You are not a loser!

A new term has begun, and already some students have either been told, or feel, or believe that they are not good enough - that they are a loser. Not a good thing to believe for the rest of your school year, let alone your life!

So in order to encourage you, dear reader, I will share a little story with you that I do with most of  them at the end of the first lesson.

Once upon a time, your mommy & daddy got together (to represent this, I draw a sperm and an egg on the blackboard - it's not long before someone smiles at the recognition of such a basic image!) – and they made you… Now, the amazing miracle is that there was one egg, and there were millions of these sperm…but only one sperm made it to the egg. Only one touched down! And that sperm was YOU! Your sperm won! 

So, remember this – you are NOT a loser! You are a winner! 

I told this story on Friday, and it was really great to see one girl punch the air when she realised this wonderful truth :-)

Bits and pieces....

Some bits and pieces from today...snippets, we call them ;-)

One student told me they'd read the beginning of this blog (which began in August 2010, so it's been going 4 years now!), and watched 'Inception' because of my recommendation...and they were not disappointed. 

Today was a day for nicknames...I met Domez, Koukalkola (who could easily have become Koukalkoolabear :-)!!), my old friend Tykev (who is too clever for all of her classmates), and Kollme Maybe ;-) 

I had surprise gift - a box of home-made chocolates!! Awesome, and very scrummy!! :-)

Thursday is my longest day, and at the end of it, I felt quite tired. After 2 months of holidays, I'm reminded that it's just as hard for teachers to get back into the groove as it is for students ;-)

One student decided to 'jump ship' from the History seminar to the English one. 

One seminar was enough to convince him ;-) However, it now puts the group up to 19 (mixed levels too), which is too high a number for a conversation group....but it's not my choice to do the seminars like that :-(

Look-a-likes :-)

Today I had my first lessons :-)
I feel like a lion that has been caged for a long time, finally free at last to roam and devour Czech speaking students...only those who speak English can survive! :-)

In one seminar, I was talking with a student, and she mentioned her boyfriend, who happens to be an ex-student...actually, this one ;-)

(Habil, also known as 'Superman' ;-) )

It reminded me that during the World Cup in the summer, I was struck by Habil's resemblance to this man:

(Luis 'Jaws' Saurez)

Or maybe it's just me... ;-)

However, that also reminded me of some other look-a-likes...like this one:

(Marek Pelcl)                                                            (Captain Black - from 'Captain Scarlet)

Or maybe this one reminds students of someone?

Perhaps you know some too?

So, beware...I've got my eye on you! ;-) And maybe I remind you of someone...? If so, I'd be happy if you let me know...

An invitation to a ketchup...

When learning another language, it is sometimes difficult to find the correct word - the one that fits, that makes perfect sense to the listeners. And if you choose the wrong one, it can sound quite amusing :-) Such an instance occurred today...

A student was trying to talk about making a sauce in a recipe. They said, "...and then you invite the ketchup." Of course, what they wanted to say was, "...and then you add/put in ketchup", but it can be so hard to find just the right word in the pressure of the moment.

However, for an Englishman, this sentence conjures up some interesting images...

Or perhaps even a letter/e-mail:
Dear Ketchup, 
You are cordially invited to participate in my meal tomorrow evening. It would be very convenient if you could make an appearance about 7.00pm. Don't be sparing. Spread yourself around a bit, and don't complain if I squeeze too hard.
Yours faithfully

Good to be back :-)

Well, the holidays are over...and great they were too! :-)
We teachers came back a week ago - back to meetings, preparing plans, preparing lessons, getting new timetables, filling the empty spaces left by departing staff, saying hello to some (now) ex-students (a very pleasant & unexpected surprise!), oh yes, and more meetings!!

But today, the students came back...well...most of them...and a couple liked it so much they've decided to do an extra year ;-) And you know what? It's good to hear noise in the corridors! It was like a deserted bunker last week (& the décor kind of adds to that feeling, don't you think?)...so for me, it's great to have life in the building once again :-)

So, I wish all students & teachers a very successful, fun, and active year, especially for those who are retaking their Maturita Exams tomorrow...get it right this time ;-)

This is now my 9th year coming up...a new record for me in ANY job...and, as ever, I aim to make the most of it.

I am endeavouring to try & write something about each day at SGO...even if it's just a line or two, but especially if there is a good story to tell. 
So...