Don't their names sound like they should be the members of a 60s multi-racial rock band?
I decided to blog about this group next for a couple reasons. One, they are my smallest afternoon class and this week is CRAZY busy with end of the month evaluations and my parents arrival in 3 DAYS! And two, they are notably my favorite and I am a firm believer in doing the things you want to do first, because you may die before you ever have to do the other ones :-). This class has been at Kid's College together since their first year of kindergarten. They speak very well, and read and write better than most second graders in America. They are a lot of fun.
Tiger. He is Gina's older brother. Remember Gina? She was in my kindergarten class for about 2 days before her birthday party and her mom switched her to the older class. Well, Tiger's as awesome as Gina is. He's super nice, very studious, and absolutely adorable. He turns in his homework everyday, and if he doesn't he has a perfectly good, well-thought, well-versed explanation as to why it's not finished. He's the tame one of the bunch, but still has me rolling on the floor daily with some of his jokes.
Elvis - every class has one: the bully/sweetheart/class clown/prankster/baby. He's hilarious and really wants to understand everything. Which sometimes totally stinks because there are a lot of things in English that are "just because" and he always wants to know why. You might be thinking, "Suck it up, Molly, you're a teacher. That's your job." But, I'd like to see you try to explain the reason why "tough," "through" and "though" are pronounced the way they are! He is very curious, and easily likable... when he's not whining.
Sophia is a rare bird. She often says things that are completely irrelevent and off the wall, or tells jokes no one laughs at (you know the kind). I have to gear up for her arrival after a day with babies, but with the proper pep talk, I can usually manage. She's the worst student in terms of her English, and is usually found staring out the window. But, she has a huge heart and I have a soft spot for her anyway.
Lina is my brown-nosing teacher's pet. She does all of her homework, has it ready to go on my desk and let's me know that she's done both of these things everyday. When she gets a high score on her vocabulary test, she announces it to me as if I'm going to award her with a gold medal or something. She is very sweet, extremely competitive and cute as a button.
Jackson, who after a brief Spanish lesson we dubbed Hahksone, calls me fat at least twice a week, but other than that I can't complain about this kid. He understands most everything, applies the concepts we learn regularly, and proves his knowledge by studying and doing well on exams (so I look good). He loves to tell me about his evenings, weekends, and anything else he can get his little words around. He's been sick for the past few weeks and hasn't been operating at full-speed, but I expect him back shortly!
I meet with these kids every afternoon but Friday (so, Monday-Thursday) from 4:00 until 5:30. We study grammar, reading comprehension, and have a debate once a week. They are looking for penpals around their age that would be interested in continuing through the summer... any takers?
My US teachers never had an explanation for those "GH" blends either! or for that matter, any other weird English spelling/pronunciations!
ReplyDeleteHave a GREAT time with your folks!
Talked with Grandma Joanne the other day and boy she wishes she could have come with them :)