As you might expect, the harder I try not to crack a smile or giggle to myself in public the more impossible it becomes. This morning on my way out to work, I was thinking about a few things ... like what Saint Denis might possibly be the patron saint of. Ghettos? IS there a patron saint of the ghetto? Just wondering.
Then I started thinking about stereotypes in the US of different regions, or even what I know of the different boroughs in NYC. I think Marseille might be the Staten Island of France. Still working out my justification, right now it's more of an intuitive understanding.
Then I kept having this weird desire during my classes to explain the difference in pronunciation between Mai, in French, and May, in English, using phonetic symbols. I just remember learning about the ij sound or whatever with Coates I think, and I desperately wanted to share this tidbit of wisdom with someone ... but somehow a bunch of 8-year-olds didn't seem like the right crowd.
Best moment of the day, however, was when I was having my first class of the day (CE2, 2nd grade) write out sentences for each month ... 'The first month is January. The second month is February, etc.' I got to December, stared at the board, and realized, for one of the RARE times in my life as a spelling nazi, that I couldn't remember how to spell 'twelfth' to save my LIFE. I swear, my mind went totally blank. I started laughing, and had to whip out my mini French to English dictionary to check it, so as not to teach a hundred or so children the incorrect spelling today.
Annnnnnnd there goes my competency in English.
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oh english queen, mistress of the dictionary: you seem to have a homophone problem. love, lin and dave
ReplyDeleteIs there a patron saint of the ghettos? Well there's a Ghetto Gospel. There's an Angel of Harlem. So why not? It's probably St. Nicholas. That guy's the patron of EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for the record, St. Denis St in Montreal is shady buildings downhill to the docks and nothing but fancy bistros, boutiques, head shops and sex toy palaces uphill as far as the eye can see.
Montreal is kind of a weird place.
According to Wiki, St. Denis is the patron saint of strife, headaches, possessed people, frenzy, hydrophobia and rabies.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun, no?
And twelfth is a tricky word. No judgment there.