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guslThis week, I spent 3 hours each day at teacher training at Wisdom, an English language school. At first, I was a little bit bored. The place keeps up a childlike atmosphere of "happy happy joy joy", not unlike McDonald's: all workers are young (and quite attractive, as a rule) people wearing brightly colored uniforms, etc, etc. The method uses Portuguese, which is in accordance with my philosophy. But don't you dare call it "translation": it's called "association". It seems to be the fastest method around for one to start talking.
Each book (level) is divided into odd lessons, which teach words, verb tenses and idiomatic expressions, etc, and even lessons which involve reading and discussing a text and free conversation.
Each of us taught an abbreviated version of both kinds of lesson. I kinda messed up the order of things a couple of times, but seemed to do well otherwise. Besides another young guy, my English was far better than everybody else's, a fact which may have scared them away. I didn't hesitate to correct teachers' pronunciations... which I suppose could have made me hated, but that was my job when I was *giving* the lesson.
Now I'm crazy to go talk to them to hear why they didn't want me as a teacher. I'm placing my bets on either distractability, aloofness, argumentativity, or my private giggling at my own perverted ideas based on what others's say (due to a combination of my unusual sense of humour and my uncanny knack for multi-lingual puns).
I'm disappointed for having invested 17 hours on this, but I learned a little bit about how to maintain classroom dynamics, and I indirectly learned something about what the customers demand in this industry.
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On Wednesday, I went to the Symphonic Band of Recife. The music was very good, but a lot of people didn't seem to understand the need for the to shut up. Paulo Sérgio, the luthier, introduced me to the conductor, who is a midget guitar virtuoso, and who, as it happens, went to Berklee.
On Thursday, I went out with Ana Patrícia to a Mexican club kinda thing. I got drunk on courtesy tequila + strawberry shots & one Alexander (brandy + irish cream + cinnamon). Some idiot seemed to be harassing her gay friend, so she demonstrated her very Brazilian power of yell-argumentation. She said she belly-danced with a snake on her, when I was in line to pay.
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Today, arguing with my sister:
Cintia - I don't know who I would ever be friends with if I was poor. It would really suck.
Me - That's only because your shallow friends won't make friends with poor people. Have you ever considered people like Flávia's friends (artsy people)?
Cintia - [insults my friends].
Me - Do you know what we think of your friends?
C - I don't care.
Me - Well, let me tell you. We think you can't really enjoy yourself socially if you care too much about appearances. Just as a measure, who do you think laughs more often: Flávia's friends or your friends?
C - If laughter is the measure, then obviously your pothead friends win.
As you can see, not all interactions with my sister are bad. :-)
Each book (level) is divided into odd lessons, which teach words, verb tenses and idiomatic expressions, etc, and even lessons which involve reading and discussing a text and free conversation.
Each of us taught an abbreviated version of both kinds of lesson. I kinda messed up the order of things a couple of times, but seemed to do well otherwise. Besides another young guy, my English was far better than everybody else's, a fact which may have scared them away. I didn't hesitate to correct teachers' pronunciations... which I suppose could have made me hated, but that was my job when I was *giving* the lesson.
Now I'm crazy to go talk to them to hear why they didn't want me as a teacher. I'm placing my bets on either distractability, aloofness, argumentativity, or my private giggling at my own perverted ideas based on what others's say (due to a combination of my unusual sense of humour and my uncanny knack for multi-lingual puns).
I'm disappointed for having invested 17 hours on this, but I learned a little bit about how to maintain classroom dynamics, and I indirectly learned something about what the customers demand in this industry.
---------------------------------------------
On Wednesday, I went to the Symphonic Band of Recife. The music was very good, but a lot of people didn't seem to understand the need for the to shut up. Paulo Sérgio, the luthier, introduced me to the conductor, who is a midget guitar virtuoso, and who, as it happens, went to Berklee.
On Thursday, I went out with Ana Patrícia to a Mexican club kinda thing. I got drunk on courtesy tequila + strawberry shots & one Alexander (brandy + irish cream + cinnamon). Some idiot seemed to be harassing her gay friend, so she demonstrated her very Brazilian power of yell-argumentation. She said she belly-danced with a snake on her, when I was in line to pay.
------------------------------------------
Today, arguing with my sister:
Cintia - I don't know who I would ever be friends with if I was poor. It would really suck.
Me - That's only because your shallow friends won't make friends with poor people. Have you ever considered people like Flávia's friends (artsy people)?
Cintia - [insults my friends].
Me - Do you know what we think of your friends?
C - I don't care.
Me - Well, let me tell you. We think you can't really enjoy yourself socially if you care too much about appearances. Just as a measure, who do you think laughs more often: Flávia's friends or your friends?
C - If laughter is the measure, then obviously your pothead friends win.
As you can see, not all interactions with my sister are bad. :-)