Hi all,

Just to let you know that during the academic year 2008-2009 I'll be teaching at the Official School of Languages in Cartagena. I'll be in charge of two groups (1xNB1 1xNA1). Thus, the sections NB1 and NA1 of this website will be constantly updated with lots of activities. A personal blog for will also be available for both NB1 and NA1 students.


Cheers

Sergio

Hi all,

Just to let you know that during the forthcoming academic year (2007-2008) I'll be teaching full-time at the Official School of Languages in Lorca. I have been assigned two NI-1 (Intermediate Level-1) groups, plus one NB-1 (Elementary Level-1) group. I will also be serving as a R.M.I. (in other words, I.T. Technician and mess-fixer, basically).

Thus, the sections NB1 and NI1 of this website will be constantly updated with lots of activities, as well as a personal blog showing the progress in class of the aforementioned groups.

www.escuelaoficial.com is alive and kickin'. Come back regularly!

Cheers

Sergio

Not so long ago, I used to teach English at a summer school somewhere in the Mar Menor area. As usual, most students who had failed the subject during the previous school year attended this school with the hope of passing in September. But, the truth be told, all of them were very lazy and unmotivated.

When it comes to studying in the summer, it is insane to believe that a child can do any satisfactory progress at these schools. At the end of the day, it is their parents' naivety that takes them there. Parents believe in miracles, and they trust in the teacher, whom they consider their children's saviour. Strange as it sounds, we all have felt like Gods sometime, haven't we?

Anyway, one summer, I had a bunch of terrible pupils. One of them, probably the worst student I've ever had, looked like a member of the mob. He lacked motivation, he did drugs and he had spent the last few years in a boarding school for troublesome kids.

His only interests were drugs, messing about, and sex. One day I discovered he had started a relation with an English girl, and he had prepared some 'quick notes' all by himself, just in case he 'scored'. However, he admitted they were useless, as the girls could not understand a single word he said. I asked him for those notes, and kept them for the eternity, as I found really funny.

As the poor guy could not speak a single word in English, what he had done was use a shabby dictionary to look up the words without caring about the alternative meanings, grammar, etc.

And this was the sad result...



Can you translate the Spanish sentences into English, using proper grammar and vocabulary?

A few months ago, I took up kite-surfing, but I must say I'm still a complete newbie. This activity, like any other 'extreme sports', requires a lot of skill and control, and also a lot of patience. The air conditions are not always suitable for kitesurfing, especially at an early stage. The wind strength must be perfect, not too light, not too strong.

But what you have to avoid at all costs is a situation like this...

Listen to the interview and try to get familiar with some vocabulary related to kite-surfing, the wind and its risks.