Tag Archives: language

What It Means To Be Blessed With A Good Education

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Barb Knowles

This past Friday I attended the NYSABE conference. The New York State Association of Bilingual Educators conference. One of the themes was how speaking more than one language helps our brains to function differently and better. They were talking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All County Music, bilingualism, Education, english, French, Humor, kichwa, language, multilingualism, music, neurotransmitters, Spanish, Star Wars, synapses, TEACHING | 45 Comments

Sentences Never Before Heard

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Barb Knowles

There are sentences and phrases that we never thought that we would hear or say. Words that stop us in our tracks. Sentences that you think may never have been said in the history of the English language. Hear are … Continue reading →

Posted in humor | Tagged bizarre, cataracts, eye surgery, fire drills, high school, Humor, language, questions, TEACHING | 25 Comments

Successful Quechuans: Benjamin Bratt

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Barb Knowles

Originally posted on The New York Quechua Initiative:
Benjamin’s father is European and his mother is Quechuan. In 1969, when Benjamin was a child living in San Francisco his mother took him to participate in the Native-American Occupation of…

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Benjamin Bratt, celebrities, ecuador, kichwa, kichwa hatari, language, Peru, Quechua, The New York Quechua Initiative | 2 Comments

What’s Up With That?

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Barb Knowles

About 10 years ago, I was walking down the hall towards my office to drop my stuff off before first period. As always, a bunch of kids were standing talking at their lockers, sitting on the floor madly copying someone’s … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged culture, esl, expressions, high schools, Humor, idioms, language, opinion, racism, rap | 25 Comments

The Walking Unread

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Barb Knowles

As a teacher and an avid reader, I’m appalled by the number of people who don’t read consistently. I may set the bar of reading an inordinate amount of books very high, but I’m amazed at the number of people … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged Agatha Christie, blogs, books, Catcher in the Rye, Education, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, language, literacy, opinion, reading, Simon Winchester, TEACHING | 17 Comments

Elmendorf AFB + Pentagon+ Chappaqua,NY = Ecuadorian Kichwa

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Barb Knowles

A road less traveled. The only location I left out was my 4 years in Ohio for college. With the exception of Ohio, which wasn’t 100% my choice since my parents had to agree to foot the bill, I didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in education, humor, languages | Tagged Chappaqua, ecuador, Elmendorf AFB, Humor, kichwa, kichwa hatari, language, New York Times, ossining, Ossining UFSD, radio el tambo stero, TEACHING | 1 Comment