A Country Road

Very far from the city lived a farmer and his wife. There was a narrow dirt road in front of their house.

On the road, there was a big hole filled with water. The hole was very deep. Drivers on the road didn't know just how deep. When they drove into the hole, they could not drive out.

One day, a man in a new car was driving down the road. He noticed the hole with the water, but he didn't think it was very deep. He drove into the hole, and his car became stuck.

The man saw the farmer on his tractor, working in the field. He waved to the farmer. The farmer drove over to the man in the new car.

The farmer asked if there was problem. And the man said that his car was stuck in the hole and asked for some help. But the farmer said he was very busy.

The man said that he would pay him if he would so the farmer helped the man after agreeing on a price. The farmer towed the car out of the hole with his tractor. Then the man paid him the money.

The man looked at the farmer and said, "I guess you are rich. You must tow cars out of this hole day and night."
"Actually, no," said the farmer.
"Why not?" asked the man.
"The hole is very deep, and a lot of people get stuck and ask for help. But I don't make money day and night. I don't pull cars out at night. At night, I'm busy filling the hole with water," answered the farmer.

Let's Bake Yummy Cookies

Betty is a baker.
She bakes bread, cake, and cookies.

Today she's baking chocolate chip cookies.
Can you help her?

First you need a large bowl.
Put butter in the bowl.
Add sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Then stir, stir, stir!
Now pour in flour.
Next come salt and baking soda.

Stir again.
Then add chocolate chips.

Stir a few more times, and...
Wow!
You already made cookie dough!

Next scoop up the dough.
Then drop spoonsfuls of dough on a tray.

Bake the cookies in the oven.
Are they ready, yet
No, not yet!

Brrring!
Oh yes, it's already ten minutes and the cookies are ready.

Mmm...
I think chocolate chips are yummy!
Do you like them too?

What you need to make yummy cookies:
225 grams of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
350 grams chocolate chips

The Nights of Hanukkah

On the first night of Hanukkah, Ashley lights the menorah.

On the second night of Hanukkah, Ashley plays spin the dreidel.

On the third night of Hanukkah, Ashley makes potato pancakes.

On the fourth night of Hanukkah, Ashley sings songs.

On the fifth night of Hanukkah, Ashley eats doughnuts.

On the sixth night of Hanukkah, Ashley opens presents.

On the seventh night of Hanukkah, Ashley's grandparents come over to her house.

On the eighth night of Hanukkah, Ashley eats chocolates.

The Rude Student

I've been teaching for more than ten years and this student is the rudest student that I've ever had. He's a third grade student who always distracts the class. He makes noise, disturbs his seatmates that sometimes causes some bruise when he hits someone next to him, doesn't do anything what you tells him to do on the computer and when you asked him to stop on his craziness then he will curse you or other teacher who asks him to do. He always bothers others but doesn't want to be bothered of his craziness.

One day, he was absent and his friend said that she was so happy that "Rudy" (let's just call him Rudy because he is rude) was absent. She said that she felt so relieved and it seems like some thorns pulled out from her heart after saying what she wanted to say without Rudy. She said she's suffocating when Rudy is around. I felt the stress that this student feels about him. Just the way that I felt when I didn't know him well but I realized that Rudy is completely special child. I don't mean he's retarded or disabled, what I mean is, he has phychological problem that he makes everyone so stressful.

When I gave them homework that I told them to write a situation when their teachers got angry with them, he said that his teacher was so angry in class when he cursed her. I found out that he says bad words to everyone even to his school teacher.

I heard that he has younger sister and his family's attention is with her sister. Since then, I realized that he needs special attention that's why he bothers everyone in class because he needs attention. When I lose patience to him, I sometimes think that his family ignores him because of his bad attitude. But deep inside, I take pity on him because of his attitude and I'm still thinking on what to do to stop his craziness.

My Sleepyhead Student

It always irritates me when I teach the class with my sleepy head student. He always feels sleepy during the class. No matter how many times I wake him up and hit him, he doesn't do anything. His sleeping time in my class is more than the time that he studies. I don't know what this guy is doing in my class. He's just wasting some money to pay for private institutes. He can just stay home and sleep. Why does he have to pay and sleep?

Whenever I hit him, he wakes up and write some words. Then he's asleep again when I'm not beside him. I understand that he's tired but it doesn't mean that I can allow him to sleep. He just changes the mood of the class. What I mean is, he doesn't have to pay if he's not interested in studying. I don't know why their parents have to send their children in private institutes when their children are not interested in studying?

Parents think that their children study hard. Some of them even think that because their children have been studying for many years, they think they are better than others who study less time than their kids. But they don't know that their kids don't really focus in class. Going to institutes just became their habits.

The Story of the Teddy Bear

Jenny loves stuffed animals. Her room is filled with them. One day, Jenny's grandmother had a surprise for her. It was a teddy bear. Jenny suddenly curious about teddy bear. She knows about black bears and grizzly bears but she has no idea what kind of bear is teddy bear so she asked her grandmother.

Jenny's grandmother told her that teddy bear has a very special story. She said "Teddy" is the nickname of Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States many years ago. Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed the outdoors and nature. One of his hobby was going hunting. One day, he went out to hunt animals with his men but he didn't catch anything. His men thinks that the President has to catch something so they tied a small bear to a tree.

The President was about to give up and go home but one of his men said that he saw a bear. He pointed the small bear tied in the tree. The other man told him to shoot the bear so President Roosevelt aimed his rifle at the bear. The bear looked at the president and the gun.

President Roosevelt looked at the bear and shouted "What am I doing? How can I kill this helpless animal? I can't! I won't kill it!" Then he headed home.

The next day, the story about the president and the bear was in the newspaper which entitled "Theodore Roosevelt and the 'Teddy' Bear."

The owner of the toy store read the article in the newspaper so he and his wife decided to make a stuffed bear, and they named it "Teddy". The teddy bear was born! Everyone wanted one. The "Teddy Bear" became very popular.

Jenny was so happy to hear about the story. Now she knows about the Teddy bear and she loves it more than any other stuffed because she said that President Roosevelt was a kind man. She also said that teddy bears are so special just like her grandmother.

Birthdays Around the World

Children around the world have different kinds of celebrations on their birthday parties. What do they do?

In Argentina, the family and friends will pull the ear of the celebrant according to their ages. If you are ten years old, then they will pull your ear ten times.

In China, the family and friends of the celebrants will eat noodles together and they wish the celebrant a long life. Noodles are long so they mean long life.

In Denmark, the cake of the celebrant is decorated with the Danish flag.

In England, the mother of the celebrant bakes a cake with coins in it. If the celebrant finds a coin in her piece of cake, then she will grow up to be rich.

In India, the birthday celebrant wears a colorful dress. Also, her bestfriend gives out chocolates to the celebrant's friends.

In Israel, at the birthday party, the grown ups lift the celebrant up into the air and put her back down again. (I wonder what happens to chubby kids.)

In Korea, at the birthday party, the mother of the celebrant serves seaweed soup and rice cakes. Then the family and friends all eat together. (Seaweed soup must be eaten by a mom who has just delivered a baby. I think it's the reason why they also serve seaweed soup on birthdays. Rice cake to make you strong so it also means long life.)

In Mexico, at the birthday party, the celebrant wears a blindfold and hit a piñata until it breaks open. (A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth; it is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a celebration.) Then everybody shares all the candies inside.

In the Philippines, before the birthday party, the celebrant goes to church to pray. Either alone, with friends or family.

In the United States, the celebrant makes a wish and blow out the candles on his/her birthday cake. If the candles blown out once, then the celebrant's wish will come true.

The Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Once upon a time, on a cold winter day, a queen sat by the window at her castle. She sat and made clothes for her baby. She wanted to have a little girl.
Sometimesshe looked out of the window. Outside, the snow fell, and it was very cold. Suddenly, she pricked her finger with her needle, and three drops of red blood fell from it.

"Red is a beautiful color," she thought. Then, she looked at the dark black wood of the trees outside and at the white snow.
"My little girl will be very beautiful," thought the queen. "She will have skin as white as snow, hair as black as the trees in winter, and cheeks as red as blood."

Soon the queen had her baby, a little daughter. And the little girl had skin as white as snow, hair as black as trees in winter, and cheeks as red as blood.
"Oh, dear little child," said the queen, "you are very beautiful! I will call you Snow White."

She loved the little girl very much. But when Snow White was only two years old, a very sad thing happened. The queen was very ill and she died.
After a few years, Snow White's father, the king, married again. His new queen was beautiful, but she was also nasty and unkind. She thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the country.
"And I will be the most beautiful woman in the country!" she said. Then, she looked at Snow White. She saw that the little girl was very beautiful, and she was jealous. She saw the light in Snow White's eyes and she wanted to kill her.

The new queen had a magic mirror. Everyday she stood in front of it and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" The mirror always answered: "Of all the women who stand tall, You, Queen, are the most beautiful of all. But listen now, for this is true: Snow White is more beautiful than you."
The queen was very angry. "When I saw Snow White, I am ill!" she said. "She must die. I never want to see her face again."
She gave some money to a huntsman and said to him, "Take Snow White into the forest and kill her. Do this or you will die. Go! Be quick! Bring me back her heart. Then I will know that she is dead."

The huntsman did not want to do it, but he was afraid. So he took Snow White and together they walked far into the forest. He put his hand on his knife three times. But each time Snow White turned and looked at him, and he could not kill her.

At last, the huntsman said, "Listen, Snow White. The queen said that I must kill you. But I can't do it. Run, Snow White! Run far away into the forest. And do not come back to the castle." Then the huntsman killed a deer and took its heart. "I will take this deer's heart to the queen," he thought. "And I will tell her that Snow White is dead."

Snow White was alone and lost. She ran through the forest. She ran all day. Now it was late and she was afraid. The forest was full of strange noises. She knew that there were wild animals there, but they did not come near her.

At last, Snow White came out of the forest. She saw a mountain, and at the foot of the mountain she saw a little house. "I'll go and knock on the door," she thought. "Then perhaps a kind person will help me."

"Hello!" she called. But there was no answer. It was almost dark now, so she opened the door. Inside, the furniture was very small, and there were seven of everything: seven little chairs and little bed. There were seven little cups on the table, and seven plates of food. "Perhaps seven little children live here," thought Snow White. "But where are they?"

Snow White was very hungry, but she didn't want to take someone's dinner. So she ate a little from each plate, and she drank a little from each cup. Then she went upstairs and fell asleep on three of the little beds.

The house belonged to seven dwarfs. Everyday the dwarfs went to the mountain and looked for gold. That night they finished their work and came home. "Someone has eaten from out plates and drunk from our cups," said one.
"Perhaps it was a mouse," laughed the others. "Come on! Let's take off our boots and sit down and eat."
Then the youngest dwarf called from upstairs. "Come quickly, everybody. Come and see. There is a young girl asleep on our beds. She is very beautiful."

All the dwarfs ran upstairs. "Yes, she is very beautiful!" they said. "Shhh! Don't wake her."
So that night they all slept downstairs by the fire. In the morning, Snow White told them her story. "Stay here with us," said the dwarfs. "The queen is a very dangerous woman. You can never go back to your castle now."
"Yes," said the oldest dwarf. "Stay. Please Stay."
"Thank you," said Snow White. "You are all very kind."
So Snow White stayed and lived with the seven dwarfs. She cooked and cleaned and washed for them, and they were kind to her.

Every morning the dwarfs went to the mountain to look for gold. "Be careful, Snow White," they said when they left. "The queen is a very dangerous woman. She must not know that you are here. Don't leave the house and do not open the door to anyone."
"The queen will never find me," said Snow White. "She thinks that I am dead."

The queen didn't speak to her magic mirror for a long time. But one day, she stood in from of it and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" The mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"What?" said the queen. "She's not dead? I'll kill the huntsman! And I'll kill Snow White too, when I find her."

Then the queen dressed as an old woman. She put some ribbons in a basket and left the castle secretly. "Snow White will not know that it's me," she laughed. She walked quickly through the forest until she came to the little house at the foot of the mountain. "Hello," she called. "Is anyone in?"
Snow White looked out of the window. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Would you like to buy some ribbons, my dear?" said the old woman.
Snow White looked at the ribbons. They were beautiful ribbons, pink and blue and yellow. "She's just a poor old woman," thought Snow White. "She can't hurt me." So she opened the door.
The old woman showed Snow White the ribbons. "Look at this pink ones."
"They're beautiful," said Snow White.
"Here, I'll help you. I'll tie them for you." But the old woman tied the ribbons very tightly and Snow White could not breathe. She fell to the floor. That night, the dwarfs found her there. They saw the new ribbons and quickly untied them.
"What happened?" they asked.
Snow White told them about the old woman. "That was not an old woman," said the dwarfs. "That was the queen."

Back at the castle, the queen stood in front of her magic mirror and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" But again the mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"What?" said the queen. "Is she still not dead?" Then I'll go to her again.

So the queen dressed as another old woman. This time she put some poisoned combs in her basket. At the dwarfs' house she called "Good morning! I've got some combs for your hair. Is anyone there?"
Snow White looked out of the window. "I'm sorry old woman," she said, "but you can't come into my house."
"Well, you can come to the door and look, can't you?" said the old woman.
Snow White thought for a minute. She wanted to see the combs very much. "Alright," she said, and she went downstairs and opened the door.
The old woman opened her basket and showed Snow White the poisoned combs.
"I like that pink comb," said Snow White.
"Do you?" said the old woman. "Here, my dear, I'll put it in your hair." Then she stuck the poisoned comb into Snow White's head and poor Snow White fell to the floor.

That night, the dwarfs found her. They saw the comb and pulled it from her hair.
"What happened?" they asked.
Snow White told them about the old woman. "That was the queen again!" said the oldest dwarf. "Snow White, you must remember: do not open the door to anyone."

Back at the castle, the queen stood before the magic mirror and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" But again the mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"Is she still alive?" said the queen. "Then I'll go to her again. I'll give her a poisoned apple."

The queen dressed as a farmer's wife and went to the dwarfs' cottage. But Snow White didn't want to open the door. "I'm sorry, old woman," she called. "You can't come in. The dwarfs said that I must not open the door."
Then the old woman showed her the poisoned apple.
"I'm sorry, old woman," said Snow White. "I haven't got any money."
"You don't have to buy it, dear," said the old woman. "I'll give it to you for nothing."
"Hmm," thought Snow White, "the apple looks very nice."
"Don't be afraid," said the old woman. "It's not poisoned. Look, I'll cut it in two. I'll eat this green half and you can have the beautiful red half. See? There's no danger."
"All right," said Snow White. "Thank you, old woman." And she took the red half and began to eat.
But when the first piece of the poisoned apple was in her mouth, she fell to the floor.
"Ha!" laughed the old woman. "Goodbye for ever, Snow White."

Back at the castle, the queen asked her mirror: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" And now at last the mirror answered: "You are, queen."

That night, the dwarfs returned and found Snow White on the floor. They tried to wake her, but she did not move or open her eyes. "This time she is dead," said the oldest dwarf. "She has gone from us for ever."
For three days and nights dwarfs sat by Snow White. They knew that she was dead, but they didn't want to bury her.
"She looks as if she is only asleep," they said. "We can't bury her in the ground."
So they made a glass box, put Snow White in it, and carried her up the mountain. "She can lie here," said the oldest dwarf. "Then we can come and see her every day."

On the side of the box the dwarfs wrote in gold: HERE LIES SNOW WHITE, THE DAUGHTER OF A KING - and one dwarf always sat with her, day and night.

Time went by, but Snow White's skin was still as white as snow. Her cheeks were still as red as blood and her hair was still as black as trees in winter.

Then one day, a prince came by with some friends. When he saw Snow White, he fell in love with her at once. "I want to take her with me," he said to the dwarf. "I will give you anything!"
"No," said the dwarf. "Snow White belongs to us." But the prince asked again and again. "Can I take her with me, please?"
At last, the dwarf said, "Wait here. I will go and get my brothers."
Then all the dwarfs came and stood in front of the prince.
"I am in love with her," said the prince. "I can't live with her."
"Yes," said the oldest dwarf. "You love Snow White. I can see it in your face. And we must give her to you. You are a prince and she is a princess, the daughter of a king. We are only poor dwarfs."
"Take all my gold," said the prince.
"No," said the old dwarf. "We don't want anything. We will give her to you because you love her."

The dwarfs began to carry the glass box down the mountain. But they tripped near a tree and the box fell. At that moment, the piece of apple fell out of Snow White's mouth. She opened her eyes and saw the prince. When she saw him, she fell in love with him at once.
"Here, you see your husband," said the prince. "Will you be my wife?"
"Yes," she said.
So Snow White said goodbye to her friends the dwarfs, and went away with the prince.

In December they were married and there was a big party. Lots of important people came, and one of these important people was the jealous queen.
When she saw Snow White, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"What is this?" she said. "Is Snow White still alive?" She was very angry. When she saw Snow White and the prince, she was jealous. She ran out of the castle and no one saw her again.
Snow White loved the prince, and he loved her. In time, they had seven children, and they all lived happily ever after.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

It's Not Easy Being A Kid

Peter is in the first grade. He has one thing to say: IT'S NOT EASY BEING A KID! Being a kid might look like fun, but sometimes it's not.

Yesterday, he was playing outside with his friend. He was having a really good time. Then suddenly, his mother said, "Peter, it's time to second inside now. It's getting dark." He said when you're an adult, no one can tell you what to do or when to do it.

He said, when you're a kid, you have to get up early in the morning and go to school. At school, you have to study math, English, science, and history. After school, you have to do your homework. But when you're an adult, you don't have to go to school and you never have homework.

He also said that when you're a kid, there are many things you can't watch. Last Saturday there was a scary movie on TV. It looked really exciting but his father didn't let him watch. His father said, "You're too young for this movie, Peter." He said, when you're an adult, you can watch anything you want.

Peter said, when you're a kid, the older kids sometimes pick on you. He said, when he was walking home from school on Monday, Tom and Steve bothered him. Steve took his schoolbag and put it in a tree. It made him very mad. But he said when you're an adult, no one can pick on you.

Peter also said that when you're a kid, you can't go anywhere by yourself. Last Friday, he wanted to buy a birthday gift for his friend John. But he dad to wait for his mom to return home. When he want to go somewhere, he has to ride a bike or ask his mom for a ride. But when you're an adult, he said, you can drive a car wherever you want.

He said, when you're a kid, you have to go to bed early. On school nights, his mom makes him go to bed at 9:00.

It's not easy being a kid but Peter is still lucky for having a dad and mom who love him, which is really great!

What Mother Mean To You?

I asked my Korean students what they think first when they hear the word "Mother". Here are the answers that they gave me.

One of the students said "curly". I understand because in Korea, most hajumas or married women have short curly hair. Another student said "test". He said his mom always asked how he did on his test whenever they have one. Another said "angry" because her mom always gets angry. One said "drama" because her mom always watches drama on TV. There are so many answers that they gave but I can't remember them all.

How about you? What do you think of when you hear the word "mother"? And what do you think will your kids tell what mother mean to them?

The Story of the Shoemaker and the Elves

A long time ago, in a village, there live a shoemaker. The shoemaker and his wife. He is an old shoemaker. And he has a shop on the first floor of their house. It's an old shoe shop. It isn't a very good shop. It doesn't make much money.

One day he was making a shoe. He said to his wife, "One last pair of shoes. That's all I can make."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
It's the shoes!
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic!"

He displayed the shoes in the window.
A beautiful lady sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the lady. "What beautiful shoes! I must buy them. Here are three gold coins."
"Three gold coins!" says the Shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Two more pairs. Thank you lady!" he says.

So the old Shoemaker goes out and he buys some more leather.
"I have some money," he says to man who sells leather. "Look! Three gold coins!"
The salesman gave him some leather and he went home.

He arrived home.
"Two more pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker. "I can make two more pairs now."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Two pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker to his wife. "More magic!"

Again, he puts the shoes in the window.
A gentleman sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the man. "What beautiful shoes. I must them. Here are six gold coins."
"Six gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Three more pairs." he says happily.

So, he goes out and he buys some more leather.
"Look!" he says. "I have some money. Six gold coins!"
Then he went home with some leather on his hands.

"I can make three pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker to his wife.
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."
And they went upstairs to sleep.

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Three pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic again!"

They put the shoes on the window.
A family sees them.
"What beautiful shoes!" they say. "We must buy them. Here are nine gold coins."
"Nine gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "But... who is making all these shoes?" he said to his wife.

He bought some more leather again and put it on the table.
That night the shoemaker hides. He and his wife hide. And they wait. At midnight they see two little elves!
The little elves run in. They jump onto the table.
"Here's the leather!" they say. "Let's work! Let's make some beautiful shoes!"
All night they work. They work and work and work.
The shoemaker and his wife watch them.

In the morning the elves run away.
But there's something on the table.
Four beautiful pairs of shoes!
"Now we know," says the shoemaker. "We know who helps us."
"Yes," says his wife. "Two little elves. But what can we do for them?"
"I know," says the shoemaker. "Let's make some clothes for them."
"Oh, yes!" says his wife. "Yes!"

Night comes. They put the clothes in the box and leave it on the table. Then they hide.
At midnight, the little elves run in.
The elves see the box. And they open it.
"What's this?" they say. "Something for us? For us? Oh yes! It's something for us!"
They put on the new clothes and they dance. Dance, dance, dance!
The shoemaker and the his wife are very happy to see them wearing the clothes.
"Now it's time for s to go. Because they know! Because they know!" say the elves. "Goodbye Shoemaker!" they say.

The elves never come back.
But now the shoemaker makes good shoes.
He works hard.
Now his shop is a good shop.
And he his happy.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

My Student Stole my New Smartphone

Most students are now addicted to games specially kakao talk games. So some students even during the class, they play games if you aren't alert of them. It seems like they are busy doing something but when you get close to them, they are using their cellphones that usually they are caught playing games.

I usually use the timer of my cellphone in class specially on reading time. My students like it when I check how fast they read. They are so thrilled and excited to read when I check the time while they read.

Yesterday, during our reading class, I use the timer of my cellphone again. It's my habit to put my cellphone in the drawer of my desk as soon as I'm done checking their reading performance. When my 6:30 class went home and about to start with my 7:30 class, I tried to prepare my cellphone for reading my next reading class but my cellphone is gone. I searched everything in the drawer of my desk but I couldn't find it. Although I don't bring it in the computer lab or in the bathroon, still I searched for it but still I was disappointed. I couldn't find it anywhere so I told my co-worker about it.

My co-worker helped me find it but no matter how much we searched, we couldn't find it so she decided to searched on my student's bags. They didn't know that we were searching for my phone. She just pretended to check their books if they did their homework during their computer lab time. When she couldn't find it, again she decided to call my 6:30 class and asked them to search my cellphone in their bags. She said maybe they put it in their bags unintentionally. So, she said if they found it, just bring it the next day (and that's today).

Unluckily, I can't ring my cellphone because I always set it to mute mode whenever I'm at work specially when I use it in class. That night, I called my hubby and told him about my missing cellphone so he called the company and told them to cut the service of my cellphone so nobody can't use it although my cellphone was locked because I use a pattern password but I guess it's easy to unlocked it. Just look at the screen closely and you can trace it easily.

I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking of my cellphone. It's my first time to lose valuable thing. My LG Optimus cellphone is new. My hubby bought it last January. When I called him while I was at work, he said it was alright. He said he can't buy me a better one. Although he said that, I still can't believe that I lost my cellphone. It's very important to me. I even sleep with it. It's always under my pillow. Eventhough, I don't. Everything that I have is important to me. I always take care of what I have specially my cellphone. I'm very careful when I handle or use it. I usually use my cellphones for two or three years and they are still in good conditions when I change them.

I know that my hubby can buy me a better one but I still love that cellphone of mine. And I'm very upset, disappointed and annoyed. Today, my students said that they don't know where my cellphone is and one of them said that I put it in my drawer when I was in their class which is right.

Ahhh, my hubby is right. He said don't trust anyone. So he told me not to bring my credit card, ATM, and just bring small amount of money. Ahhhh... I guess he is right but how about when I'm in emergency situation? Well, he said it's also emergency when I lose them. And that's more serious he said. Well, I guess I have to agree with him this time.

To my student who took my cellphone (whoever you are), are you happy now that you have it? If not, please give it back! I already forgave you!

The Story of the Gingerbread Man

An old woman lives in a village.
She lives with her old husband.
They don't have any children.

One day, the old woman is in the kitchen.
She's making something.
She's making a gingerbread man.
The gingerbread man has a head.
He has arms and legs.
He has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
The gingerbread man is ready to put in the oven.
The old woman is very happy.

"You're a little boy," she says to the gingerbread man.
"My little boy!" she says.
"In you go!" says the old woman.
And she put the gingerbread man in the oven.

But soon the old woman hears a little voice.
It's coming from the oven.
"Open the door!" says the voice. "I want to come out!"
The old woman opens the oven door.
And the gingerbread man jumps out.
"Oh!" says the old woman.
"Stop!" says the old woman.
"Come here!" she says.
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs across the kitchen and out of the door.
The old man sees him.
"Stop!" shout the old man and the old woman.
"Come here!" they say running to the gingerbread man.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster and he shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a cow.
"Stop!" says the cow."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the cow runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. So I can run away from a cow!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a horse.
"Stop!" says the horse."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the horse runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man and a cow. So I can run away from a horse. Yes, I can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

The gingerbread man runs and runs.
"They can't catch me!" he says.
"Nobody can catch me."

Just then he sees a fox.
"Stop!" says the fox. "Come here!"

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the fox runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. I can run away from a cow and a horse. So I can run away from a fox!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

"Stop!" says the fox.
"I don't want to eat you. I want to talk to you. I want to be friends with you!"
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop. He runs faster. And now the fox runs faster too.

The gingerbread man runs and runs. Soon he sees a river.
"Oh no!" he cries. "A river! I can't swim!"

"Listen," says the fox. "I can help you. I can swimacross and you can sit on my tail."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's tail.
And the fox begins to swim.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You are too big for my tail. Sit on my back."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's back.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You're too big for my back. Sit on my nose."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's nose.

The fox swims across the river and jumps out.
The fox throws the gingerbread man up.
Up! Up! Up!

Then he opens his mouth and...
cathes him!

"Help!" he says. "My legs! My legs!"
"Help!" he says. "My armss! My arms!"

Then the fox eats the gingerbread man's head.
Now the gingerbread man doesn't say anything.

And that is the end.
Yes, that is the end of the gingerbread man.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Big Baby Finn

Big Baby Finn is a very big baby. His name Big Baby Finn MacCool.He has friend. Her name is Oonah. Oonah is very clever.

Finn and Oonah grow. They are friends until they grow up. They both like to play. They run and jump. They sometimes jump into the river.

One day, while playing in the river, they saw a fish.
"Catch the fish, Oonah!" says Finn.
And she catches it. Clever Oonah catches the silver fish.

Today is Finn's birthday. As usual, they went to the river to play.
"Look!" cries Oonah. "A gold fish! It must be a magic fish!"
Oonah is right. It's a magic fish.
The magic fish sings: "Finn! Have this girl for your wife. She can help you in your life."

So Finn marries Oonah. They live on a green hill. And they can see the sea. The beautiful, big, blue sea.

Finn is a good giant. He is a good strong giant.
Oonah is a good wife. She is a good, clever wife.

One day, Finn decided to make a bridge so they can cross to the other side of the water.

"OK, men!" says Finn. "I want to make a bridge! A bridge across the water!"
So, he started to make the bridge with the men in the village.
Finn throws a big stone. Splash! Into the sea! And another! And another! Splash! Splash! Into the sea!

"I am big and strong," says Finn. "I do good things."
Then suddenly, he sees something.
Something a long way across the sea.
And he doesn't like it.
"Oh! What is that?" he asks.
"Oh!" say's one of the Finn's men. "That's Big Bad Benan! With his bad magic finger!"

Benan shouted to the them.
"Hey!" he shouts. "I'm looking for Finn. Do you know him?"
"No!" shouts Finn.
"No!" say his men. "No! We don't! We don't know Finn!"

Then Finn ran home to his wife.
"Help!" shouts Finn.
"What's the matter?" says Oonah.
"It's Big Bad Benan," says Finn. "He's coming for me!"
"Quick!" says Oonah. "Make a cradle. Make a big baby cradle. And bring it inside."

Finn made a big baby cradle quickly and brought it inside the house.
"Now get in!" says Oonah. "Get in the cradle! And don't say anything!"

A few minutes later, Benan came. He opened the door angrily.
"Where's Finn?" he shouts.
"He's not here," says Oonah. "It's just me here. Me and the baby."
Benan looked at the baby in the cradle.
"That's a big baby," he says.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn is a very big giant. Much bigger than you!"
"Can you help me?" says Oonah to Benan. "Can you turn the house, please? Finn usually does it. But he's not here."
"OK," says Benan. And he turns the house.
Then Oonah picks up some stones. She puts them in her pocket.

Oonah is making bread.
She is making bread rolls.
But she has something.
She has some stones.
She puts the stones in them.
But... she also made one with no stone.

Benan is still inside waiting for Finn to come.
"Mm!" says Benan. "Those rolls smell good."
"Here you are!" says Oonah.
She gave him the rolls with stone inside.
Benan starts to eat.
"Ow!" he shouts. "What's wrong with this bread? Ow! My teeth!"
"Your teeth aren't very strong," says Oonah.
"My Finn eats this bread everyday."

Then the baby starts to cry.
"What's wrong with the baby?" shouts Benan.
"He's hungry too," says Oonah. "Here, baby! Here's a bread roll for you."
She gave the one with no stone inside.
"That baby has strong teeth," says Benan.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn has very strong teeth. Much stronger than yours."

Then the baby starts to cry again.
"Oh no!" says Oonah. "Finn's coming home soon. He gets angry when the baby cries!"
"Be quiet, baby!" says Benan.
"Give him your finger!" says Oonah. "I'll make milk for him."
"Here, baby," says Benan.
He puts his finger into Finn's mouth.
His magic finger!
Then Big Baby Finn bites it! He bites off the magic finger!
"Ow!" shouts Benan. "Ow! Ow!"
And he gets smaller.
He gets smaller and smaller and smaller!

Now Benan is tiny. Tiny, tiny Benan.
And tiny, tiny Benan... runs away!

"My clever Oonah!" says Finn.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Oonah.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Finn.
"Bye Bye!" they say happily.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Enormous Turnip

The man's got a seed. He goes in the garden. He puts the seed in the ground. The seed grows. The man's happy.

The seed grows and grows. It's a turnip. The turnip's big. It's very big. The man's very happy. "It's big," he says.

The man's hungry. He wants to eat the turnip. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

The man sees the woman. "Come and help!" he says. "Pull!" says the man. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a boy. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the woman. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a girl. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the boy. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a dog. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the girl. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move. They are very tired. Suddenly they see a cat.

"Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the man. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move.

Then the mouse came. "What are you doing? May I help you?" he asked. Everybody looked at the mouse and the boy said "You?! You're so little! You can't do anything." But the old man said, "Ok! Let's try! Let's pull!"

The mouse pulls the cat. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull and...

Hurray!!!

"We've got the turnip!" they say. "We've got the enormous turnip!"

The cooked the turnip. "Come and eat!" she says. Everybody enjoys the enormous and delicious turnip. "It's yummy!" they say. Then the old man says, "Let's plant more turnips tomorrow. Can you help me?"

Then everybody laughs.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story Of The Ugly Duckling

It is summer. A duck sits on her eggs. She sits and she waits. She waits and waits.

At last the eggs open.
"At last!" says the duck.
"My little ducklings!"

But one egg does not open.
"Mm,' says her friend. "That egg is strange. Leave it!" they say.

"Leave my egg?" says Mother Duck.
"No. I can't leave it."
She sits down again and she waits.

At last the egg opens.
"Oh!" says Mother Duck to her friend.
"You're right. He is strange. What an ugly duckling!"

But the ugly duckling can swim.
He can swim very well.
And Mother Duck is happy.

"Come on, ducklings!" she says.
"Let's go to the farm! I want all my friends to see you."
They swam and arrived in the farm.
"Hello, everyone," she calls.
"Look at my little ducklings!"
Her friends gathered around.
"Very nice. Very nice" say her friends.
"But that duckling is very big. He's ugly!"
"He's strange," they say. "He's an ugly duckling."
And one of the ducks pecks him.

Every day the farm girl comes.
Every day she kicks him.
"Go away, you ugly duckling!" she says.

So one day, the ugly duckling runs away.
He runs away from the farm.
"Go! Yes, go!" say his brothers and sisters.
"You're strange! You're ugly!" they say.

It's colder now. The ugly duckling is bigger.
One day, two geese see him.
"Mm, you're strange!" they say.
"You're very ugly," they say.
"But you're interesting. Do you want to fly with us?" they say.

But suddenly there is a bang. Bang! Bang!
And the geese are dead.
There are some men. Men with guns and dogs.
The ugly duckling is afraid.
A big dog comes.
He sees the ugly duckling.
And he looks at him.
Then the dog swims away.

"I am ugly," says the ugly duckling.
"So he doesn't want to eat me." she says to herself.

The ugly duckling runs away.
He comes to an old hut and he goes in.
In the hut, there is a woman, a cat, and a hen.
The woman is old and she can't see.
"What's this?" she says.
"A duck? Ah! You can give me some eggs." the woman says.
"Come on," says the cat. "Where are your eggs?" it says.
"I haven't got any," says the ugly duckling.
"Then go!" says the hen.

The ugly duckling goes away.
It is winter now.
And it is very cold.

One evening the ugly duckling sees something wonderful and strange.
Three swans! Three big, beautiful swans.
"Oh," he cries. "What beautiful birds! Big, beautiful and free."
He calls to them. "Who are you? Take me with you."
But they do not hear him because they are flying above.

It is winter now.
It is cold.
There is ice on the water.
So the ugly duckling can't swim.
He was stuck in the water.

A man sees him.
He breaks the ice with his shoe.
"Poor bird!" he says. "Come home with me."
And he went home with the ugly duckling.

The children saw the ugly duckling and they want to play with him.
"Come here!" they say.
But the ugly duckling runs away.
He falls into the milk.
The children laugh.
"Come here!" they say.
Then he falls into the butter.
"Oh dear! What a mess!"
Then he falls into the flour.
"Get out!" cries the man's wife. "Get out of my house!"

The ugly duckling runs.
Suddenly he starts to fly.
The door is open.
He flies up into the sky.
He can fly!
He can fly!
"I can fly!" says the ugly duckling.

And now the sun comes out.
It is spring.
Then he sees a garden.
A garden with a river.
"What a beautiful garden!" he says.
And he flies down.
He sees something swimming in the river.
He sees the swans.
He sees the three swans.
"Oh! They are beautiful!" he says. "I must speak to them," he says.
But he is afraid.

He looks down at the water and he sees his face.
He is not an ugly duckling anymore.
He is a beautiful swan too.

It's true! It's true!
He's not a duckling.
He's not a duck.
He's a swan.
He's a swan, too!

Some children run down to the river.
"Look, Mother!" they say. "A new swan!"
"Look! Oh, look! Look at the new swan!" they say.
"Yes," says the children's mother. "Isn't he beautiful!"

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of Rumplestiltskin

The man and his daughter are outside near the palace. The man is a miller and his daughter is spinning straw. The miller is very proud of his daughter.

"Look at my daughter!" says the miller. "She can spin well! Look at her!"
"Look at my daughter!" says the miller. "She can spin well! Look at her!"
"Look at her!" says the miller. "She can spin straw into gold!"

The king on his horse heard the miller. "Oh!" he says. "Can she? Then she can come to my castle."

The king takes her to his castle. "Now!" says the king. "Here is a room! And here is some straw! Spin in into gold! Do it tonight - or die!"

"I can't do it," says the girl crying. She sat down and a little man suddenly appeared. "Sh!" he says. "Give me your necklace. And I can help you." She gives him her necklace. And he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

It is morning. The king comes. "Good!" he says. "Good!" Then he grabbed her to the other room. "Now here is a bigger room!" says the king. "And here is some straw. Spin it into gold. Do it- or die!" Then he left.

Again the girl sat down in the room and cried. "I can't do it," says the girl. "Sh!" says the little man. "Give me your ring. And I can help you." She gives him her ring. And he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

The next morning, the king comes. "Good!" he says. "Very good!" Then he grabbed him to the other room. "Here's the biggest room!" says the king. "And here is much more straw. Spin it all into gold. Do it - and you can be queen!" And he left.

"I can't do it," says the girl. "Sh!" says the little man. "I can help you. But you must give me something," he says.
"What can I give you?" the girl says.
"Your baby!" says the little man. "When you are queen." Then he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

It is morning. The king comes. "Very good!" he says. "Excellent! Now you can be a queen!"

Now the miller's daughter is a queen. And the people love her because she has a very good heart.

One day the queen has a baby. It is a beautiful baby girl. And the queen is vey happy.

A few days later, the little man comes back. The queen was surprised.

"What do you want?" she says.
"You know what I want," he says. "The baby! Give her to me now!"
"Oh no!" says the queen. "Please don't take my baby!" And she cuddled her baby from the crib.
"Sh!" says the little man. "All right. But tell me my name. I give you three days."

The next night the little man comes back.
"Now do you know my name?" he asked.
The woman has a list of names on her hand.
"Is your name Tom?" she says.
"No!" says the little man.
"Is it Danny? Is it Jerry? Is it Jack? Is it John? Is it Sammy? Is it Louie? Is it Rey? Is it Justine? Is it Billy?" She said all the names on her list of papers.
But the little man said, "No!" he says. "No!" And he left with smile on his face.

The queen cannot sleep. Again she made a list of names. She wrote down everything that she can think of.
"What is his name?" she says. "What is it?"

It is morning. The little man comes back.
"Now, do you know my name?" he says. "Do you know it now?"
Again, the queen said everything on her list.
"Is your name Bigfoot?" she says.
"No!" says the little man.
"Is it Redface? Is it Greenshoe? Is it Bignose? Is it Eyesblue? Is it Shortboy? Is it Hatman?"
"No!" says the little man."No! No! No! Tell me my name tomorrow. Or give me the baby."

That night, the queen cannot sleep.
"What is his name?" she says. "What is it?"
She is hot. She can't sleep. She went out. The night is cold. The moon is bright.
"His name," she says. "What is it?"

She kept walking with her maid. Then they see something behind the trees.
"What is it?" says the queen.
"A light! A fire!" says the maid.
It is the little man. He dances and he sings.
"I am the best one at my game! Rumplestiltskin is name!" he says while he dances.

It is morning. The little man comes back.
"Do you know my name? Do you know it now?" he says.
"Is your name Gragglebaggle?" she says.
"No, it is not!" says the little man.
"Is it Hamleybamley?"
"No!" says the little man. "No! It is not!"
"Then is your name... Rumplestiltskin?" she says.
The little man is red. Red!
Then.. puff! He goes...PUFF! (He disappeared!)
And he never comes back.

And the miller's daughter lives well in the castle. She is a very kind queen.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Peach Boy

It is summer in a village in Japan. An old man and woman eat dumplings. Yum! Nice little dumplings. Then the old man goes to cut wood. And the old woman goes to the river.

Suddenly the old woman sees something. It's a peach. A very big peach!
"What a very big peach!" she says. "Why is it in the river?"

The very big peach smells nice. It smells of summer in Japan. The woman catches it.
"Mmm, this peach smells wonderful. I'm taking it home with me." she says. So, she went home and showed it to her husband.

"What a big peach!" says the old man. "Let's eat it right now!" he says.
But then they hear something inside. It's a baby!
"Stop! Don't cut me!" says the voice in the peach.

There's a baby in the peach! A baby boy- a peach boy!

He is a wonderful baby, and he is happy. The old man and woman call him Momotaro - Peach Boy. They give him nice little dumplings. So he grows big and strong.

The old man and woman are good to Momotaro. So Momotaro is good too. He helps his mother and father. He is a good boy. And he is strong. He is very strong!

Then one day ogres come. They come to the village. Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!
They break things. They take things. They take the people's treasure.
Then they stamp off into the sea.
Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!

Momotaro climbed up the tree. He can see the ogres. They are going home. They are going home to Ogre Island. Then Momotaro runs to his parents.

"Mother, Father," says Peach Boy. "I want to fight the ogres. Give me some dumplings please. And a big stick."

So his mother gives him some dumplings. His father gives him a big stick. "Goodbye," they say. "And goodluck."

Momotaro walks along. Then he sees a big dog. "Hi, dog!" says Momotaro. "I want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with me!"

So the dog eats the dumpling. Then it goes with him.

They walk along. Then they see a pheasant. "Hi, pheasant!" says Momotaro. "We want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with us!"

So the pheasant eats the dumpling. Then it goes with them.

They walk along. Then they see a monkey. "Hi, monkey!" says Momotaro. "We want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with us!

So the monkey eats the dumpling. Then it goes with them.

"My friends," says Momotaro, the Peach Boy. "Let's go to the Ogre Island. Let's fight the ogres."

Then he saw something. "There it is!" says Momotaro. "There's Ogre Island! Look at the big castle!"

Momotaro arrived at the Island and lookep up the castle. They look up at the big, big castle. The castle door is closed. But the pheasant flies up. It flies up into the castle.

The pheasant fights the ogres. The ogres are afraid. "Help!" they cry. "Help!"

Then the monkey goes up. It goes up into the castle. It opens the door. Then Momotaro and the dog run into the castle.

Momotaro fights the ogres with his stick. The dog, the pheasant, and the monkey all fight. They all fight the ogres.

The ogres are afraid. "We are sorry," they say. "Please go. Take your treasure and go."

Momotaro takes the treasure. "Hurray!" he says. "Good work, my friends!"

Momotaro and his friends go home. They go home with the treasure. All the people shout, "Hurray! Hurray!" Everybody's happy.

Since then, the ogres never come back!

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Greatest Bridegroom

Once upon a time, a mole couple's daughter, Mollie, was ready to marry. In the mode village, Moler was the best available bridegroom. However, Father Mole and Mother Mole were not satisfied with him.

"Isn't there a better bridegroom?" asked Mollie's mother.
"Our Mollie must marry the greatest bridegroom," said her father.
Father Mole and Mother Mole discussed the matter.
"Who do you think is the greates of all?" Father wondered aloud.
"I think the sun is the greatest," Mother answered.

Father Mole went to the sun. "Gosh! It's so hot here! Sun, are you the greatest of all?" he asked.
"No, Im not. When the cloud comes and covers me, I can't even show my face. The cloud is the greatest," the sun replied.
"Oh, I see. Thank you." said Father Mole.

Father Mole went to see the cloud. "Oh my, it's so dark! Cloud, are you the greatest of all?" he asked.
"No, I'm not. When the wind comes, I'm blown away in seconds. The wind is the greatest," replied the cloud.
"Oh, I see. Thank you." said Father Mole.

Father Mole went to see the wind. "Oh my, I'm about to be blown away! Wind, you are the greatest of all, right?" he asked hopefully.
"No, I'm not. There is someone who doesn't blow away even when I blow my hardest," said the wind.
"Is that true?" asked Father Mole.
"Mr. Mole, if you are looking for the greatest, go to the Buddha statue," advised the wind.

Though Father Mole was tired, he went to see the Buddha statue. "Finally, I've found it. Buddha statue, you are the greatest in the world, right?" Father Mole asked.
"No, I'm not. If a mole dug a hole under my feet, I could not stand for even a minute," the Buddha statue answered.
"Do you think the mole is the best bridegroom in the world?" asked Father Mole.
"Definitely! Ha-ha-ha!" the Buddha statue answered with laughter.

Father Mole then went back to the mole village. "Honey! I've found someone who is the greatest," he declared to his wife.
"Oh really!" Mother replied.
Father Mole explained. "The sun said, 'The sun is the greatest.' The cloud said, 'The wind is the greatest.' The wind said, 'The Buddha is the greatest.' And then I found out who is the greatest of all."
"Who is that?" Mother Mole asked.
"It is one of us, the moles!" Father Mole replied.
"Well, then, we must choose the best bridegroom from among the greatest moles," Mother Mole said.

As a result, Father Mole and Mother Mole met with Moler. Soon, Mollie and Moler were married.

Couldn't the greatest in the world be right next to you?

The Banana Tree

Once upon a time there was a single banana tree in the jungle.
Two bunches of bananas were on the banana tree.
There were three children from a village.
They were watching the bananas grow.
There were four monkeys from the jungle.
They were watching the bananas grow.
The children looked at the bananas at five o'clock in the afternoon everyday.
The monkeys looked at the bananas at six o'clock in the morning everyday.
The three children and the four monkeys were very excited.
Soon the bananas would be ready to eat.
All seven of them wanted to eat the bananas.
One evening, the children ran to the banana tree.
There were eight colorful butterflies sitting on the bananas.
The bananas were almost yellow.
"Let's eat the bananas now." said one of the children.
"No, they are not ripe." said the other one.

The next morning, the monkeys looked at the bananas.
There were nine drops of dew sparkling on the bananas.
The three children ran to the banana tree for lunch.
The four monkeys swung from tree to tree to get to the banana tree.
It was 10 o'clock.
The monkeys and children wanted bananas for breakfast.
The children were very upset to see the monkeys.
The monkeys were very upset to see the children.
The children were very afraid that the monkeys would take all of the bananas.
So, they threw stones to the monkeys.
The monkeys were afraid that the children would take all of the bananas.
So, they threw sticks to the children.

The children were very hungry.
They were also very tired.
The monkeys were very hungry.
They were also very tired.
The children were too tired to throw stones.
The monkeys were too tired to throw sticks.
"I'm so hungry." said one of the children.
"Me, too!" said the other one.
"Let's share the bananas with the monkeys." said the other.
"OK! Let's share the bananas with the monkeys." they said.

The monkeys and the children enjoyed their breakfast.
They also learned that sharing is better than fighting.

I'm Finally Back After Three Years

It has been three years since I last updated here. I rarely think of posting about my experiences in teaching but too lazy to post and sometimes forget when I come home. I have lots of good and bad experiences about teaching. As you know, it's not easy to teach in other land specially when you have different language. Eventhough I love kids and teaching is my passion, there are times that I feel upset, terrible and irritated. Of course most of the time, I have to carry my patience with me or else everyone will be in trouble.

It's alright to hit the students in Korea which surprised me when I first saw the teacher hitting a student on his head with a stick. It wasn't too hard that could break his head but still it was against the law in my country. After seeing several times of spanking the children from the teachers and boss, I got used to it. I realized that it needed to educate the Korean students because they don't listen or follow the teachers easily. There are lots of hard-headed students that some of them even say bad words to their teachers. Saying good words or giving some advise to them is useless. They should be taught some lessons through a stick or rod.

In my case, I never hit a student in my 12 years of teaching but sometimes feel like hitting them or throwing them out of the window if it's just possible. But I always keep my patience because I understand that students are also moody. There are times that they don't feel like studying specially when they have a problem at home or school. I can't deny that I sometimes get irritated but most of the time, I enjoy my day with kids.