English Episodes #15 - The Land of Intermediate

From advanced to intermediate - the range of English is so broad! I've been teaching an intermediate class now for a few weeks, which has proven somewhat entertaining as we all get to know each other better. I find a sly humor and childlike glee in their scatological humor because they're excited to get puns, even bad ones.

Speaking of bad puns - did you hear about the accident in the pie factory? 3.1415926 people were killed. Colleague told this joke this morning - the groans were loud.

We took a field trip to the market yesterday. They attempted to find apples (not really in season), discover new foods (doughnut peaches, tiny cucumbers, bizarre giant squash), and map out the area of Civic Center. We went inside City Hall to explore some more and happened upon a wedding! Looking at a statue of Harvey Milk, a justice of the peace asked us to move as there was going to be a wedding. It was just the couple and another (friend? brother? other family? hard to tell), we all loosely gathered around and watched. My students were curious (and concerned): where were their families? Is this common? Don't you need two witnesses? We all clapped and said congratulations when it was over. I love unexpected surprises on excursions!

Today someone told the class that a qualification you need to be a rock star is to have good looks and be a womanizer... where even to begin on that one? I did point out that it doesn't have to be that way, particularly if the rock star in question is a woman who likes men.

On the other hand, one of my new students loves Jane Austen. Another is a professional chef. We definitely have things to talk about. Entertainment abounds! Stay tuned for excepts from stories about someone getting a new job we wrote today (I love circle writing activities): I may have added zombies, vampires, and aliens to a few, but why not?