Tuesday

I'm on Module 3 (out of 10) in my TEFL course! So far I've done:

• so many hours in class that I've lost count
• 4 one-hour observations
• two tests
• three of my own lesson plans  

I've got a long way to go, but I'm excited by how far I've come. Let me tell you, by the time I finish this course I'm going to be so ready to do the job. Every part of the course has a purpose. I'm learning the theory in the classroom, and then I'm seeing it all done in real life when I do the observations. (And that includes watching teachers make mistakes, by the way. I saw a teacher completely mess up the timing of his lesson the other day, giving way too much time to a warm-up game of Pictionary and ending up with no time left at all for the real meat.) And then I'm taking everything I learned and observed and using it to make my own lessons. It's such a cool process.

I'm tired, though. I feel like almost all I ever do anymore is clean the house, learn how to teach English, and learn how to speak French. It's a weird little existence. It'll be worth it, though, if I can get a job out of all of it. I figured it out. If I keep pushing hard, doing between two and three hours of work on it a day, then this TEFL course will take me approximately 50 days. That means I'll be able to start putting my resume out in early July hopefully.

And here are some pics that have been building up on my phone lately. I took this on a night when Stephanie dropped Baylee off after a rehearsal.

Here are Mike and Baylee getting some schoolwork done in the sunshine on a nice day a couple weeks ago.

Zoe and Drew on the UW campus. (Taken by a friend of Zoe's, I think.)

Oldest and Youngest

Baylee texted Mike and me this picture awhile back. Oh, and guess what! She just became a shift lead and got a significant raise at the coffee shop! They're pretty happy with her over there.

Sentinel

Sunset last night

Friday

I've been working on Module 2 of my TEFL course over the last few days. This one includes three classes on how to create lesson plans geared toward reading and listening (which are "receptive skills," bee tee dubs), two real-life classroom observations,  a project, and a test. I did all the classes and observations, and last night I got myself set up at the table to plow through the project. For some reason I thought it was going to be simple and that I'd breeze through it, but I was so wrong. I sat there for three hours and worked nonstop, and I'm still only half done. The project is to create two of my own lesson plans, one for a 1-hour reading class and one for a 1-hour listening class, and so far I've only finished the reading one. Let me tell you, I've got a new appreciation for teachers. If my little experience is any indication, they put in A LOT of work behind the scenes.

PS: I'm super proud of that one lesson plan I've created so far, though. (My precioussssss...) It's got a little of everything: a fun opening game, reading (of course), discussion, board work, a worksheet, and a small group activity. I really wish I could go teach it somewhere!

Graduation

Baylee graduated from high school yesterday! She did her last two assignments, a speech and a test, and that was it. She was officially done.

Here's a picture I took right after she finished the test.

And here's the quilt my mom sent her as a graduation gift. Isn't it beautiful? Also, my mom made a matching monogrammed pillowcase with homemade lace along the edge.

You might be wondering a couple things:

1. Where are Baylee's senior pictures? We weren't exactly on the ball with that (She is my 3rd child, after all), so the pictures won't be taken until next month. I'm excited, though, because we'll be doing it in the beautiful little town of Leavenworth, WA.
2. What's her plan for the future? After a lot of thought and several discussions with us over the last year or so, Baylee decided she doesn't want to go to college, at least not right away. Instead she wants to work and make money. To be honest it took me awhile to come around to the idea, and it's still not really what I'd choose for her, because she's such a school-y kid. (She has a 3.95 GPA.) But what can I do? I can't make her want what she doesn't want. Anyway, if and when she does decide to go on to get more education, it'll be her idea and her own motivation.

I told you she had to give a speech as one of her final projects. Well, she actually chose to talk about why going to college directly out of high school isn't for everyone. She spent a lot of time writing it, then she practiced it quite a bit, and finally she delivered it in our living room using a music stand as a podium. I was the only person in the audience. It was one of those quintessential homeschooling moments, like going to prom in your living room with your brother. lol Here's what she said:

Secondary school is a luxury we are lucky to have. It can educate us in many different fields and help us obtain the information we might need to work in several different areas. However, I do believe that young people coming out of high school are made to feel like, if they don't to go to college, life will ultimately be more difficult and they will struggle to find work. Although there is some truth to that, it's definitely not necessary to go to college right out of high school, and taking time off is sometimes more beneficial.

Statistics show that fewer than 40% of students enrolling for the first time in a four-year college actually complete all four years. I'm sure this is a direct result of students being pushed into something they don't want to do, because they feel it is the only option they have. What no one talks about or tells high schoolers who are about to graduate is that college will always be there, and it is sometimes better to enroll when they're a little older and actually have the desire to go and do well.

"According to Colorado State University's Dean of Students, Jody Donovan, adult students 'can be more emotionally mature and better equipped to handle academic stressors' than students right out of high school," said Kalie McMonagle.

When people, no matter what their age, know what they want to do, why they want to do it, and can justify the money they'll have to pay back because they're going specifically to help themselves go down a career path that needs a college degree, then it makes complete sense why they'd attend college. I just think that kids growing up need to be given an option rather than be told that getting a college degree is the only way to live successfully. There are many other choices. They could take a year off, they could take several years off, they could go to community college and take a few classes, they could work their way up the ladder at a job they enjoy, etc.

"Taking time off can give undecided students a chance to honestly think about what they want to pursue. Not everyone leaves high school with a firm idea of what they want to do with their lives. It may take some time and some real world experience to shape their decisions," said Kate Barrington, and I couldn't agree more. Being able to just live their lives independently, without the pressure of homework and difficult assignments after an entire 14 years of school that they had no choice but to attend, can help some people decide what it really is they want.

One of the downsides of attending a good college that I think most people would agree on is the insane amount of money they have to put into it. Graduating high school students probably don't have the money to pay for college, unless they've been working, and even then they probably don't have enough to cover one year. Some kids have parents willing to pay, but the pressure of their parents being the ones to pay for their education, especially if they decide a year or two into it that they don't want to go anymore, can be really tough to face. In any case, the money has got to come from somewhere. Whether it's a student loan, their parents' money, a scholarship, or if they're somehow working enough to pay for their own education, why should students spend money on something they aren't 110% positive they want to do?

"As a country, we are buried up to our eyeballs in student loans, and every year more 18-year-olds are picking up the shovel and joining the fun," said the Millennial Money Man, and he's right. Our country is in debt, and I guess my question is why. Why do we live in a society where, despite all the money, the time, and the energy we'd need to put into a four-year degree at a university, it's still something that's pushed on us young people? Why is it not more normal for people to be encouraged to go down a different path, if that's what they desire? Now, I'm lucky enough to have two parents who support what I want to do, whether that's going to college or not, but I know several people who have parents or other people in their lives pushing them in that direction, because that's what they think is the right way to live. At the end of the day, though, if you truly care about someone, you should just encourage them to do what will make them happy, as long as they're productive members of society.

Like I said before, college is something we are lucky to have, and it's undeniable that it's got countless benefits. All I'm really saying is that people should open their minds to other options, because college is not the only direction they could go, and there are benefits to waiting, saving their money, and getting the real-world experience that some individuals need in order to decide what they want to do with their lives. Thank you.

Tuesday

Living in the year 3019 with taquitos and school AT THE SAME TIME.

In all seriousness, it does feel weird to be getting this TEFL certification in such a comfortable way. I mean, don't get me wrong. I've already taken 5 classes (My hand literally hurts from taking notes with a pen. I'm so not used to that anymore.), written a paper,  taken a quiz, and observed two real ESL classes being taught*, but it's cozy. I never imagined learning could be like this back when I was in college. Shoot, I don't even have to wear pants if I don't want to. (But I do, of course. Or do I?)


*Each class was an hour long and took place in Thailand. The students were all in their teens and early 20's, and they were honestly the most lovely people. They put tons of effort into every activity, and they all had a good sense of humor. They were ready to laugh. The teachers were both nice, too. One was an American man and the other was a Mexican woman who spoke English well.

Saturday

We've got something going on over here that has me really emotionally divided. On the one hand, my Dutch, don't-rock-the-boat heart is DYING. On the other, I realize that the whole thing is kind of hilarious. Let me put it this way: If it was happening to somebody else, I'd be laughing my head off.

Here's what's up:

Exactly one year ago the high school across the street started a major construction project. They're adding several classrooms to a part of their building that's practically a stone's throw from our house. Six days a week for the last year we've had the sound of big trucks going back and forth, beeping noises, banging, clanging, workers yelling to each other, etc. I'm not really complaining, mind you, just stating the facts.

Part of all of this is that the construction workers have been parking those big trucks on the side of the road, right up on people's grass, and they're leaving deep, muddy gouges in the ground. We were somewhat lucky for several months, because our house happens to have large, decorative rocks around a little corner of the property, making it impossible to park in that area. Our landlord, Dan, put those in many years ago, back when he and his wife lived here.

Eventually, though, the construction company must've complained about not being able to make use of that space, because the city sent Dan a letter telling him to move those rocks so that the trucks could park there. Not only did Dan not obey, but he came here one day and built a short fence around the rest of the property, making it impossible for anyone to park anywhere around our house. Apparently he did some measuring, and he came to the conclusion that a lot of what was being parked on was actually his private property, and he didn't have to allow it. In fact, he doubled down, because a week after he built the fence he came back again, this time with signs to go along with it. They said, "Please Do Not Drive Or Park On Grass."

Okay, you KNOW that I was uncomfortable at this point. We're the ones that have to live in the house, after all. I kept imagining that those workers were giving me dirty looks whenever I'd drive by. Shoot, maybe they were, because today Mike noticed that one of the signs has been vandalized.

Someone wrote, "Eavesment you idiot." [face palm] First of all, it's easement. Second, I'm sure most of those construction guys think we're the ones engaging in this war with them! They don't realize Mike and I have nothing to do with it, and now they're calling us names. Argh. This is seriously sucking the life out of my Hollander soul.

Wait until Dan sees. He's gonna build a moat next, I bet.

Friday

I started my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification course yesterday! I'm excited and, to be honest, a bit scared. It's gonna be a lot of work. It's a 120-hour course, which includes classes, tests, and projects, and at the end there's a final exam and a big portfolio assignment. It also has 17-hours of real-life video of English being taught, so I can see how other people have put the things I'm learning into practice. I think that's really cool.

In other news, I'm only three days away from completing level A1 in French!  Remember how I told you about the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages? It's a really common way for people to express their ability level to others. It goes from A1 (beginner) to C2 (native-level fluency). Anyway, here's a good description of what an A1 person like me can do:

• Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
• Can introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know, and things they have.
• Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

I'm a little bit of a special case, simply because I started learning French on my own quite awhile before I started learning it formally. That has put me pretty far above A1 when it comes to hearing and understanding the language. I'm also pretty good at reading it, both aloud and to myself. What I'm not that great at yet is speaking. You'll see what I mean if you watch this little video I took during my class today.

In the video my teacher and I are playing a guessing game. I'm giving him hints about types of transport that I'm thinking of, and he's trying to guess what they are. Here's a basic transcript:

Me:  It's public transport.

My teacher:  Tramway.

Me:  No.

My teacher:  Okay. Another hint.

Me:  Yes. It's very fast.

My teacher:  The TGV?

Me:  Yes.

My teacher:  Okay, okay.  Again another?

Me:  Okay, I've got one. Sometimes in Asian countries, the population drives this with many people.

My teacher:  A scooter?

Me:  Yes!

My teacher:  How many people have you seen on a scooter?

Me:  Five.

My teacher:  Five?  I've never seen five.

Me:  Yes, two adults and three children.

My teacher:  [whistles] That's incredible.  Tell me, Suzanne, do you have any questions about anything you haven't understood?

Me:  No, it's very easy, this lesson.

He goes on to talk for a bit about how I'm doing well, so it's normal that things are getting a little easier for me now, and then he gives me some nice compliments. Finally, since this happened right at the end of the lesson, we say goodbye.

Wednesday

I don't think I mentioned this here, but a couple weeks ago I started the process of getting a new front tooth. See, when I was in 3rd grade I knocked that tooth out playing Marco Polo. I was Marco, and my "friends," the Polos, let me just blindly walk right into our brick school building. There was blood everywhere and only a sliver of the tooth remaining in my head. Anyway, I've been dealing with so-so repair jobs on it since then, but now, after 5 hours in the dentist's chair split up over two visits, I finally got something beautiful and permanent put in. I'm really happy about it!

I also want to tell you guys about a funny conversation I had with our dentist and her assistant today...

Assistant:  Okay, we've got the tooth in, but it's not cemented yet, so if it happens to pop out make sure you don't swallow it.

Me: Has that happened here before?

Dentist:  Not here, no.

Assistant:  We've heard horror stories, though.

Dentist:  Luckily, you do get the tooth back eventually...usually in two days. Then, once you find it, you bring it back in.

Me:  Do you clean it up and use it in the person's mouth?

Dentist:  Oh, no.

Me:  Huh. [takes a few seconds to picture the whole scenario] Yeah, I'm not gonna let that happen. Rest assured.

They laughed.

In totally other news, look at this cute picture of Drew and Zoe.

Monday

Okay, now that they're back and everything turned out fine, I'll tell you: Baylee and Rachel took a train to Portland, OR this weekend by themselves. It's a trip they've been planning since, literally, Junior high. They dreamed all these years of going away somewhere to celebrate their graduation from high school, and they finally made it happen. I won't lie; I was nervous, but the girls did great.  They handled everything by themselves: taking the train there and back, getting around Portland by bus and Uber (72% bus, 28% Uber, as Baylee so specifically put it. lol), renting a cute little Airbnb, shopping, visiting a dead volcano and doing some hiking, going to restaurants, etc. I'm really proud of them for handling themselves like adults. The only thing they totally failed at was taking pictures. I mean, they took a few, but they're all of them eating.

In other news, I rode my bike for the first time this year, 13 miles in gorgeous, sunny weather. It felt amazing.

My French class is becoming difficult. At this point I'm expected to be able to speak in the present, past, and future tenses, and to be honest I'm cheeks at it. Argh. Je voudrais parler seulement au présent. (I would like to speak only in the present.)*

Finally, here's Zach with the animals. He's a regular Dr. Doolittle.

*That was a little grammar joke, because I actually put that sentence into the conditional tense. Haha! Ahem. I'll see myself out.

Sunday

Man, I had such a busy day yesterday...with all good stuff, which I'll talk about later in the post...that I never got around to doing my French homework. Because of that I had to get up really early this morning to do it before my class, and that kinda made me not look forward to the class itself, which happened pretty much right after that. Too much French, too early in the morning, I guess. The funny thing is that I ended up really enjoying it.

Let me just take a second to say the classes aren't always fun. They're always helpful, but sometimes they're utilitarian. You learn new concepts, you practice them, and then you say, "Merci. Au revoir," to the teacher and go on with your day. Today, though, involved lots of laughing.

This lesson was on the human body, with an emphasis on going to a doctor and describing your symptoms when you don't feel well. There were only two students in the class: me and a woman from South Africa, and our teacher was a man in France. One of the first things he did was have us list as many body parts as we could think of off the top of our heads. I went first and got a bunch of them, and then the other student went. She must've felt like I didn't leave her very many parts to choose from, because she was like, "Uhh...les seins?" ("Uhh...the breasts?")

Then later in the lesson we had to read a little skit-type conversation between the doctor and a patient. I played the part of the doctor and the other student was the patient. In the skit the patient came into the doctor's office complaining about general aches and pains, a lack of appetite, etc. The doctor asked her if anything had changed recently in her life, and she said that her cat ran away. Then the doctor said, "Dormez-vous avec votre mari?" ("Do you sleep with your husband?"), and she answered that her husband was away on business. Ultimately the doctor told her to drink lots of water and eat more vegetables.

We finished reading it, everybody was quiet for a second, then the teacher said, "I think this skit was written by a man. It's about a woman who can't manage without her husband and cat."

"Yeah, and why does the doctor ask if she's sleeping with her husband?" I asked.

"I have no idea!" the teacher responded.

The other student piped up with, "I thought that must be some kind of weird French thing!"

"So did I," I added.

"No, that's not a French thing!" the teacher said. "I don't know why he asks that. And what is he really even asking anyway? Does he want to know if they have sexual relations???"

None of us could figure it out, and we all ended up laughing really hard about it.

I said I was busy yesterday. First I had a French class at 9 in the morning, then in the early afternoon I decided to go by myself (because no one in my family is a Marvel geek like me) to see Avengers: Endgame. I won't tell you what happens in the movie (which is, like, 3 hours long, btw), but I will say that I literally wept at one point. And since I was by myself and was sitting next to strangers, I felt like I had to be totally silent about it. Imagine just sitting there with tears streaming down your face and neck, and not making a sound. That was me. Anyway, it was an amazing, wonderful movie, and I have all kinds of feelings about it. After that I went home, freshened up, and then Baylee and I hopped in the car again to go see her friend Lily perform in her high school musical, Footloose. That was fun!

A pic from when he still had his hair.

Look at this weirdo.

Friday

It's been awhile, and I've got some exciting things to report.

First of all, Baylee's wrapping up her senior year! She has two weeks of school to go, but her plan is to double up and finish by the end of next week. Either way, she's almost there! We're both really excited to be done with this forever. She'll be graduating, and I'll be saying goodbye to homeschooling after 20 years.

The other exciting thing is that I've started to move forward with my plan to teach English to people from other countries. After looking at several of the job opportunities out there, I've decided that my first step should be to become certified. So, starting in a couple weeks, I'm going to be taking a 120-hour TEFL-certification course (that stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language). I'm nervous, but in a good way.

Other than that, everything's about the same. I'm busier than ever with my French class, because it's getting harder as I go along. I'm about 2 1/2 weeks away from finishing the A1 level and moving into A2, which is cool. One of these days soon I'll record a bit of one of my classes, so you can get an idea of where I'm at.

I've been trying to incorporate the French language into my daily life as much as possible. Most days I take a class and do homework, listen to a podcast and watch a TV show, go through vocab flashcards, and do a verb drill. What's neat is that I've found ways to hook most of those things into other aspects of my day, in order to turn them into habits that stick. For instance, I just know now that when I eat breakfast, I also go through flashcards. When do my hair in the morning, I do a verb conjugation drill at the same time. While I clean my bedroom and fold laundry, I listen to a podcast. Before I watch something in English on Netflix in the evening, I watch an episode of something in French. (Right now I'm watching a Bear Grylls show called You vs. Wild dubbed into French, and it's hilarious.) I'd say that I'm probably immersed in the language 3 or so hours a day, and, because it's spread out and done simultaneously with other stuff, it's not even a big deal.

Speaking of my French podcast, a couple weeks ago the author talked about something interesting: How to Create the Perfect Hero. He described how, in every good hero book or movie you come across, there's always a formula to the story. In fact, this same formula has been used for thousands of years across every culture. Here it is:

1. The main character isn't a hero yet. He's just leading a normal life in society. Often he's even sort of a loser.
2. He gets the call to adventure in some way, shape, or form. Maybe he's sent a letter, or maybe he's asked in person or over the phone, but somehow he's invited to begin a new life.
3. He usually refuses.
4. A mentor comes along and convinces him that he must accept the quest. It's the only way; it's his destiny.
5. He agrees and starts a new life.
6. There are many challenges along the way that prove his courage and mold him into a hero.
7. There's a huge last challenge, which almost kills him, but which he ultimately wins.
8. He goes back home. Everything there is the same, but he's different now. He's grown as a person.

Now, with that formula in mind, think about all the hero books and movies you've ever read/seen, like Harry Potter, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings series, Finding Nemo, Hercules, Ulysses, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Their stories all follow the formula. Weird, right? And yet we never get sick of it. 

Finally, here are a few pics from lately:

I took these of Drew the other day. He was showing me something he was learning to play.

This was taken by a photographer at TMA's last show.

Baylee loves Winston so much, but it's not always (re: usually) reciprocated.