HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My sincere wishes for this new year:
I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2012, may it bring only good things to those who deserve them and may we see the light at the end of this tunnel called crisis.

Short Stories to read and listen

Are you looking for something to read this Christmas? The Guardian is running a series of short stories. They call it Literary Christmas Crackers and they are here for you to enjoy. They´re parcelling up two short stories every day – one to read, and one to listen to, featuring authors such as Colm Toibin, Margaret Drabble, Julian Barnes and Jennifer Egan. You can also find stories by Tèa Obreht and David Nicholls, two of the big names in 2011. So, give it a try, I sure will.

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

One of my favourite christmas stories is the wonderfully drawn The Snowman by Raymond Briggs and that is saying a lot as I usually dislike anything that has to do with Christmas. Curiously enough, the author himself apparently shares this opinion, according to this article in The Telegraph: 'It can be a grim time of year, Christmas," He says.
You can watch an interview here 
The Snowman was once voted  the top story for Christmas by British children and since its first broadcast in 1982 it has been a favourite at Christmas in the UK.
The book is wordless, as is the film except for the song "Walking in the Air". The story is told through picture, action and music.
Thanks to the magic of youtube we can all enjoy the film online. The following is the whole film in two parts, 





The lyrics to the song Walking in the Air:

We're walking in the air
We're floating in the moonlit sky
The people far below are sleeping as we fly

I'm holding very tight
I'm riding in the midnight blue
I'm finding I can fly so high above with you

Far across the world
The villages go by like dreams
The rivers and the hills, the forests and the streams

Children gaze open mouthed
Taken by surprise
Nobody down below believes their eyes

We're surfing in the air
We're swimming in the frozen sky
We're drifting over icy mountains floating by

Suddenly swooping low
On an ocean deep
Rousing up a mighty monster from his sleep

And walking in the air
We're dancing in the midnight sky
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly

We're walking in the air
We're walking in the air

You can watch Raymond Briggs' other Christmas story, Father Christmas, here thanks to Nicog79
It is a great story too but it's more difficult for English language learners as it has a lot of dialogue. Give it a try though, you never know.

WORLD AIDS DAY

Today is World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. 

"Thirty years ago, in New York and San Francisco, a small number of young men became inexplicably and very seriously ill. Some had a particular cancer while others had a form of pneumonia that had never before troubled that age group. Their immune systems were shot, their bodies unable to fight back, and they died. They were the first documented cases of Aids, a new disease that would terrify entire populations as it scythed down rich and poor, celebrity and nonentity. Rock Hudson. Freddie Mercury. Arthur Ashe. And thousands whose names were known only to those who loved them.

Today, on World Aids Day, the disease is still incurable – but not untreatable. The great news this year is that scientists have now tentatively offered us a way to end Aids. Studies in recent months have shown that the drugs that keep people alive also stop them infecting others.

The Global Fund's decision to cancel grants will reverse the huge gains made in combating Aids, TB and malaria. 

Now is not the time to cut funding for HIV and Aids.

There are more than 6 million people in poor countries on the drugs now – but just as many are still in need, and many more will soon join the waiting lists. Without treatment and continuing effort, three decades of progress could be reversed."(excerpt from the Guardian)

For more information like this about Aids and AIDS WORLD DAY go to the Guardian, my source of information

 

In 1987, a quilt created by The Names Project Foundation covered the National Mall in Washington, D.C., memorializing those we lost to AIDS. We can help create a quilt online. Add your panel to the (2015)QUILT here. The beginning of the end of AIDS starts with you.

Here's my choice to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, albeit three days too late. This is a crude, straightforward poem. You will find no metaphors here, this is the awful truth. This isn't a poem to enjoy, it is a poem to make you think.

With No Immediate Cause

every 3 minutes a woman is beaten
every five minutes a
woman is raped/every ten minutes
a little girl is molested
yet I rode the subway today
I sat next to an old man who
may have beaten his old wife
3 minutes ago or 3 days/30 years ago
he might have sodomized his daughter
but I sat there
cuz the men on the train
might beat some young women
later in the day or tomorrow
I might not shut my door fast
enough push hard enough
every 3 minutes it happens
some women’s innocence
rushes to her cheeks/pours from her mouth
like the betsy wetsy dolls have been torn
apart/their mouths
menses red split/every
three minutes a shoulder
is jammed through plaster and the oven door/
chairs push thru the rib cage/hot water or
boiling sperm decorate her body

I rode the subway today
and bought a paper from an east Indian man who might
have held his old lady onto
a hot pressing iron/ I didn’t know
maybe he catches little girls in the
parks and rips open their behinds
with steel rods/ I can not decide
what he might have done I
know every 3 minutes
every 5 minutes every 10 minutes
I boughtt the paper
looking for the announcement
there has to be an announcement
of the women’s bodies fond
yesterday the missing little girl
I sat in a restaurant with my
paper looking for the announcement
a young man served me coffee
I wondered did he pour the boiling
coffee on the woman because she was stupid
did he put the infant girl in
the coffee pot because she cried too much
what exactly did he do with hot coffee
I looked for the announcement
the discover of the dismembered
woman’s body
victims have not all been
identified today they are
naked and dead/some refuse to
testify girl out of 10 is not
coherent/ I took the coffee
and spit it up I found an
announcement/ not the woman’s
bloated body in the river floating
not the child bleeding in the
59th street corridor/ not the baby
broken on the floor/
“there is some concern
that alleged battered women
might start to murder their
husbands and lovers with no
immediate cause”
I spit up I vomit I am screaming
we all have immediate cause
every 3 minutes
every 5 minutes
every 10 minutes
every day
women’s bodies are found
in alleys and bedrooms/at the top of the stairs
before I ride the subway/buy a paper of drink
coffee from your hands I must know
have you hurt a woman today
did you beat a woman today
throw a child cross a room
are the little girl’s pants in your pocket
did you hurt a woman today
I have to ask these obscene questions
I must know you see
the authorities require us to
establish
immediate cause
every three minutes
every five minutes
every ten minutes
every day
-NTOZAKE SHANGE

I should have posted this poem last Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, as I wanted to post a poem to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday. As it turned out, I ended up doing neither. So I'm doing it today and my intention is to post the other one tomorrow.  This poem is clearly an anti war poem but it can also mean more than that. For me it's also about how unfair life is and how fortunate or unfortunate we are just because we were born in a certain place on earth. Do you get the pun? Thanksgiving Letter from Harry
by Carl Dennis
I guess I have to begin by admitting I'm thankful today I don't reside in a country My country has chosen to liberate, That Bridgeport's my home, not Baghdad. Thankful my chances are good, when I leave For the Super Duper, that I'll be returning. And I'm thankful my TV set is still broken. No point in wasting energy feeling shame For the havoc inflicted on others in my name When I need all the strength I can muster To teach my eighth-grade class in the low-rent district. There, at least, I don't feel powerless. There my choices can make some difference. This month I'd like to believe I've widened My students' choice of vocation, though the odds My history lessons on working the land Will inspire any of them to farm Are almost as small as the odds One will become a monk or nun Trained in the Buddhist practice We studied last month in the unit on India. The point is to get them suspecting the world They know first hand isn't the only world. As for the calling of soldier, if it comes up in class, It's not because I feel obliged to include it, As you, as a writer, may feel obliged. A student may happen to introduce it, As a girl did yesterday when she read her essay About her older brother, Ramon, Listed as "missing in action" three years ago, And about her dad, who won't agree with her mom And the social worker on how small the odds are That Ramon's alive, a prisoner in the mountains. I didn't allow the discussion that followed More time than I allowed for the other essays. And I wouldn't take sides: not with the group That thought the father, having grieved enough, Ought to move on to the life still left him; Not with the group that was glad he hadn't made do With the next-to-nothing the world's provided, That instead he's invested his trust in a story That saves the world from shameful failure. Let me know of any recent attempts on your part To save our fellow-citizens from themselves. In the meantime, if you want to borrow Ramon For a narrative of your own, remember that any scene Where he appears under guard in a mountain village Should be confined to the realm of longing. There His captors may leave him when they move on. There his wounds may be healed, His health restored. A total recovery Except for a lingering fog of forgetfulness A father dreams he can burn away.

Friday's Poem #7

"In Flanders Fields" is probably the most popular poem written during World War I. John McCrae wrote it on 3 May 1915, after he witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, 22 years old, the day before.
The poppies referred to in the poem grew in profusion in Flanders in the disturbed earth of the battlefields and cemeteries where war casualties were buried and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day .
There's a museum dedicated to this poem, you can visit their website.


In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
 

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

War Poetry

11/11/11

Poppy Day - Remembrance Day - is the day when the dead of two World Wars and other armed conflicts are remembered in the UK. The Armistice at the end of the First World War of 1914 - 1918 was signed on November 11th at precisely 11 am - the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For this reason, Remembrance Day is on the 11th of November each year although church services and many parades are held on the Sunday nearest that date - in 2000 this will be on 12th November.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
Each year the UK as a nation expresses its unequivocal support for The Royal British Legion's charity work through the Poppy Appeal, emphasising the need to help all generations of the Armed Forces and their families.
Everyone wears a poppy on that day and the days before Remembrance Sunday. Everyone except England players on Saturday when they play against Spain. FIFA won't let them wear poppies on their official shirts as they claim Fifa's rules ban use of any 'political symbols' on shirts. This ban has incensed everybody from Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere to Prime Minister David Cameron in the last few days.
"This seems outrageous," Cameron said. "The idea that wearing a poppy to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom is a political act is absurd. Wearing a poppy is an act of huge respect and national pride. I hope that FIFA will reconsider.'

For more information on The Poppy Appeal go here

The Great War

Do you like comic books?

A Contract With God by Will Eisner

I've never been an avid comic reader but I have read and enjoyed some.
When I was growing up I used to enjoy reading comics like Asterix ,Tintin (well, the truth is I was never much of a Tintin fan) or Esther (my favourite when i was a kid), apart from the classics: Zipi y Zape, Mortadelo... Mafalda and Peanuts were more a collection of comic strips but I enjoyed them too.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

When I was a bit older a friend introduced me to  A Contract with God by Will Eisner and I discovered Graphic novels. There are plenty of those aimed at adult audiences to make it a true literary genre. Of those,  I highly recommend Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Any way, Why am I telling you all this? Because The Observer has been running a Graphic Short Story Prize for the past five years and all of them are available on line. So, whether you love comics or not they are all worth a try, even if it's only to do some interesting reading in English. Go ahead and check them out, and tell me what you think!

The best of The Cape/Observer/Comica graphic short story prize

The Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story Prize 2011

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 

Friday's Poem #6

I failed to post last Friday's poem, for which I apologize. It slipped my mind completely and when I realised it, it was already too late.
Today, I'm posting a really unconventional poem as it uses only six different words. For you, students of English as a foreign language, it is probably the easiest to understand, or, maybe not?

SIX WORDS by Lloyd Schwartz

yes 
no
maybe
sometimes
always
never

Never?
Yes.
Always?
No.
Sometimes?
Maybe—

maybe 
never
sometimes.
Yes—
no
always:

always
maybe.
No—
never
yes.
Sometimes,

sometimes
(always)
yes.
Maybe
never . . .
No, 

no—
sometimes.
Never.
Always?
Maybe.
Yes—

yes no
maybe sometimes
always never.

And now a video of the poet himself reading Six Words:

And to continue with the six words topic, a recommendation, the site www.sixwordmemoirs.com

Taking a cue from novelist Ernest Hemingway, who, according to literary legend, was once challenged to write a short story in only six words, Smith Magazine set out to do the same. They founded a project where everyone could write their life story in six words.The idea became so popular that they even printed a few of those stories in a series of books. The Six-Word Memoir format has also been used as a writing exercise for teachers  and even six-word videos have been posted to Youtube.

By the way, Hemingway's six-word story read: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Do you think you can write your six-word story? if you do, please share it with us, write a comment!

CROWDED PLANET

On Monday 31 October 2011 the UN says the world population will hit 7 billion people. That's a bit scary, considering how our natural resources are becoming smaller, and I mean non-renewable resources like crude oil. Is there enough drinking water in the planet for so many people, even food?  People need food and water at least and more people also mean more waste and pollution. This increase in population has caused climate change, rising sea levels, expanding deserts and the "sixth extinction" of wildlife. Or maybe it's not the growth in the world population per se but the over-consumption (we consume too much and, what's worse, we feel the need to) of western civilizations like ours.
Of course, there are many theories as to what's causing climate change but it's easier to see why our resources are running out. The problem may be how we use the planet and share its resources. Today, there's not equality in that. While in developed countries they have problems like overeating and obesity, in third world countries people are starving. And that's only an example.
Well, that's a lot to think about so I'll leave you to it. Maybe we can change the future together.

There was a very interesting article yesterday on the guardian about this. In it, child six billion, Adnan Nevic, 12, hopes child 7 billion will see world peace. Is it possible in a world of growing competition for resources?

If you would like to know how big the world's population was when you were born go here. 
Some tips and tricks for living green at ourbreathingplanet.com
The following are two videos by National Geographic on this subject:

Friday's Poem #5

Today's poem belongs to the collection of poems Broetry by Brian McGackin. As the author himself declares, "Broetry  is poetry for dudes. It's poetry for people who don't like poetry".

"A lot of poets have broetic qualities," he says. "Robert Frost liked baseball; he wrote about sports. His poetry was always very accessible. Even Shakespeare — Shakespeare was just writing about chicks."
"If you think you don't like poetry, you just haven't found a poem that's right for you," McGackin says. "Broetry is poetry that's right for you. Broetry is a literary chili cheeseburger."
The following poem appeared on the cover of Broetry and it is very similar to a very popular poem by William Carlos Williams , This is Just to Say. Carlos Williams is, by the way, another great poet to teach English as EFL. I highly recommend him.

I have finished

the beer
that was in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for Friday

Forgive me
this girl came over
so sweet
and so hot

Friday's Poem #4

I'm sorry this week's Friday's poem is a day late. Now, I'm not only lacking inspiration but apparently I'm too busy to do this one thing on time. Maybe it's becauseI'm a bit lost with this change to a new school. I need to get my bearings soon! I'll try to post more often from now on...
Today I've chosen Variation On An Old Rhyme by John Mole. Some of you may recognize the old nursery rhyme which inspired this poem, The House That Jack Built, which you can find here. Both poems are great to practice relative sentences, as they're full of them.

VARIATION ON AN OLD RHYME

This is the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

These are the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the wonderland of white
That surrounds the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the quarrel that started the fight
That stains the wonderland of white
That surrounds the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines on the blackbird that wakes with a song.

This is the wrong that none can put right
That caused the quarrel that started the fight
That stains the wonderland of white
That surrounds the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

These are the nations in all their might
That suffer the wrong that none can put right
That caused the quarrel that started the fight
That stains the wonderland of white
That surrounds the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines for the blackbird that wakes with a song.

And this is the song that goes on in spite
Of all the nations in all their might
That  suffer the wrong that none can put right
That causes the quarrels that start every fight
That stains the wonderland of white
That surrounds the children that cry with delight
That play in the snow that fell through the night
That covers the earth
That welcomes the sun
That shines just the same on everyone.

In addition to writing poetry for both children and adults, John Mole (b.1941) is an accomplished jazz musician. He has won several prizes for his poetry and is currently the Poetry Society's Poet in Residence to the City of London. He trained  as a teacher and often returns to schools to lead poetry workshops and readings.

Friday's Poem #3

Sweden's most famous living poet, Tomas Tranströmer, has won the Nobel prize for literature. That's why, for the first time and without setting a precedent, I'm posting a translation. I must confess I hadn't heard much about him before yesterday's news but once I read about him and his life and read some of his poems I thought you too would enjoy his poetry.
Robin Robertson, one of his English translators, has written a moving little article in today's Guardian of which I'm posting an extract:

"Every October, for decades, a group of reporters and photographers have gathered in the stairwell of an apartment block in a quiet district of Stockholm, waiting to hear if the poet upstairs has finally won the Nobel prize for literature. The poet's wife, Monica, would bring them tea and biscuits while they stood around – but they would always leave, around lunchtime, as the news came in that the prize had gone to someone else. Annually, the name of Tomas Tranströmer comes up, and with every year one felt a growing sense that he would never receive this highest literary honour from his own country. The vigil is over now, with Thursday's wonderful news".

So this is my choice, enjoy!

Source of picture

The Tree and the Sky

There’s a tree walking around in the rain,
it rushes past us in the pouring grey.
It has an errand. It gathers life
out of the rain like a blackbird in an orchard.

When the rain stops so does the tree.
There it is, quiet on clear nights
waiting as we do for the moment
when the snowflakes blossom in space.

Copyright © Tomas Tranströmer, translated by Robin Fulton

Friday's Poem #2

I'm posting this time a poem whose author I don't know anything about, nor even if that's their real name. Though I've tried hard to find out who wrote this, I've had no luck. It seems there are differen versions on the internet, under different names or just by an unknown author. In any case, I think it's a good poem to post on a blog about the English language, especially if it isn't your mother tongue.

English

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough.
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, slough and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word,
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead--it's said like bed, not bead;
For goodness sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat.
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)
A moth is not a moth in mother;
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear;
And then there's dose and rose and lose--
Just look them up--and goose and choose;
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go, then thwart and cart.
Come, come, I've hardly made a start.

A dreadful language? Why man alive,
I learned to talk it when I was five;
And yet to write it, the more I try,
I haven't learned it at fifty-five.

~ Richard Keogh?

This poem, which I think is quite good, is about how difficult English pronunciation is. Because of this, I'm posting a lesson by LearnEnglish1,  a native British English speaker who teaches pronunciation through Youtube videos. Here he is using a slightly different version of the poem but it's just as good.

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest, most important writers in the English language. His books are not only a source of entertainment but also a historical document of the Victorian society. You may not have read his books but surely have seen a few of the many films based on his writings, and his novels and characters are among the most iconic in English literature.
The Guardian newspaper is celebrating Dickens' 200 birthday this weekend with a series of articles and podcasts. In the build-up to the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, they'll be exploring the writer's life and relevance through stories, videos, audio, galleries and more. His actual anniversary is in February 2012 so I'm not sure why they are celebrating so early but I don't mind so much as we get to enjoy things such as an audio tour following Oliver Twist's walking route  from Angel Islington to the courthouse of Mr Fang the magistrate in Clerkenwell, London.
For the whole series go here

Friday's Poem #1

My current mood: like Aretha, I feel so uninspired.
My Muse must be really distracted lately, either that or she has left me in search of a better writer. I really hope she hasn't as it's writers like me who need her most.
So, while I wait for my muse to return, I've decided to post a little poem every Friday.

Here's the first, Listen to the Mustn'ts by Shel Silverstein

And here's a short video of the author himself performing this poem:




Shel Silverstein  “is a magnificent poet of the spirit, and what he says in light
verse and drawing to children is of such importance, such urgency, that we
must be grateful that more than three* million [sic] copies of his books are
being read. In a world that needs a generation of imaginative thinkers, may
there be millions and millions more.”
—Myra Cohn Livingston, New York Times, March 9, 1986

THE "TEN COMMANDMENTS"

At the beginning of every school year I like to tell my students about my expectations from them. This year is no different so here they are. Yes, they are the same as last year's and this is basically a repeat post, I've just corrected a few mistakes and typos.

This is a list of what I expect from you in class :

1.- Be polite and respect everyone: teasing, bullying, put-downs and sarcasm are NOT allowed.

2.- Bring the materials you need every day and be ready and willing to use them.

3.- Trust me as your teacher: I've been doing this for a long time and I know what I'm doing (most of the time ;))

4.- Pay attention in class and listen carefully to my instructions - and follow them-  and explanations.

5.- If you don't understand something or have doubts, ask. If you still don't understand, ask again. There are no dumb questions or dumb answers. Keep asking until you understand.

6.- Pay attention to your classmates and listen to them: you'll learn from them as much as from me (if not more).

7.- This is English class so English will be the main language. Be prepared to speak and interact with me and the other students and don't be afraid: we all make mistakes.

8.- Grammar is not as important as communication: your English is good if we understand you. But grammar is important too!

9.- Work hard and do your own homework : think about how to do it and use your notes and textbook if you need to. DO NOT COPY OTHER STUDENTS' WORK, it's a waste of time and I will know.

10.- Have fun and be happy!

Source

NEW SCHOOL, NEW LIFE, OLD BLOG

New School Year by ForkySporkSpoon

As you already know if you have been following my blog, I'm starting a new life at a new school. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. I'm still just planning my lessons and have not met any students yet but I really have great expectations and so far my new colleagues have welcomed me with arms wide open. The school year looks promising and I feel happy.
Despite it being a new beginning, I'm keeping my old blog. I think it's quite impractical to start a new blog every school year and, selfishly , this way I can keep my old followers.
So this will be my long time blog: I hope it lasts. It will if you like it and send me enough feedback to keep me motivated ;)

CHANGES

I'm changing the design of my blog to get ready for the next school year. I'm "storing" last year's pages in my old blog so you can still read them if you want to. Just go to my old blog. Next I'll change the links and the students page. I'll probably delete the latter as there haven't been any updates lately.  Let me know if you would like me to keep yours.
Enjoy your summer!!

The Lottery of Life

The Non-governmental organization Save the Children has this really interesting and eye-opening website where you can try the lottery of life: What would your life be like if you were born in a different country? Try it and you'll see the differences between countries and how lucky we are compared to others. Life is so unfair, don't you think? I've tried it three times and I've been born in Senegal, China and Niger. What about you? Check it out.
The Lottery of Life

Illustration by Donata Montanari from her book Children Around the World

Goodbye and Good Luck

This is not my last post as I will continue with my blog next year but it may well be my last post as a teacher at this school. This is my goodbye post:

As you probably know by now, I will be teaching at a different school next year. It is a change I've been wishing for for a long time now. After 14 years teaching at my present school, the time has come to start again. I've come at a standstill as a teacher, with no room for improvement and completely burnt out. The path I want to follow is not the present one. I don't fit in anymore: I feel restrained and frustrated and hampered by rules and people I don't agree with and I need a complete change. But before I go I want to say this: Despite the mixed feelings I have, it's been a great ride, maybe a bit bumpy at the end but nonetheless unforgettable, and I mean that in a good way.
I've met and worked with amazing teachers: hardworking, unwavering in their dedication to students, resilient and courageous, intelligent and funny, and I could go on endlessly.
And the same can be said of my students: You have been the best thing, the ones who make this job worth it in spite of all the obstacles. As frustrating and difficult as teaching you (or trying to) has been so many times, I wouldn't change a thing. You are all unique and outstanding in your own way even if you don't know it yet and I hope you will realise soon how amazing you are. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even yourselves.

This is my way of saying sorry and goodbye and good luck: with Forever Young, a wonderful song by Bob Dylan

Leonard Cohen, Prince of Asturias award for letters 2011

Today they've announced the Prince of Asturias for letters 2011, awarded to the Canadian singer-songwriter, novelist and poet Leonard Cohen. Considered one of the most influential authors of our time, his poems and songs have beautifully explored the major issues of humanity in great depth. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Famously reclusive, having once spent several years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, and possessing a persona frequently associated with mystique, he is extremely well regarded by critics for his literary accomplishments, for the richness of his lyrics, and for producing an output of work of high artistic quality over a five-decade career.(wikipedia)
When I was a teenager I was in love with his deep voice and the messages he sent, and I still am today. Wonderful man, wonderful songs. It's been hard to choose one for this post. Let me recommend a few: Take this waltz (where he translates and puts music to Lorca and his Poet in New York), Suzanne (my first love), Hey, that's no way to say goodbye...


Here's my final choice, Hallelujah. There are different versions of this song (with slightly different lyrics) and different covers by many artists. It is maybe his most popular song and one of the best in my opinion. I'm posting one of the original videos from the 1980s. My favourite verses are not included in this version though so I'm just including them here:

There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in with you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

And now, on with the song. Enjoy!



I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. The following is a news clip  about the event:

Thank you, Jimena!

Jimena, I hope you don't mind my writing about you here but I want to thank you in public. Because I want people to know how helpful and supportive you have been to me this year.  Your ever-present smiles, reassurances and kind words have got me through my bad days and made me believe in myself again. I've been  lucky to have you with me even if for too short a time. You are a great teacher and an amazing person. Maybe we'll work together again some time...
Thank you!

Thanks   by W. S. Merwin

 

Listen 

with the night falling we are saying thank you 

we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings 

we are running out of the glass rooms 

with our mouths full of food to look at the sky 

and say thank you 

we are standing by the water thanking it 

smiling by the windows looking out 

in our directions 

back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging 

after funerals we are saying thank you 

after the news of the dead 

whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you

over telephones we are saying thank you 

in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators 

remembering wars and the police at the door 

and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you 

in the banks we are saying thank you 

in the faces of the officials and the rich

and of all who will never change

we go on saying thank you thank you

with the animals dying around us 

our lost feelings we are saying thank you 

with the forests falling faster than the minutes 

of our lives we are saying thank you 

with the words going out like cells of a brain 

with the cities growing over us 

we are saying thank you faster and faster 

with nobody listening we are saying thank you 

we are saying thank you and waving 

dark though it is

 Today people in the USA celebrate Memorial Day. For some, it is a day to honour loved ones who have died serving their country. For others, the national holiday is the unofficial start of summer.
When is Memorial Day? This federal holiday is observed on the last Monday of May. Whether you want to honour a fallen comrade or celebrate peace, Memorial Day Weekend is a time for remembrance and thanksgiving.
Begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil War, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks and trips to the beach.

GRASS
by: Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

PILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo,

Shovel them under and let me work--

I am the grass; I cover all.

 

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

 

I am the grass.

Let me work. 

 



Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln.

I've finally updated My Students page. Give it a look, please!!

YES, THE TIMES ARE A-CHANGIN'

The times are a changin’ in Madrid. (AITOR AGUIRRE INFO@ANTINEAMEDIA.COM )

With everything that's going on in Spain and in other parts of the world today, I see really fitting to share this wonderful Dylan song. This  song became an anthem for frustrated youth. It summed up the anti-establishment feelings of people who would later be known as hippies. Many of the lyrics are based on the Civil Rights movement in the US. In the liner notes of this album Biograph, Dylan wrote: "I wanted to write a big song, some kind of theme song, with short, concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. This is definitely a song with a purpose. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to." (source: Songfacts.com)
Unfortunately, I couldn't find Dylan's version which should really be the one to post but I found a live cover by Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) which is the next best thing. Enjoy the song and think!




Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressman
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he who gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
You old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Short Story Competition!

My wonderful sister, who is always finding me things for my classes and my students, has informed me of a competition the on-line newspapers Elcomerciodigital.com and Lavozdeaviles.es are organizing for people your age (10-15).  You only need to write  up to three short stories in English and submit them before June 1 2011. I think this is a great opportunity for those of you who love writing and do so regularly. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose... the first prize? A scholarship for Hello English summer camp. For more information go here.
Even if you don't want to take part, you may want to visit their site and see what other students are writing.

Calvin and Hobbes cartoon by Bill Watterson

I want to offer a different take on Mother's Day and this poem by Linda Pastan seems really fitting. I love the humour and truth in it. I'm sure every mother has felt the same some time,  I wonder how many went through with it though.

 Marks

My husband gives me an A
for last night's supper,
an incomplete for my ironing,
a B plus in bed.
My son says I am average,
an average mother, but if
I put my mind to it
I could improve.
My daughter believes
in Pass/Fail and tells me
I pass. Wait 'til they learn
I'm dropping out.

Linda Pastan is an American poet of Jewish background. She was born in New York on May 27, 1932.
She is known for writing short poems that address topics like family life, domesticity, motherhood, the female experience, aging, death, loss and the fear of loss, as well as the fragility of life and relationships.

MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day is celebrated in Spain the first Sunday in May, which this year is next Sunday, May 1st. Though it is a celebration found all around the world, it isn't celebrated on the same date: In the UK and Ireland, Mothers' Day (or Mothering Sunday) is celebrated on the fourth Sunday during the period of Lent. In the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Mothers' Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.


Let's celebrate it too with the "Mother's Day Proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe. Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet. This poem of hers was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe's feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.

Mother's Day Proclamation

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Here's a video inspired by this poem, made by the Maine Women's Fund:

Easter Eggs!

Easter Sunday, we were walking
Easter Sunday, we were talking...

Now that Easter is coming I think I should write a post about it but the fact is that you probably know more about Easter than me and, even if you don't, you can always google it. So I've decided to have some fun and hide some virtual easter eggs in my blog.
A virtual easter egg is an intentional hidden message, in-joke or feature in a work such as a computer program, web page, video game, movie, book or crossword. Typically, easter eggs are used to display the credits for the development team or to display a humorous message. To see an easter egg, you need to know a special procedure or sequence of keystrokes.
See if you can find the hidden easter eggs ;)

I just love  Savage Chickens by Doug Savage

OMG! Kudos to the OED!

IMO,the English are much more progressive about their language than we will ever be. Our "Academia de la lengua" is an institution so rigid and old fashioned that it hinders the language instead of promoting it. Most of its members have probably never heard of Facebook or Twitter (and who hasn't?) and I even doubt they use their mobile phones for something other than receiving calls, let alone texting.

Okay, I may be exaggerating a little but there is no such thing as an "Academy of the English Language", which makes English a living, evolving, ever-changing language. It's true that Spanish is alive too but unfortunately new terms and words are much harder to be accepted and used by the media. 

A great example of this is the latest online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the venerable last word on proper language.  Several abbreviations ''' or "initialisms" have been added. Those include OMG (Oh my god), LOL (laughing out loud), TMI (too much information), FYI (for your information) and BFF (best friends forever). The OED explained the decision extensively in an online statement.  The OED explains that shorthands such as LOL and OMG have gone beyond just saving space and acquired nuanced meanings of their own, with "a bit more than simple abbreviation going on." The new "initialisms," or abbreviations made up of the first letters of each word in the phrase to which they refer, include "OMG" (oh my god), "LOL" (laughing out loud), "IMHO" (in my humble/honest opinion), "TMI" (too much information), "BFF" (best friends forever), "FYI" (for your information) and WAG (wives and girlfriends). They also comment that some of these have been around for a really long time.

An interesting google tool you can use to find out how long and when a certain word or expression has been used is timeline. You just need to select timeline from the search tools menu when you do a search. Try it out, it's fun!