Veteran's Day

Today is a day to recognize everyone who joins the military and serves.

Who are veterans?  Veterans are people who serve in the military and survive that service.  Veterans Day used to be Armistice Day, the day stopped using weapons for World War 1. People remembered World War I at 11:00 on 11/11.  Now, we honor all the soldiers that serve in the Armed Forces on Veteran's Day.

WE HAVE SCHOOL today!  It's a holiday for federal government employees, but not a day off for us!  

What makes you proud?  Do you know anyone that serves in the military?  Who is your hero?  Can you describe that person and what he or she does?

I gave my love a cherry

 My mother sang me this song when I was a baby.  She used it as a lullaby to help me go to sleep.

Try the direct object - indirect object Kahoot again!

Do you like to give gifts? 

When do you give gifts?

Who do you give gifts to?

What are good gifts to give to friends or childen?

Happy Diwali

 Diwali is a multi-faith festival that celebrates good beating evil. At least five polytheistic religions celebrate Diwali.  Diwali's festival of lights last five days.  The third is a main observance day.

Did you ever see a Diwali celebration?  What did it look like?

 

What's your favorite holiday?  Do you usually go shopping before that holiday?  What do you buy?

What do you like to wear on your favorite holiday?

I won't give up on us

The reading test does not determine promotion.  

I need to evaluate your writing, speaking, and listening too. 

I like to evaluate at the last minute because listening sometimes kicks in with a big jump after weeks of feeling like it'll never get better.

Please show up.  We have 21 more hours that you paid for.

Tell me about a time you persisted and it was good.

Talking at a restaurant

Quizlet Vocabulary: Speaking about food

Grammar: Practice using count & non-count nouns

Can you find the spelling mistake in the subtitles?

A few regional differences:  My family says "appetizer" rather than "starter." 

In this area, a 20% (minimum) tip is customary.  "Tip jobs" have a lower minimum wage, so servers don't get the minimum wage of $12.77/hour without the tip money.  Servers usually get $2.13/hour from the restaurant, and taxes often take their whole paychecks.  Some restaurants require servers to pay some of their tips to their coworkers including bussers, "expo," (a person who checks the order and arranges the food in a pretty way) and bartenders.  Other restaurants take all the tips and redistribute them to every worker equally.  When I worked at a restaurant, the servers kept most of their tips, but usually voluntarily tipped bussers and bartenders. Many people think that the server gets a good paycheck and the tip is extra money only for excellent service.

In the conversation at the end of the video, native speakers in this area say, "chicken sandwich" rather than chicken burger.  We'd probably say we like tacos or a taco if there's only one.

English for my Job-Hospitality

Food and drink Vocabulary from English Club  (Go down to see links to vocabulary and practice)

Grammar: count vs. non-count  (same link as the top)

What is your favorite restaurant nearby?  What is the best restaurant in your native country?  What is the best restaurant you ever ate at?

Patience

 

Do you hate when people tell you to be patient? I do!

English often takes time, patience, and very hard work.  Thank you for working hard.  

Please help us make the classes good for you.

How can the class be better?

Write about a time when your patience worked for you.

Election Day is soon!

Are you studying for the Citizenship Test?  I found a Quizlet set to study!

If you're interested in information about the US government, some of my colleagues recommend

Ben's Guide to Government (kid's guide to US Government)

Traditional information about U.S. political parties. This video doesn't mention that in 2026, Trump-supporting Republicans are promoting "securing the border" and mass deportations. Since the early 1970s, northern and western democrats (like Obama) promoted civil and women's rights.

Quizlet: Political Vocabulary

Quizlet Vocabulary 

Quizlet: Political Terms

If you want to vote by issue or candidate rather than by party, you can get information about who's on the ballot from  Ballotpedia.  If you don't want to enter your home address, put in the address of the closest elementary school, and you can still get your information.  Once you have the names on the ballot, you can google the names and read their websites.  

Can you vote? Is voting in your country similar to voting here?

What issues (ideas that people argue about) are important to you?

Did you move to the US because you didn't like a political group in another country?