Welcome to my blog, dear students!
As we start 2011 and a new semester, I want to say how much I am looking forward to getting to know you all through our blogs. I do read every blog entry, sometimes one at a time and other times a few at once. I usually leave comments of varying lengths depending on time restraints. I like to share my interests in literature, cats, genealogy, and baking with you, and I enjoy learning about each of you.
My life began in Brooklyn, where I was born the first grandchild on both sides of my family. My parents named me Jacqueline Marion. My first name was out of the blue, but my middle name was my paternal grandmother's name. I went to Lutheran school for kindergarten and a public school for first grade, and then we moved to Massapequa, where I attended public school. Early on I took an interest in foreign language, starting German in 7th grade and Russian in 9th. I kept both languages throughout high school, and though I entered college as an English major, American Literature of the 1950s and 1960s (my 1st English course in college) left me cold, so I changed my major to Russian and German, and never looked back.
I graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BA in Russian and German (double major), and I received a Teaching Fellowship and Scholarship from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. I received an MA in Russian there and minored in German, but I made the rather controversial decision of not staying on for my doctorate, a decision which I have sometimes regretted. However, I left the doctoral program to take a job in the Soviet Union with the US Information Agency and later jobs using Russian with Keston College in Kent (England) and the Russian Orthodox Church (NYC), all jobs that I loved.
I came to TESOL through teaching Russian in NJ. I got my MS TESOL at Molloy while I was working in the Writing Center, and in 2006 I switched to Grad Ed, though I am still an adjunct in the English Dept., where I teach Modern Russian Literature in translation. You can see my favorite books list elsewhere on my blog, but I'll mention just a few of the Russian ones: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, Doctor Zhivago by Pasternak, and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
I have two cats, Paws and Sassy, a son, a stepdaughter, and a mom to take care of. I'll upload a few photos to give you a peek at my life. Please tell me about yourselves.
Above center is the picture of me at the linguistics conference in Vancouver this summer with new friends from Puebla, Leonor and Teresa. On the right are all the Nenchin children with me and my ex-husband. The two little ones are his, not mine. It was at Christopher's graduation from high school.
More next time ....
Vocabulary
time restraints -- (noun) (2-part compound noun) limited amount of time
out of the blue -- (idiom) random, without planning or reason, surprising
left me cold -- (idiom) (verb left, past tense of leave) did not get my interest
changed my major -- (phrase) started a different course of study, chose a different specialization
controversial -- (adjective) causing an argument or disagreement
regretted --(verb, past tense of regret) felt sad about when looking back in time
1. I was unable to finish the project because of the __________________ . I was too busy with my dissertation.
2. Paws _____________ killing the mouse because then he did not have anything to play with.
3. First, English was my main subject, but then I ________________ to Russian and German.
4. Sassy didn't see the car coming because it seemed to appear _________________.
5. He always liked to discuss ________________ topics on politics because he loved a good argument.
6. The novels of John Updike and Saul Burrows were not interesting to me; they just ____________________.
Grammar Point:
In the fourth paragraph, I use the past, present, and future tenses. Can you find the verbs in these tenses? Why would I change from one tense to the other? Explain.
13 comments:
You've been so many places!! I'm so jealous!! Being a huge country fan, I've always wanted to go to Nashville--was it as amazing as I imagine?
Vanderbilt was great with its lovely campus and fabulous professors! I have no interest in country music though, so I ate fried chicken and hid from the rather rare tornadoes that hit while I was there. You would enjoy the Grand Old Opry, so you must go sometime.
I really enjoyed this blog! It's great to get to know you outside of the classroom and hear about your life experiences. I think it is interesting to hear about the paths that lead people to where they are today. Thank you for the pictures!
I often think about what I want to do once I finish my program at Molloy and teaching abroad has always fascinated me. I wonder how it was like to pick up and move to another country to teach foreign studnets (well, forgein to you as you are forgein to them). Was it hard to adjust?
I often think about what I want to do once I finish my program at Molloy and teaching abroad has always fascinated me. I wonder if it was hard to pick up and move to another country with a new way of life, new food, new social structures and a totally new culture. Was it hard to adjust?
I often think about what I want to do once I finish my program at Molloy and teaching abroad has always fascinated me. I wonder if it was hard to pick up and move to another country with a new way of life, new food, new social structures and a totally new culture. Was it hard to adjust?
I agree with Amanda. It's always funny to hear how interested my students are in my life outside of school, but now I feel like I can see it from their perspective! It is so interesting to hear about the journeys that many professors have taken that led them into the fields that they are passionate about. I also attended Massapequa Public Schools and I can relate to my schooling experiences there really helping to foster my interests in language learning, between Spanish and ASL. Thank you for sharing!
A little bummed that my comment did not save! (Or perhaps it is just delayed and I will look silly for trying to recreate what I already said.) I agree with Amanda - it's always nice to hear about professors outside of the classroom. I like hearing about what led you into the fields you are passionate about now. I also went to Massapequa schools and can relate to the teachers there doing a great job fostering a love for language learning.
for trying to recreate what I already said.) I agree with Amanda - it's always nice to hear about professors outside of the classroom. I like hearing about what led you into the fields you are passionate about now. I also went to Massapequa schools and can relate to the teachers there doing a great job fostering a love for language learning.
Sarah Jane
What an impressive story! Thank you for sharing your experiences. This post gave me a better idea of what I can write on my blog for our assignment. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts!
I like to read about all of your different teaching experiences. It inspires me to look at the many opportunities out there to teach at this point in my life. Thank you for the info.
I loved hearing about all of your experiences! I am so impressed that you know German and Russian. I took a few semesters of German and found it pretty difficult. I did much better with the romance languages.
I enjoyed reading your blog! You have lived in so many wonderful places! My brother and his family live in Nashville and I have been to the Grand Old Old Opry and the Opryland hotel. It is amazing, and definitely worth a visit Lauren! Thank you for giving us such insight into your very intriguing life! It is so nice getting to know you on a more personal level!
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