Mein deutscher Freund Torsten links und seine Freundin Sandra rechts.
My German friend Torsten left and his girlfriend right.
Deutsch für Alle
Es gibt zwei Deutsch Bücher, dass man durch dieses Fenster sehen kann. Hier ist eins von den.
Du sollst nicht!
Safety sign in the abandoned Hassia Fabrik complex in Butzbach, Germany.
The sign translates to “Grinding without protective eye-wear [is] forbidden!”
Wurst!
That previous post on education policy was a bit deep. Here is a pic of me downing a formidable Wurst. Oh those Germans… so Freudian with their food.
Mimetic and Transformative Traditions
Are you up for some quality pedagogical analysis? Of course you are. This week I take a stab at justifying why I use both mimetic and transformative traditions in the German classroom in response to Philip Jackson’s book entitled The Practice of Teaching. I also legitimize using the term “Grammar Nazi.”
Business Cards
This summer I will be on the prowl for a job. Business cards are a must. I have been toying around with having a custom card, but my designs have been boring at best. The card must be geared towards education professionals. It must reflect that I am somehow related to communications and / or German. It must show a connection with other people. Here is what I’ve got so far. Yes, the font is helvetica.
Hmmm… Input would be nice.
Teaching Zeitgeist
German has two verbs that sound exactly the same when you use them in different ways. Today I had to explain that difference to my class.
Let us suppose we want to say “Helmut eats a cake.” That would be “Helmut isst einen Kuchen.” When used in the first-person singular form the verb “to eat” – isst – sounds exactly like the first-person singular verb “is” – ist. That one little “s” can make all the difference in the world. Therefore…
Helmut isst einen Kuchen. – Helmut eats a cake.
Helmut ist ein Kuchen. – Helmut is a cake.
Then I realized that there is little else separating cakes from humans. Both cakes and humans…
- …are carbon based.
- …require eggs, sugar, and oxygen.
- …come in chocolate, vanilla, and a wide variety of flavors.
- …celebrate birthdays and other holidays.
May the Almighty help us if the cakes learn to speak German.
[Edit] : A reader caught my nominative case error. Thanks!
Herr Ball
Sometimes I use Mr. Ball to teach German concepts. His name translates to Herr Ball. Go ahead, chuckle.
