Quote from "Akeelah and the Bee"

We've been watching this amazing movie in some classes this week, "Akeelah and the Bee." I'll add more to this post later -- but for now I wanted to get this quote from the movie onto the blog so students could use it today in class.


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

This quote is often erroneously attributed to Nelson Mandela. It actually comes from the book Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson.

The Gr8 Deb8: Text Messaging

(picture taken from this internet article)

Do you like to text? It's no longer enough to study English to be able to send text messages in it... Text messaging is a whole new dialect! 

All of those texts -- and grammar/spelling violations -- have stirred up quite a debate in the academic world! 

International attention was paid to a supposed student essay back in 2003 -- written entirely in text messaging. At the time, people thought it was real -- and there was outrage about the deterioration of our language by commentators in newspapers, on television and on the internet. 

Here's the introduction from the hoax essay:

 "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc."

Translated into proper English, it read: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place."

An American author, David Crystal, thinks that all of the fuss about the demise of the English language is a bunch of fuss about nothing. In his book "Txtng: The Gr8 Db8," he makes the following points:

• Text messages aren’t full of abbreviations - typically less than ten percent of the words use them.
  
• These abbreviations aren’t a new language - they’ve been around for decades.
  
• They aren’t just used by kids - aults of all ages and institutions are the leading texters these days.
  
• Pupils don’t routinely put them into their school-work or examinations.
  
• It isn’t a cause of bad spelling: you have to know how to spell before you can text.
  
• Texting actually improves your literacy, as it gives you more practice in reading and writing.
  

Check out this super site to see a complete list of all text message abbreviations!

Presidential Poetry

"Pop"
by Barack Obama

Pop
Sitting in his seat, a seat broad and broken

In, sprinkled with ashes,

Pop switches channels, takes another

Shot of Seagrams, neat, and asks

What to do with me, a green young man

Who fails to consider the

Flim and flam of the world, since

Things have been easy for me;

I stare hard at his face, a stare

That deflects off his brow;

I'm sure he's unaware of his

Dark, watery eyes, that

Glance in different directions,

And his slow, unwelcome twitches,

Fail to pass.

I listen, nod,

Listen, open, till I cling to his pale,

Beige T-shirt, yelling,

Yelling in his ears, that hang

With heavy lobes, but he's still telling

His joke, so I ask why

He's so unhappy, to which he replies . . .

But I don't care anymore, cause

He took too damn long, and from

Under my seat, I pull out the

Mirror I've been saving; I'm laughing,

Laughing loud, the blood rushing from his face

To mine, as he grows small,

A spot in my brain, something

That may be squeezed out, like a

Watermelon seed between

Two fingers.

Pop takes another shot, neat,

Points out the same amber

Stain on his shorts that I've got on mine and

Makes me smell his smell, coming

From me; he switches channels, recites an old poem

He wrote before his mother died,

Stands, shouts, and asks

For a hug, as I shrink, my

Arms barely reaching around

His thick, oily neck, and his broad back; 'cause

I see my face, framed within

Pop's black-framed glasses

And know he's laughing too.

Getting Ready for A New President

Tomorrow Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States. Here's a humorous video that tells you a little bit about the history behind American Presidential Inaugurations.

Anything to Skip School...

So many students are out sick (or still on vacation, ahem...) this week that this beloved American children's poem keeps coming to mind... You'll see why!

The author is Shel Silverstein, a poet who holds a very special place in the hearts of everyone who has grown up with his clever wit and way with words. 

I Cannot Go to School Today

by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today"

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry.

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox.

And there's one more - that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut, my eyes are blue,

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure my left leg is broke.

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in.

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb,

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There's a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, my heart is... What?

What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is........... Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

Even this university student (from Texas or another southern state) still loves the poem! Check him out!

FCE Speaking Exam: General Tips

The 11th graders are gearing up to take the FCE exam in March. This week we're concentrating on mastering the test-taking skills required in the speaking section. Here is a link to a site with excellent pointers for all four questions in that section. I like how this particular site includes sample scripts: practice reading them out loud to get a feel for the language, tone and length of what are considered excellent responses.

I'll continue to post exam tips here during the coming month, so keep checking back!

Christmas Cookies

Most Americans are busy at this time of year getting ready for Christmas next week... A big part of our preparations is baking a wide variety of holiday cookies. Click here for over 40 common recipes -- plus videos to guide you step-by-step!

We usually give cookies to our teachers, friends and family -- wrapped up nicely with a holiday ribbons and bows.