Againsheila

[Againsheila]

Been here a few days and decided perhaps I should introduce myself.

My name is Sheila, I'm 51 years old, married with two special needs kids. My oldest son has Asperger's Syndrom, is 24 and started college this year (so far he's straight A's). My youngest will be 21 in December and is low functioning autism. He's still in diapers. We recently found and Adult Family Home for him and hope to have him settled there in January.

Because we have found and AFH, I am once again looking for work. Hooray, I get to be out in the world again.

I'm an Air Force brat, born in England. Both my parents are gone now as well as my youngest brother. I still have 2 sisters and a brother as well as inlaws, neices, a nephew and dozens of cousins.

I've been to Mexico and Japan and hope to visit several other countries before I die. Hence the current attempt to get a job with United Airlines.

My family is the original melting pot. We have people of all races and most ethnicities. You can't get much more American than us.

Politically I'm a moderate.

I've hosted many Japanese students and one from Kenya. I've taught ESL to the Japanese students for short term English immersion programs, mostly during the summer.


I live in Federal Way WA and have lived here mostly since I was 9. My father retired from the Air Force after we moved here and I ended up settling in a house only a block away from the one a grew up in.

I talk too much, as you've probably figure out. I love message boards and I'm a very opinionated person. I sometimes get a little too excited when I'm up on my soapbox, but I do understand that everyone has the right to my opinion.

If I didn't want to hear differing opinions, I wouldn't be here and I think the world would be a terribly boring place if we all agreed on everything.

I think everyone should know the world revolves around me and should act accordingly. <It's a joke, son>

Thank you for reading, have a good day.

 

[Grismonda]

Been here a few days and decided perhaps I should introduce myself.

My name is Sheila, I'm 51 years old, married with two special needs kids. My oldest son has Asperger's Syndrom, is 24 and started college this year (so far he's straight A's). My youngest will be 21 in December and is low functioning autism. He's still in diapers. We recently found and Adult Family Home for him and hope to have him settled there in January.

Because we have found and AFH, I am once again looking for work. Hooray, I get to be out in the world again.

I'm an Air Force brat, born in England. Both my parents are gone now as well as my youngest brother. I still have 2 sisters and a brother as well as inlaws, neices, a nephew and dozens of cousins.

I've been to Mexico and Japan and hope to visit several other countries before I die. Hence the current attempt to get a job with United Airlines.

My family is the original melting pot. We have people of all races and most ethnicities. You can't get much more American than us.

Politically I'm a moderate.

I've hosted many Japanese students and one from Kenya. I've taught ESL to the Japanese students for short term English immersion programs, mostly during the summer.


I live in Federal Way WA and have lived here mostly since I was 9. My father retired from the Air Force after we moved here and I ended up settling in a house only a block away from the one a grew up in.

I talk too much, as you've probably figure out. I love message boards and I'm a very opinionated person. I sometimes get a little too excited when I'm up on my soapbox, but I do understand that everyone has the right to my opinion.

If I didn't want to hear differing opinions, I wouldn't be here and I think the world would be a terribly boring place if we all agreed on everything.

I think everyone should know the world revolves around me and should act accordingly. <It's a joke, son>

Thank you for reading, have a good day.

OK...now give us your SS # and bank account details!

 

[Sovereignty]

Interesting story Sheila, it&#8217;s nice to sometimes put a person behind the words in a message board.

I see you met Grismonda (a.k.a. billiegoatgruff75, a.k.a. Chocobrun)

 

[Againsheila]

Interesting story Sheila, it’s nice to sometimes put a person behind the words in a message board.

I see you met Grismonda (a.k.a. billiegoatgruff75, a.k.a. Chocobrun)

Yeah, and get this, they LIKE grismonda, they don't like us. Lol

 

[Sovereignty]

Yeah, and get this, they LIKE grismonda, they don't like us. Lol

By us, you mean the United States of America don't you? I've never seen any one poster so Anti-American as Grismonda a.k.a. Billiegoatgruff75, Chocobrun!

 

[Againsheila]

By us, you mean the United States of America don't you? I've never seen any one poster so Anti-American as Grismonda a.k.a. Billiegoatgruff75, Chocobrun!

No, I mean, us, those of us from the AOL immigration board that AREN'T trolls.

 

[Sunni Man]

Welcome to the board Againsheila!

I have been searching the net for ESL books and schools.

Any recomendations?

I eventually want to get a TESL certificate.

 

[Againsheila]

Welcome to the board Againsheila!

I have been searching the net for ESL books and schools.

Any recomendations?

I eventually want to get a TESL certificate.

I'm not certified, but my neighbor is...she took a course online, pm me and the next time I talk to her I'll find out the website.

The ESL I teach is just a conversation course, everyone of my students has had a minimum of 3 years of English in Japan. The problem is they are taught by Japanese teachers, most of them have trouble pronoucing our language and that's what I get to work on, teaching them how to pronounce our language and getting them to actually talk in the first place. They are very afraid of making mistakes when they first get here and I have to convince them that it's better to try and make a mistake than not try at all. It ususally takes me a week just to get them to start talking in English, after that, it's a lot of fun.

I get to take them on tours and camping trips too. Ever go camping with a bunch of jr hi kids? It's a trip. You really have to love kids to do this job. Fortunately, I do.

 

[Sunni Man]

I'm not certified, but my neighbor is...she took a course online, pm me and the next time I talk to her I'll find out the website.

The ESL I teach is just a conversation course, everyone of my students has had a minimum of 3 years of English in Japan. The problem is they are taught by Japanese teachers, most of them have trouble pronoucing our language and that's what I get to work on, teaching them how to pronounce our language and getting them to actually talk in the first place. They are very afraid of making mistakes when they first get here and I have to convince them that it's better to try and make a mistake than not try at all. It ususally takes me a week just to get them to start talking in English, after that, it's a lot of fun.

I get to take them on tours and camping trips too. Ever go camping with a bunch of jr hi kids? It's a trip. You really have to love kids to do this job. Fortunately, I do.

I have been doing the same thing as you. I have taught free classes at the public library. (Koreans have the most difficult time of all of the Asians!)

Here in Boston they have several one month language schools for ELS, EFL, and TESL cetification.

But they cost 2 to 3 thousand dollars. I have seen online quickie courses for as cheep as 400 dollars.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Againsheila, Welcome to the board. Your bio is very interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

Sunni, what is this comment about "Koreans have the most difficult time of all the Asians!"???

I'm just curious. Teaching is very satisfying and to do it voluntarily is a great deed.

 

[Sunni Man]

Sunni, what is this comment about "Koreans have the most difficult time of all the Asians!"???

In my personal experiance, Koreans have a more difficult time pronouncing english words. They seem to keep more of a foreign accent than other asian people. Maybe it's because their language doesn't have certain sounds or pronounciations that we use in english.

Why do you ask?

 

[PoliticalChic]

In my personal experiance, Koreans have a more difficult time pronouncing english words. They seem to keep more of a foreign accent than other asian people. Maybe it's because their language doesn't have certain sounds or pronounciations that we use in english.

Why do you ask?

I am naturally curious

It is very interesting. I have a brother-in-law that is Canadian and he speaks Korean fluently. He is not a native speak and he lived in Korean for several years. He even came out with a book that is a roadmap to Korean for English-speaking people.

Have you taught Chinese and Japanese and you find that they pick up the pronunciation more easily?

 

[Sunni Man]

Have you taught Chinese and Japanese and you find that they pick up the pronunciation more easily?

Every one is different. And learning a second language takes alot of effort. You and I could learn a European language fairly easy. We share the same alphabet and many of the same sounds. Whereas, to learn Chinese or Korean. You and I would have to start from scratch.

I am attempting to learn Arabic. They have sounds for letters that I have to struggle to mimic. Plus their alphabet has No relationship to ours. And it's written right to left.

English and Arabic are said to be two of the hardest languages to learn.

Just take the word 4

#1) four

#2) fore

#3) for

Same sound. several meanings and different spellings.

 

[Sunni Man]

As a Sociologist, one of my favorite fields of study is Linguistics.

My pet theory about language is the "Whorfian Hypothesis"

Named after Benjiman Whorf. Who said that language defines a peoples culture and reality.

Whorf Hypothesis

I think you will find it interesting!

 

[Sovereignty]

As a Sociologist, one of my favorite fields of study is Linguistics.

My pet theory about language is the "Whorfian Hypothesis"

Named after Benjiman Whorf. Who said that language defines a peoples culture and reality.

Whorf Hypothesis

I think you will find it interesting!

Quote From Article:

"Whorf fully believed in linguistic determinism; that what one thinks is fully determined by their language. He also supported linguistic relativity, which states that the differences in language reflect the different views of different people. An example of this is the studies Whorf did on the Hopi language."


How can what people think, be determined by their language alone? In the United States we mostly speak the same language and there're many different thought patterns on subjects from religion, sexually, politics, and work ethics. I think it would be determined not on language alone but on education levels, socioeconomic groups, vocabulary and parental guidance. Also, positive and negative reinforcement and variable positive and negative reinforcement.

Regarding Whort&#8217;s linguistic relativity theory. People speaking different languages mostly live in different parts of the world. Again, it depends on the socioeconomic group, religions, upbringing and vocabulary... If a village is a fishing village and they don't have cars. The people wouldn't understand the conversation if someone talks to them about high-rise buildings and Hemi automobile motors. If they weren't in their environment, they wouldn&#8217;t know about them, unless they had a source of higher education to learn about them.

I think Whort's Hopi language theory is too weak to be called a theory. Since the one person he studied might have not learned his own language that well. The Native American languages were lost and had been forced to give way to English. Due to the fact that the American government forcefully relocated Native American children from age 5, away from their families to be education and taught English in government boarding schools. This intervention would have disrupted the Native American culture. Also, Whort didn&#8217;t have anything to compare it to, for it to be a valid scientific study.

It was an interesting article. Thank You for sharing.

 

[Grismonda]

Every one is different. And learning a second language takes alot of effort. You and I could learn a European language fairly easy. We share the same alphabet and many of the same sounds. Whereas, to learn Chinese or Korean. You and I would have to start from scratch.

I am attempting to learn Arabic. They have sounds for letters that I have to struggle to mimic. Plus their alphabet has No relationship to ours. And it's written right to left.

English and Arabic are said to be two of the hardest languages to learn.

Just take the word 4

#1) four

#2) fore

#3) for

Same sound. several meanings and different spellings.

Chinese, Japanese, et al, are difficult to learn because translation relies on inflection. This is nuance unfamiliar to oxidentals.

 

[Sunni Man]

Chinese, Japanese, et al, are difficult to learn because translation relies on inflection. This is nuance unfamiliar to oxidentals.

Yea! that's what I wanted to say!!!

 

[CaféAuLait]

Welcome Againsheila good to have another!!

 

[LA RAM FAN]

welcome aboard.I been reading some of your posts and really enjoy them.welcome to the site.Your a real interesting person.

 

[Againsheila]

welcome aboard.I been reading some of your posts and really enjoy them.welcome to the site.Your a real interesting person.

Thank you. Most people just call me a character

Thanks all for the warm welcome.