Welcome to Blog Fun!

I can’t believe that it is 2011 and this is the first experience I’ve had creating my own blog.  I’m glad that this class is slightly nudging me into the 21^st century!

I’d like to begin my blog by briefly introducing myself.  My name is Sarah Jane (yes, that’s my first name, not my middle name) and I have just recently begun the TESOL Program at Molloy College.  (I’d like to avoid sounding too much like I am on a job interview, but sometimes I can’t help it because I don’t like talking about myself!) 

Before coming to Molloy, I attended Massapequa High School and SUNY Geneseo.  I graduated from Geneseo two years ago with a dual major in elementary and special education with a concentration in Spanish.  It was my first student teaching placement in the Rochester City School District in a bilingual classroom that ultimately led me to pursue TESOL.  I loved the experience of working with English Language Learners, and couldn’t have been happier with the thought of teaching in a dual-language classroom.  As it turned out, after my graduation, I did not feel completely confident in my ability to conduct full lessons and school days in Spanish, so I decided to combine my love for language and passion for teaching into a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.  I am currently a middle school special education teacher and I love every minute of it.  My blog will most typically share stories from my teaching, my daily life, and my recent venture into the world of Bikram Yoga.  Bikram Yoga, which I began partaking in this past September, has been a life changing experience for me because it has taught me to take care of my mind, body, and spirit.  Because I am so passionate about this new endeavor, I will be sure to mention it in my future posts.  Thanks for reading!

1. Dual – Composed or consisting of two parts
2. Ultimately – Lastly; ending a process or series
3. Pursue – To seek to accomplish
4. Typically – Characteristic of or pertaining to
5. Partaking – Participating in an activity or routine
6. Endeavor – An attempt

1. ______________ I wake up at 5 am, but today I was quite tired and decided to stay in bed until 5:30.
2. Are you going to ______________ your acting career by moving to New York City and working on Broadway?
   1. That is a good question.  I am not sure if I am ready to embark on such a challenging ______________.  ______________ I would like to end up on the big screen or television.
3. The staff is holding a volleyball game fundraising event where each department will play against each other.  Are you planning on ______________?
4. He goes back and forth so frequently because he has ______________ citizenship.  He is a citizen in the United States and Canada.

Contractions

As you may have noticed, I used several contractions throughout my writing.  The purpose of a contraction is to shorten a word, syllable, or group of words by eliminating some of the internal letters.  Some contractions seen in my writing include can’t in place of cannot, I’d in place of I would, and don’t in place of do not.  The function of contractions in my writing was not simply to save myself a few taps of the keyboard, but to also give my writing a more informal feeling, similar to that speaking. 

One contraction in particular tends to pose a problem for many students.  Can you guess what it is? (Pun intended.)  It’s it’s and its!  A simple way to check whether you are supposed to use it’s as in it is or its possessive is to replace “it’s” with it is and see if your sentence still makes sense.  Try the examples below, filling in either its or it’s in the blank.

1. ______________ going to be very chilly tomorrow…The high is only 13 degrees!
2. Please return the book to ______________ proper owner.
3. Who is going to inform the dog’s owner that ______________ missing?
4. Check ______________ collar, perhaps the owner’s phone number is listed.

For more info on Bikram Yoga...