Sunday, April 21, 2024

Good bye April. Hello May!

Hello, Friends.

There are some weeks and weekends when the end of the year crunch eats up all the time. This was one of those weeks. It was a reading week for college students: that is reading all the papers that are due before finals. Checking grammar, concepts, communication. These are things we do every day. As students, there is wiggle room. For the rest of us, our communication is part of our relationships and livelihood. 

As you wrap up the school year, keep your mind on the purpose for these and other classes: to be able to live life to the fullest!

Meetings and Classes

International Bible Study: Monday, 8:00-9:00 PM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

We started Genesis with the first chapter. The creation story is one of great beauty and as we took our time reading and listening, we were struck by the beauty of the story. God speaks creation into being and not in an order that our human minds would consider. Repetition sets the tone, consistency, cadence, and sense of peace and calm. God creates and assesses. 

Psalm 1 is a psalter style song and provided a great ending to our study. Technically speaking, David places his advice to not follow, stand with, or follow evil. We talked about how it is easy to get swept up in a moment when in the company of others. 

April 22: Read Genesis 2 and 3. We finish creation and read about the fall. Read Psalm 44.

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM EST (UTC -5), Zoom

We picked up new words like comfortable, chair, happens, and dear (as a title). We learned You Are My Sunshine. We sang along with Amazing Grace

April 23: Pick a song, any song and translate it for us.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

This week we talked about our song writing journeys. Some of us have jumped right in and are making great strides. Others are thoughtfully considering paths (some of which have nothing to do with song writing). To reiterate: this exercise is crafted for you to collect and showcase all that we have covered over this year. Grammar, pronunciation, cadence, playing with words, and then taking your unique work out for others to enjoy. 

April 21: Workshop. Bring your songs to class and test them on your colleagues. Work with your colleagues to tighten up phrasing and check your work. Do your rhymes and rhythms work? Is the phrasing flowing?

Kids' Conversation and More: Friday, 5:30-6:00 PM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

We learned a bit about the agricultural provinces in Japan and primary crops. We talked about how the upper grades of school is handled in the United States vs. Japan and Brazil. Students change classes beginning in Middle School and in High School students have choices and selections called electives. 

April 26: What are the practices for using and having personal technology in your schools. In the United States students 

Words and Phrases

practices: customs

wiggle room: leeway, latitude, room to negotiate

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