason being that I only write here once a month, but the other reason being that it is such an interesting read it could be important enough to have its own month.  The book details the impact the fast food industry and the franchising ideology that has transformed America's culture, business, and waistlines over the last 70 years.  I can't say that I agree with everything in the book and I am in no way going to stop having my yearly Big Mac, but it's definitely food for thought.

Punningly,

Pat

Books of the Week

It has certainly warmed up and although watching the snow melt in front of the school was great entertainment I needed more.  Fortunately,  I visited Book Off yesterday, my favorite place to search for literary treasures.  I　hit the jackpot this time.  I found a few novels, photographic travel journals, and a lot of textbooks. I finally wound up buying about 25 books.  If you're a little early and would like to have a look, you'll find the coffee table books on the ...well... on the coffee table.  Also, as we approach the end of the school year, feel free to come in and observe the lesson.  I am proud of all the kids and hope you can find the time to come in and be proud of them too.

Treasuringly,

Pat

Spring Cleaning

I　know that in Japan it is customary to clean the house thoroughly at the end of the year, but it's such a busy and chilly time.  I'd prefer to put cleaning off indefinitely but the mess is starting to creep into every corner of my daily life.  I　must clean.  I must vacuum, dust, and scrub, but most of all I must throw things out!  As I write all this I remember being gifted a mirror that was busy collecting dust in my father-in-law's house.  Can I? Do I dare toss things like this out?  These decisions haunt me, the pack rat.  I　can't bear to think about my son's Ultraman figures incinerating in Hassamu.  The thought makes me shutter.  What to do?

Clutteringly,

Pat

New Topics

Please forgive me for not updating here more often.  It has been a great winter so far at English Island and Hokkaido has a lot of snowThe kids had a great time talking about clothes and now we are starting on animals.  Hopefully we'll get some "ANIMAL　EXPERT" videos for everyone to  look at.  We are going to study up on interesting facts about our favorite animals and have a mini documentary filming.  Hopefully the kids will enjoy it and hopefully I can get my editing skills back into shape, but the way my Windows Vista has been creeping along lately, I doubt I can get the videos edited and up here fast enough, but I'll do my best.

This is where I spent the morning and having had so much fun, I felt just guilty enough to work the rest of the Sunday getting the animal lessons together.

Seasonally,

Pat

Book of the Week

I don't intend to make any excuses by telling you I have been reading so much I haven't been able to post.  I won't even rant on about mountain expeditions that I haven't been taking.  Anyway, it's cold today too and what's a better way to spend cold windy days than to escape with a good novel.  I was tipped off to a novel about China and the communist revolution by a very good English teacher who I have the pleasure of speaking to a few times a month...

The novel is based on the story of three generations of women.  Apparently this is written by the granddaughter.  The novel starts with the story of her grandmother, a concubine dealt out by her father, bound feet and all.  The story continues on to her mother who took part in the communist revolution.  The rest of the novel follows the granddaughter's (Chang's) life and involvement in the cultural revolution.

There is a Japanese version too. (日本語版もあります） I got the English version Junkudo.  I love that place...

Wildly,
pat