Tips for a good writing.

Ok! So, this is a big problem for everybody: teachers, students, everybody.
So, here are some tips for a good basic writing:

1) If it's an assignment, read the title and underline what the paper asks you to write about.
2) Don't change the subject: pay attention to keep writing about what was asked.
In another paper, write the topics that you plan to talk about, inside the main theme.
3) Watch out for spelling mistakes: always look in the dictionary.
4) Pay attention to agrrements between subject and verbs.
5) Don't forget that a good text is composed by 3 things: introduction, progress and conclusion.
6) Reread your text: see if everything you wrote makes sense together, if you didn't skip any topic and if you actually wrote about what was asked. Also look for written mistakes.
7) Ask for somebody experienced to read and, if necessary, suggest changes.

If the kind of text changes, pay attention to other special rules as be impersonal and don't express your opinion, or if it's the opposite, express your opinion, but show your researches that you base your opinion on and don't show agriness, etc.
But always ask somebody's opinion first, to see if you reached your goal.

Hope it's helpful!

xoxoxo
See you soon!

Results

How do we know if we're doing or not a good job?
That's not very hard.
The first signal is the students' result.
If they are getting good grades, then you're doing a good job.
If they are learning, you're doing a good job.
Sometimes grades don't show any knoledge, but this is the subject for another post.
Another way to know if you're doing a nice job is by the students' feedback.
When they bring you questions and you clear the doubts out or when they change teachers and they say that they miss your way of teaching. Not that there's a right way of teaching, but some students learn better in different ways, so sometimes your way of teaching is better than the others for some people.
Well, I just have to thank my students for giving me such a positive feedback.
Since I started teaching English at a course (February, 2011) I had 7 classes and all of them want me back as a teacher. Some of them left the course that I work at and they still calling me and tell me that they miss me and they miss my classes.
They like the way I work (and that is also a subject for another post) and they tell me that.
I think this is one of the best feelings in the world: Know that people like the result of what you love doing.

So, here is my advice:
Do whatever you love doing, And put tons of effort on it. Do it correctly, so you can be happy and get the results that you expect.

- Next posts:
Grades not always show knoledge;
Extra papers to work in class;

Hope you like it   :)

I'm on duty! Today I SUB!

OMG! The regular teacher couldn't come today and asked me to stay with her/his class.
WHAT DO I DO???

First of all you need to be extra patient and kind with the students.

Be prepared to listen and deal with comparisons: "My teacher doesn't do this in the way you're doing!"

When you listen to this, try to be nice. Tell the students that you're not their teacher, you're just doing a favor for her/him and that they should try to do on your way, because, maybe, it can be as fun as the other way.

You don't have to change your teaching, but you also shouldn't impose it. Try to make a balanced situation.

Sometimes the students freak out, you must be calm and don't yell at them.

Try to talk nicely and control them. Be strict, but don't be rude. If they don't change, focus on the students that are paying attention. There's always somebody interested on the subject. And then ask the other students to be, at least, quite.

Prepare the class. Arrive a little early to get updated, to know what they need to accomplish on that day. Avoid extra activities, musics or movies, because most of the times the class must go on. If you choose an extra activity they might get their schedule messed up.

Be natural, do your best!

After the class make a report to the regular teacher.

Hope it's helpful!

I can't go today!

Sometimes we can't go to work.
When shouldn't we go to work, first of all?!
- When we get sick;
- When we have an appointment with a doctor;
- When we have a very important test/work at college;
- When something very urgent happens with somebody from your family.

So, this week I have this birthday in another city. It's my mom's partner/best friend's 50th birthday. There's no way could say no.
And what to do when you have somebody else leading your students?
How can we have some control of it?

Of course we can't control everything, but we can have some idea of how the class will be if we prepare it very well to the other teacher. And obviously, every teacher teaches differently. So, even if you prepare very well it won't be exactly as you planned.

- First of all, prepare your students for the change and then leave a message telling the sub teacher how are the students, what are their difficulties, who needs more attention, etc.
- After, you can tell the sub teacher what that class should acomplish on that day.
- Leave a note telling what are the home productions and the due dates.
- Leave the papers that need to be handed back corrected.
- If you don't know how the teacher teaches, prepare extra papers with the content and some exercises for the students to practice, and you can correct next class.
- On the next class, just ask the students how it was and clear any doubt.

Hope it's helpful!

Uma verdade sobre nós (Truth about us)

"Toda mulher gosta de ser tratada como única. Gosta de mensagens no meio da noite, ligações inesperadas, palavras bobas. Gosta de perguntas como ‘o que você está pensando?’ e quando a desafiam. Toda mulher gosta de receber flores, nem que seja só uma roubada do jardim do vizinho. Gosta de surpresas, filmes românticos e comida na boca. Toda mulher gosta de um mimo quando está doente, um beijo na testa após um beijo na boca, um abraço apertado e um carinho na nuca."

I want one of this too! :/

"Every woman likes to be treated like the only one in the world. Like to be texted in the middle of the night, likes to get unexpected calls, listen to cute words. Every woman likes questions as: 'what are you thinking about now?', and they like when they are challenged. Every woman likes to recieve flowers, even if it's from your neighbor's garden. Every woman likes surprises, romantic movies, and food on their mouths. Every woman likes to be spoiled when she's sick, a kiss on the forehead after a kiss on her mouth, a tight hug and to cuddle."

Challenge

How fast can you read it?


"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?"


"The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday."


"I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish."


"Luke Luck likes lakes.
Luke's duck likes lakes.
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luck's duck licks lakes.
Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes."

"How much wood could Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood? If Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood, how much wood could and would Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck? Chuck Woods' woodchuck would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as any woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood."

Motivation

  So, how can we motivate our students?
That's such a hard task, plus it all depends on a lot of different factors:
- Age;
- Interests;
- Goals;
- Gender.

  The hardest group of people to motivate is the teenagers. First of all, most of them hate studying and they hate extra activities (they're too lazy). Normally their parents make them go to the English classes. They're also always tired, plus school is already too much for them: they don't have time to practice or to put any effort on any other thing.
  For them, I found 2 solutions. The nice one: try to bring games, music, TV series. Encourage their competitive side, make them interested, try to enter a little bit in their world - bring to your class activities related to the stuff they like. But remember that the group of the teenagers also divedes itself in smaller groups. So, if you got a mixed class try to please one smaller group at the time. One week you bring a pop music activity, another week you bring a scarry movie and so on.
  The bad solution is a little radical. If nothing works tell them that everything in class is worth points. They'll just freak out and, even if they don't wanna work, they will do the minimum, because most of them know that if they don't get a good grade they'll be punished. But it isn't your work to punish them. Bring nice works for them and sooner or later they will like it and do their class works just for pleasure. And I garantee, sometime in their lives they will be thankfull for what you've done for them.
  The second group is made by the children and they are much easier to motivate. They learn better when they're having fun, they can't know that they are learning. The best way is using colerful things and whatever visual stuff that they can interact with. For example, a "Weather Board".

By teacher Marcela

  Eevery day ask the students "how is the weather today?" and choose one of them to change the arrow's place. They get very excited about helping the teacher!

  The adults are just fine, bucause they're mature and responsible. They know what they need and what they want. But anyways, show that you care about them... Create boards with challenges, hints, nice websites, etc.

Welcome Board

  On this one I put the break time, the "next task", a challenge and the "best" student (they also like a little competition).

  

Hope I can halp you motivating your students. If you need any idea of extra exercices or games, sing in on the website below:

http://www.eslprintables.com/

  There you can send activities that you created and once somebody download it you get points. With each point you can download 1 document. It is a very nice and trustable source.

Have such a good night and wait for more :)

xoxoxo

Missões Cumpridas

* Em primeiro lugar, parabéns para mim! Eu resisti e estou bem assim, se é que vocês me entendem.
* Em segundo lugar, trabalho de publicidade feito e nota 9! Obrigada aos "Pôneis Malditos" :P
O trabalho de resenha do livro de cinema também foi entregue, mas a nota é um mistério.
* PASSEI NA PROVA PRÁTICA DE DIREÇÃO! Uhuuuuul!

Motorista :D

Foi bem engraçado! Minhas pernas tremiam e eu passei um dia inteirinho gritando de felicidade!
O bad foi pegar o carro pela primeira vez! NUNCA MAIS DIRIJO COM O MEU PAI DO LADO! Como ele grita, como ele se estressa e não tem a menor paciência! Depois fui dirigir com a minha mãe e correu tudo bem!
* RiR foi maravilhoso! Show da Ke$ha foi fraco, mas foi divertido. O show do Stivie Wonder emocionou e o do Marron 5 neste sábado... Sem comentários. PER-FEI-TO! Inesquecível! E nada melhor do que estar ao lado de pessoas legais!

RiR - Show do Maroon 5

* No trabalho também foi tudo ótimo. Tudo voltando pro seu devido lugar. Minha organização, dedicação, etc.

Bem a semana foi conturbada, agitada, mas pelo menos tudo foi feito, e com êxito!

* Um balanço:
Trabalhos -> boas notas;
Provas -> aprovadas;
Resistência -> firme e forte;
Preocupações em geral -> continuam;
RiR -> foda!
* Resultado: POSITIVÍSSIMO!

O melhor remédio é realmente o tempo. Ele cura tudo. O mais importante é ser forte.
Sempre pensando que tudo vai dar certo!

Confusões

Welcome! Este é o mundo dos problemas. O mundo de alguém que é biologicamente adulto, tem a mente confusa de uma adolescente na TPM e o coração frágil como de uma criança.
Those are the problems for me this week:
- Um trabalho mega nada a ver de cinema;
- Um trabalho super legal, porém atrasado de publicidade;
- Uma segunda prova prática de direção, amanhã às 5a.m.;
- Uma paixão absolutamente platônica para ser esquecida.
So this is the topic of this post.
Domingo a noite, era tudo que eu precisava.
Sou completamente apaixonada por ele. Há nove meses saio com ele. Faço tudo para agradá-lo. Mudei fisicamente, passei a ouvir coisas que eu nunca gostei, comer diferente, mentir para as pessoas e pior: mentir para mim mesma.
Sempre tenho que controlar meus impulsos, meu ciúme, minha ansiedade para não assustá-lo, para não afastá-lo.
Já tentei mil técnicas para que ele me procurasse, sentisse a minha falta,sei lá... Já vi jogo de futebol e torci pro Botafogo, baixei CD de MPB para termos assuntos em comum, já parei de ligar, já mandei mais de mil mensagens em um mês, já fingi que nem ligava e já expus meus sentimentos. Nada funciona. Sempre ouço um "quero esperar para saber se e isso mesmo que eu quero".
Acontece que 9 meses já era para ser tempo suficiente. Eu estou magoada, me sentindo um lixo!
Cadê meu amor próprio? Eu não sei, não sei o que é isso há muito tempo.
Me ferrei muito sério por ele!
The worst part isn't a broken heart, is my health issues. And yes, cuz of him.
Enfim, cansei de deixar de sair por ele, cansei de chorar e sofrer por ele, cansei de brigar com os outros por ele. Cansei de mentir, cansei de me enganar. Cansar, eu realmente cansei há muito tempo, falta a força de vontade, falta a coragem. O medo de não encontrar alguém que, QUANDO está comigo, me transmita a sensação de segurança, me trate bem, me dê carinho, enfim, aquilo que todos precisam. Mas me decidi. Este problema acaba hoje!

O vermelho inspira energia e coragem. 

Vou tomar o chá de coragem. Ele não é o último, eu sei. Ele não é o mais bonito, eu sei. Ele não é o mais carinhoso, mais educado, mais inteligente. Eu sei, eu sei, eu sei.

Desta vez acabou. Não vou ceder mas às mensagens, aos elogios às falsas saudades. Não vou mais.

Vou cuidar mais de mim, vou me amar mais. Vou me livrar disso e me dedicar à coisas mais importantes, como meus estudos, meu trabalho, minha família, minha sobrinha... Meu corpo, minha mente e minha saúde. E melhor: EU VOU CONSEGUIR.

Muito obrigada a todos os meus amigos que foram MUITO pacientes comigo todo este tempo, que me ajudaram quando eu sofri por ele, e mais importante que NUNCA ME JULGARAM. #maiorclichè,maiorverdade.

Darei tempo ao tempo. E a coisa certa há de acontecer.

My new hobby

So, I've been following my boss' blog and its so cute and useful that I thought it would be nice to make on for me.
I still trying to learn how to use it... any help is more than welcome.
My goal is to give good hints about some nice things like:
- Extra activities for teaching English;
- Crafts;
- Sewing;
- Cultural events...

I will also share things about my life, since everybody needs someone to lean on [there will be good and not so good moments].

So here I come: My first thing to think of is: "What am I gonna be for my Halloween party this year?"
Everybody wears wiches' clothes or a very sexy thing, but thins is a party at my job aaaaand I don't wanna be just one more there. I though of Tinker Bell, but I don't know... And in the day before yestarday, looking for something in a very old bos I found a "hair ornament" that is simply Shrek's years!!!
So, what do you think? Sould I be Fiona this Halloween?
Live a comment and help me ;)

Probably my new project ;)