TO ALL MY ESL STUDENTS and TODAY, to YOU, someone NEW! !

You are all invited to join in and be pro-active! This blog also belongs to you.

Here are some of the ways you can participate:

* COMMENT (even if you make mistakes) C'est pas grave!
You will get better and better! You cannot GO BACK!
PLEASE leave a COMMENT (click on comment at the bottom of post and follow instructions)

* SHARE INFORMATION with your classmates, they will surely appreciate your findings:
New ESL sites, stories, anecdotes, jokes, games ...
* WRITE what's on your mind! How you feel about your learning process.
You are not alone! Group 'therapy'!!!

HAVE a dose of FUN!!!
* LET me KNOW that you are there to encourage... ME TOO (inside joke)!

LISTEN to this INTRODUCTION VIDEO:

NOTE TO THE READER:
- CLICK on Ctrl and +++ to enlarge TEXT
- anything UNDERLINED ia a link to click on



Sunday, April 29, 2012

A FUN TO LISTEN TO VIDEO!

HELLO!
A good Sunday afternoon to YOU!!!
I came across this video by accident.
It is most interesting in a simple way.
While I was listening to it, I couldn't help 
but make a parallel with learning English!!

You can apply this simple message to learning English.
HOW! Well, start by accepting what you already know
and have learned up to now! Be happy about it!
Appreciate what you have already achieved
and all the hard work you have put into it.

How about taking a new approach to your learning!
I have just sent you a newsletter and 
I have suggested a new approach to you! 
Coincidence ... Yeah! Maybe ... But I say:

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!
TRY SOMETHING NEW!!
BE CURIOUS!!!
BE ADVENTUROUS!!

LET GO OF THE OLD WAYS!!

And TRY SOMETHING NEW.


Enjoy!
And listen to it a few times!
Suzanne

  



FEEDBACK on our SUMMER ESL IMMERSION


A WORD from two of last summer’s participants
at the English immersion camp!
I want to thank Diane and Johanne 
for taking the time to write 
their observations and appreciation 
of their experience of English immersion!
They are BRAVE persons ;)

At the end of the last winter session, Suzanne invited students to participate in an immersion class during the coming summer. We were three to agree to go. We decided on three days in August. 
First, we met Suzanne at a restaurant in St-Jovite/Mont-Tremblant called Couleur Café. We had lunch and there she asked us "What do you prefer to eat?" and "What do you expect to learn during this time?” We appreciated that she took the time to ask us about our needs. 

After grocery shopping and wine selecting, we left for the cottage, twenty minutes away.  The site is beautiful. It's located near a lake and it's cosy. And we got to meet Lulu, Suzanne’s  lovely, calm, and quiet Siamese cat. 

We decided to speak English all day long.  Suzanne gave us a first class and we practiced in the afternoon.  She corrected us when needed to be.  We played board games like Boggle and we had a lot of fun. 
On the morning after, Suzanne decided to put us out of the chalet.  She said "Why don’t you take a walk around the lake, it takes thirty minutes.”  We obeyed her order!!!  After fifteen minutes, a big gray cloud arrived and the downpour too.  At that moment, we understood why Suzanne had evicted us ;)  We found a shelter to get under from  the rain, so we came back very dry.  But Suzanne was waiting for us with towels.
 The sun came out again and we worked hard on the porch.  At the end of the afternoon, we had a break.  Johanne decided to swim in the lake and Diane looked on as the lifeguard.  We continued to speak English. After supper, we played a game called "Blurt".  We had a very competitive game.  At the beginning, Johanne had a lead over Suzanne and Diane.  In the middle of the game, Suzanne was the last and Diane was in the lead. Do you know who was the winner?   Suzanne!
 You can imagine why we appreciated this moment of life.  Suzanne is a welcoming and caring person who met all of our needs. 
Thanks again Suzanne. 
Johanne and Diane 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

OLDER PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER, what have you observed?



OLDER PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER.


Hey! How are you this morning! I haven’t written anything in a while, just taking a break from ESL classes. My winter tires DO NEED to come off and summer ones back on!! ;)
I have had quite a busy winter session with many classes and many students. I’m relishing a well deserved break. I’m happy and very satisfied with the results and I’m already looking forward to the Fall session. YES! I AM!!



So for today’s post I’m still taking a break I’m sending you to TED.com where you can listen to Laura Carstensen  give a very short ‘talk’ on how older people have a more positive outlook on life’s reality. Something to think about and observe about yourself or others. 
To link up with the talk, just click here. This is the introduction to the talk:

" In the 20th century we added an unprecedented number of years to our life spans, but is the quality of life as good? Surprisingly, yes! At TEDxWomen psychologist Laura Carstensen shows research that demonstrates that as people get older they become happier, more content, and have a more positive outlook on the world."


Have a good listen and I'll get back to you about it ... 
 Thinking of you!

Suzanne  


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

MY FUNNY-BUNNY Students and ME!!

Here is a fun video featuring
some of my jivin’ and energetic students.
They are ‘the life of the party’!!    ;)


There will be more!
Check in once in a while to see
if you have been featured.

Sorry! about the 'fit' I really tried my best!


Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

It's LOVE !!!


Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!


NEED I SAY MORE ...


Friday, April 6, 2012

I Love My Chocolate ... A FUN LITTLE SONG!

I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT YOU ....


Why do I LOOOOOVE CHOCOLATE so much!

WHY IT’S MY MOTHER'S FAULT 
THAT I HAVE TO HAVE SOME CHOCOLATE EVERY DAY !!!

Do you remember waiting for the  Easter Holidays which marked the end of Lent, that awful and terrible time of the year when you, as a child, had to give up all that was sugar and candy or those wonderful delicious desserts?

Do you remember that time of the year, in March or April, and counting down the days, 10 - 9 - 8 - ... and waiting for the treats that were somewhere hidden in a closet and would make their appearance on Easter Sunday. YAY!!! 
They mostly came in the shape of eggs or animals.   
Chocolate Easter eggs that came in all sizes. 
Personally I do recall the Laura Secord egg that I would get. It was covered in chocolate and inside it was white and quite sweet with a yellow center, just like the ‘real’ thing. Remember ...? 

Then there were the chocolate animals. My father who was a travelling salesman, would meet up with another traveller, a representative of a chocolate ‘company', and would offer us the biggest chocolate animals. They were HUGE!!! Nearly as tall as we were! A rooster, for my sister and a bunny rabbit for me.

Now to the conclusion of this anecdote that will explain the title of this post. My mother, who was sooooo reasonable, would break off a piece of the 'animal': the ears, the nose, a paw and so on ...,  EVERY DAY following Easter. She would give it to us to ‘feast’ upon. The darn thing would last untill June!!! And that's the reason why, TODAY, I still have to get my chocolate treat EVERY DAY!!!

BRAVO for EASTER eggs and the bunny rabbit !!!





Have a fun time with all your families and the little ones 
and remember to let them eat all the chocolate 
they can eat for ONE DAY of the year!!
YUM! YUM!

SUZANNE

P.S. My favourite chocolate candy bar is Cadbury's milk chocolate.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012