Nothing worse than an unmotivated teacher

Today is Monday and there is nothing worse in this world than to come to school and teach a class when you have no desire to do so. Today was one of those days. I suddenly remembered my old mentors, particularly Federico Perez Casio, when he would show up in the mornings and announced that he wasn't in the mood to teach a class.

How much we dreaded those words coming out of his mouth! The class was then boring, tedious, and given the chance, he would go into a dictation rampage that would leave us with our hands sore. Now, as I look back at my class this morning, I think to myself, "my god! I am one of those teachers now!" I did not want to give a class -- somehow the class fairy has slipped away from my spirits today and thus enforced the "I will write grammar exercises on the board for you to copy" rule. It was boring. Even for me it was boring. Might as well just let them sleep while we were at it.

I hope tomorrow it comes with better intentions...

FALLING ASLEEP IN CLASS
by Kenn Nesbitt

I fell asleep in class today,
as I was awfully bored.
I laid my head upon my desk
and closed my eyes and snored.
I woke to find a piece of paper
sticking to my face.
I’d slobbered on my textbooks,
and my hair was a disgrace.
My clothes were badly rumpled,
and my eyes were glazed and red.
My binder left a three-ring
indentation in my head.
I slept through class, and probably
I would have slept some more,
except my students woke me
as they headed out the door.

Devil's Dictionary

Hoy en mi clase de Idioma III leimos un pedacito de articulo que hablaba del libro "The Devil's Dictionary".

"A Different kind of dictionary.
Ambrose Bierce was a 19th century American author and journalist. His most popular book is probably The Devil's Dictionary, written between 1881 and 1887. Bierce's dictionary does not contain normal definitions - his definitions are funny and cynical..."

La tarea era hacer que los alumnos hicieran sus propias definiciones de este diccionario tan peculiar. Lo que escribieron pues... juzguen ustedes mismos...

Angelica:
1. Mirror: A kind of weird portal that when you sleep takes your soul.
2. Best Friend: A person who gives all her friendship but then she meets your boyfriend and she takes him off your hands.
3. School: A kind of jail in which you are in it and think you'll never get out.

David:
1. Apple: A company dedicated to sell technology that doesn't work after 3 months and is very expensive.
2. Microsoft: A company dedicated to sell technology that doesn't work -- EVER.
3. Computer: A gadget dedicated to make you obssessed for the rest of your life, with complicated programs and applications that never work correctly.

Jesus:
1. Money: It's something that makes you greedy and unhappy.
2. T.V.: Something that distracts you but also keeps you away from society.
3. Internet: Something that helps you when you've got homework but also you can find "illustrated information that can destroy your morals" (AKA: Porn!)

Daina:
1. President: The annonymus assasin who takes and wants your tax-money.
2. Friend: A person who falls in lovev with your girlfriend/boyfriend.
3. Mouse: My worst phonia and the worse plague in the entire world.


^_____^

Digamos que necesitan mas cinismo de su parte... tal vez sea la edad?

My Person's B Day Is Today!

ANGIE'S B DAY IS TODAY!!!

Angie is my best friend... she's actually kind of busy now, working her ass off for her MA... but I hope that maybe next week I can take her out for dinner since she took me and all -- Love ya angie!!

This week is crazy b day week. Joel's b day was on the 8th, then it's Angie's, then it's Eidrien's on the 11th. It was said that we might throw a party on the 12th, but things are looking cloudy on my end (as I am left penniless after paying all that I owe) and can only afford next week on the 15th a get-together partee.

I wish there was a way to make students learn English by just tapping them in the head... or by spanking them! Wouldn't that be awesome? The more you spanked, the more English the student learned! Of course, you would get into all sorts of legal issues and stuff -- but the important thing is that they are learning!!! ^____^ That would make me ubber happy!!

The First Day of... well, it's still too early.

It's still too early to tell... but it's Aunt Nina, so you never know what can happen around her.

Aunt Nina came from California and already she has made my bed and the couch her home. It's not that she's aunt Nina -- but the constant nagging is what makes her unique amongst the aunts. She has already met with Aunt Yolanda and Aunt Gaby and has already managed to annoy the heck out of both of them. According to my cousin Edgar, there will be a family reunion on Easter Sunday... is it? I can't remember if he said it was gonna be on Sunday or Good Friday. The thing is that we're gonna have the traditional Chairez Lent feast: PORK AND CARNE ASADA!!! SHEAH! -- I kid. It's gonna be capirotada, chiles rellenos (with tuna), lentejas, tortitas de camaron... and salad. Out of all these items, this panda will probably just dig into the salad because the bad thing about this whole ordeal (yes, there is such a thing as a bad thing in the Lent season) is that my mother was commissioned to do the capirotada and none of us has the courage/heart to tell her that her capirotada sucks.

School's doing okay. The big rustle was that the Academic coordinator FORGOT to place Miss Yesmin on the payroll. She just oops! forgot! And Miss Yesmin was in danger of not getting paid not only this last two weeks (we get paid every two weeks here), but also the two weeks of vacations we're gonna have in the morning! Unbelievable nerve of this woman! I know she's a little pregnant... but I swear, that baby must be sucking her brains out! Gladly, I could arrange it with the administrator her and Miss Yesmin will happily receive a check for her trouble.

Oh! And remember the CENEVAL deal? Well, since Mr Juarez (AKA the Squirrel) did not get up and move it move it, there was no promo for it (and the little promo that it was for it it was all screwed up with the 24 hour day and the costs of more than 2000 dollars) well, the courses will not take place. And it was a good idea. Now I am focusing my mantra energies of the FORCE on the conversational English. I have two groups now (one of them comes from the UACJ but I don't wanna tell the Squirrel of my boss 'till the deal is sealed -- they want to prepare for the TOEFL as they're about to finish their MA and do not know anything about this test) and I plan to make some extra dough out of them.

I am going to present next Saturday on my Leadership class! I am preparing the material! Yeeey! I wanna raise the bar so that my classmates know the kind of limits my imagination can go... and the level of nerdyness my brain has (is it "nerdiness" or "nerdyness"... is NERD-Y/I-NESS even a WORD??) So, I am very psyched about that. And on the communications class, I have to research a little bit on how mass media affects society. Hah! I am sure glad I listened to all those hours of talk radio now! Thank you!!!

I am sleepy yet happy...

It's a COLD Friday!

Today I have my SECOND MA class... I can hardly wait. I have a meeting with English teachers on Saturday, so unless I can come up two of me in less than 24 hours, then I dunno what the heck I gonna do... I´ll probably ask Miss Carmen to take over the meeting (study meeting) for me since I'll be at the MA class from 9 to 1... and every now and then I'll roll on and see whatzzup with them. But then again, I also have to tell them what the deal is with the TKT... and that's something that I want to do AFTER vacations.

Thus far, I've had discada tacos. I am stuffed!!! Too many discada tacos in less than 15 minutes (I was running because I had a class). And yesterday's lesson on how to differentiate people from person did not go as planned. They keep insisting that people should carry an "s" at the end when it's more than one. I keep telling them that "people" is the plural of "person". Somehow the concept is oblivious to them... o though, I sincerelly doubt that they know the meaning of the word "oblivious", even in Spanish.

Reboot, Reload... It's like The MATRIX!!!!

And as did Jesus walked amongst the living on the third day, my computer gets all better on the third day as well.


---- TOPICS OF THE DAY----

(And the toopics for the day
will embrace your brain today
and the suuuun won't set for youuuuu)

Topic No. 1: Monday -- I hate blue Mondays. But today was gray --- it was cloudy.

Topic No. 2: English VII students in the afternoon have an on and off love relationship with their teacher. The guy gets here late, and granted, they have things to do and he shouldn't be here late, but when he calls and tells them that he's on his way and then he gets here and the students are not, then how in the world am I supposed to defend them. I mean, what would you do? What would Jesus' dog do?

Topic No. 3: The books are here. I managed to get the book distributor to send us some books. The student body has one week to get them. They are going to use these books next module too. I have down price them from 300 pesos to 240. Are they taking it seriously? Of course not!

Topic No. 4: Cake. I wanted Mr David's cake today. It's his B-Day (happee B day David!) He's OLD AS DIRT!!! (34 in Panda years). On Saturday (David's non-official birthday party), a topic came into mind as we were playing spin the bottle in which the idea of having Nietzsche and Marx tattooed on ass and then moving ass to make them kiss was somewhat disturbing.

Topic No. 5: Pandas still ROCK!!! (better than chickens and kick koalas ass any day)

Topic No. 6: Almost burned house down while lighting a candle yesterday. Mother was upset because of it. Next time, I'll just let the flame burn my hand and fingers to a crisp, MOM!

Topic No. 7: Dad does not want to go to Doctor. We are tying him up and DRAGGING him... by his nuts if necessary.

Topic No. 8: Miguel Bose is NOT GAY... and even if he is, he's still DAMN HOT.

Topic No. 9: Cuaresma food sucks! (No wonder it's a penance)

Topic No. 10: Several cantinas closed during the weekend. The Chamucos and the Ole are the most popular ones in the list. They closed because of minors inside the premises. Meanwhile, the skank-ass hole called El Gallito is still open for business and showing 89-year-old strippers hunch down using a nail...


oh yeah... and on saturday? Mr David had another cake and we used an ELMO candle... it was funny to see his eyes melt...

"BURN! You USELESS CUTE MUPPET!" -- Paul's quote as Elmo began to cry

Persepolis and the Teacher

TGIF!!

It's Friday, ladies and gentleman, and as we all know, the day calls for celebration, party madness, and whoo-haa.

Madness began today, when Presidente Calderon said that the US is WRONG -- that the Mexican government is NOT losing the war to criminals and that it's all under control. Mr Presidente... ARE YOU INSANE? I mean, really, for shizel, are you, like, MENTAL? As your secretary of state, your secretary of defense, the governor of Chihuahua, and the Juarez Mayor got together in this city to talk about what should it be done against the drug war, a man was gunned down NOT TOO FAR from your people was at!! And there was helicopters, and soldiers, and AFIS, and Police men, and all kinds of circus media! Oh, let's not forget the bomb threats to the airport (that remained closed), the justice department offices, the universities, some government offices! Hah! And you say it's under control? In what COUNTRY do you LIVE IN?!

People! Ay-yay-yay!

But, returning to rather more pleasant news... Next week we're going to have this big palooza breakfast with the head honchos of Bachilleres (the public high school). The target is to get them to enroll more students into our fair university and they're using English as their main tool. So, I have to do a presentation about the English program and how it can benefit the students. I hope we can do a good job about it. Can't wait. It's gonna be in a very classy hotel... and the plus part is that I get to see my old high school teachers since they have now become principals and coordinators of the school. Ah!

Then, on Suky's class, we saw this movie, "Persepolis". I liked it very much. I could find a trailer of it to place it here. I most def. wanna get the dvd...

It's very cool that Suky and David have such great movies.

Thank you all for tuning in... and remember... it only seems kinky the first time.

Ash Wednesday coming on Thursday

It was Ash Wednesday yesterday and there was NO WIND!!! I mean, Ash Wednesday is not Ash Wednesday without wind here in Juarez... gaaaah!

Yesterday was also the "Last Wednesday" meeting -- every last Wednesday the Dean gets all the students and teachers together to have this meeting and talk about important stuff. This time it was to welcome the new students to the university and to tell us the sad-long story of why is the main road that leads to the university is still dirt.

I have been at this school for two years now... and the school has been here for about 15... and it's still time that the road that leads to the school's gate is not paved. And in front of the gates there is this water canal that just screams "fall in!" every time we go out in our poor cars (mine is already demanding suspension maintenance)... The Dean went on for, like, thirty minutes telling the story of the oger and the fair prince who tried to convince the oger (the oger being our neighbors from down the road) to pull together and pave the street.

Then, it was time to give out the awards for the best averages last semester. In the afternoon it was all smooth sailings, but in the morning all the high averages were outside, smoking a cigarette and just slacking off. The dean was not happy. The sheer image of that made him all pissy and he took it out on the first teacher he saw fit to. No, not me... but I pitied the soul.


I had the fist capirotada of the season yesterday... well, it was more like the first two capirotadas of the season. One was brought by my mother, who said she was in the mood for some pipian gorditas (or as my friend Eidrien calls them --- fatties) and she went all the way downtown to get them (lame-ass excuse to see her boyfriend, m-kay?) and the second one was brought by a neighbor, and even though my father tried to persuade us that he did not take a bite out of it, the plate was evidence enough for me to suspect that not only did he took a bite out but that he pretty much took a whole chunk on his way in. They were both pretty good --- the neighbor's capirotada leads the way.

It's 9:56 a.m. In 4 minutes I have to go to class and give my best to make these people understand why is important for them to know how to write coherent pieces of information in English. They tend to believe it's not necessary up until they sit in front of the computer and see that the TOEFL examination requires them to write their little fingerish souls out. Then, I get to see grown men cry and cradle as they start to suck on their thumb.

Oh, how the mighty fall!

Bang a Drum, Bang it Loudly!!!

"Say it with your heart and soul and believe it"

Today was round number 4 or 6 or whatever, I am so excited because AT LAST, the books were paid for!!!

(party party party)

And I mean, com'on... you pay notes that you're not supposed to? PLEASE... So, happy to have that ordeal out of the way. Next one? TKT.

I have good feelings about it. I am gonna keep all my positive attitude so that everything goes on smoothly.

Agh! The English VII students are driving me crazy! Their new teacher, Mr Paul did not come on Tuesday. Granted... but why in the world did they think it was a good idea to miss class on Wednesday, Thursday, and today? Three days? Those are three absences --- OUT OF FIVE!!! It's just screwed up... we contacted them and finally got a hold of one. He swears on his grandmother's Bible that the teacher has not come all week. Me and the Administrative coordinator just looked at eachother and then at Mr Paul. "Well," Gaby (the A.C.) said, "then I've been seeing a ghost all week or what?"

Monday -- a rumble on the bronx.

Ooooh! I got invited to the Congreso Latinoamericano de Literatura Contemporanea!! Yeah! I get to see the newest in the Mexican Literature... and if I'm lucky, I might get some cards to send the book over. Yessss....

Bang a drum.. bang it loudly!!!