Nate's Keynote Class

  It only goes so far = it has a limit The backlash = a negative response to a certain action or behavior To get away with something = to not have consequences for bad actions To stand out (from others) = to be unique from others Resilient, resilience = the ability to not let bad things bring you down Inevitable = it will happen no matter what To fester = Ex. Death is inevitable.   Growing old is inevitable.   Leaving ELS program is inevitable.   Ex. I have had a lot of unfortunate events in the past year, but I am still here because I am a resilient person.   Ex. It’s good to have a lot of money, but it only goes so far when it comes to luring people.     Question: *When you have stress, do you like to help or engage with others, or do you prefer to withdraw?   Do you think Kelly McGonigal’s advice will change how you manage stressful situations in the future?

 By Nate Feldman *After the quiz, we will read this story: It is almost twilight, and Jess and Paula, the Monster Hunters, are walking through a dense part of the woods.  They are trying to get Manny the Monster to become a part of their Monster Preserve.   Paula: We'll be there in any minute.  His cabin is just around the corner.  Jess: And remind me, what is the best way to lure this creature? Paula: Let me do the talking.  I can understand Monsterese a bit.   Jess: If you say so.  But, this isn't any ordinary monster.  Eight people have vanished without a trace in this area.  People are pretty sure Manny is responsible.  It's hard to ignore the chronic violence the community has been facing. Paula: We have to take a chance dialoguing with him.  People typically panic around monsters as I am sure you know by now.  They get totally stressed out!  We've both agreed that dialogue is the best way to transform ...

 Vocabulary, P.20 in the book  My neighbor has a chronic illness. American cities have to deal with chronic gun violence.     A caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.   A tadpole transforms into a frog.    I have had many good experiences in Philly (I hope) Taking this class was an interesting experience .   I have experienced many stressful things in my life, but now I am taking it easy.   Our time on Earth is relatively short.  

 By Nate Feldman *In the song Stressed Out , Twenty One Pilots (the music group) talks about wishing for the good old days.  This expression refers to an ideal time in the past.  What would you consider are the good old days in your life?  Do you ever wish to return to this time?  Do you agree with the singers that this was a better time in your life than what you are experiencing now?  *Next week, we will have one more vocabulary quiz, on Tuesday, plus some of the grammar from the book (gerunds and infinitives).  For a weekend assignment, write a small journal entry about your experience at the International Students Fair.  What did you learn?  What was it like talking about your culture? 

By Nate Feldman Vocab. Questions 1. Do you get out of touch with people easily, or do you stay connected? 2. What is the best way to stay afloat during difficult times? 3. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt things were hanging by a thread ? 4. Does anything ever make you feel numb ?

 By Nate Feldman *Too much stress in people's lives has lead to a prevalence of mental health issues in our societies.  Many people feel depression or even worse because of stress.  Unfortunately, a lot of people hide these issues because mental health issues are considered a stigma. Questions for discussion: 1. Is discussing mental health still a stigma in your society?  Why?

  *Is your generation stressed out? *Do we have to be stressed out?   *What’s the big deal?     ·                      “Or, so they say”   ·                      A fatalist ·                      An idealist ·                      A hypocrite ·                      To bombard someone with something (to repeatedly say or do something to them) Ex. Mr. Nate bombards us with assignments ·            ...

 By Nate Feldman *We'll look at the grammar activity, P.16, 1.7.  We'll also do exercises D, E, and F on P. 17.   Discussion Questions  1. What is something you want to avoid doing ?   2. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?   3. What is something you encourage people to do ?   4. What is a place you are considering going to soon?  5. What is something you can't imagine doing ?   Class Notes: Yesterday , I consider ed travel ing to New York, but I didn’t have time, so I stayed in the area.     Yesterday , I went to a restaurant because I want ed to go there.     I have wanted to go there for a long time.     I have considered buying a house since last year.     Tonight, I want to eat out and watch a movie.   Yesterday, I enjoyed spending time with you and talking with you.     I went to the restaurant because I had wanted to go t...

By Nate Feldman  It is the Halloween season, so there are many monsters coming out in different areas.  You can find them in the streets and on people's  properties .  Jess and Paula, two young entrepreneurs, have come up with an idea to solve this problem.  They have created a new business:  Monster Hunters .   For only $20, if you call Jess or Paula, they can come to your place and help remove the monsters from the vicinity .  Jess and Paula are both very experienced in  dealing with  monsters, and they guarantee that if they are unable to remove the monster, that you don't have to pay them anything.   From there, Jess and Paula have a second business they are running:  The Monster Preserve .  This is an area where monsters can live with one another and don't have to  interact  with humans.  They can live in their own environment.  Also for $20, humans can come and visit the Monster Preserve...

 By Nate Feldman *We will listen to activity 1.4 from the textbook.   Vocabulary: 1. unwind : relaxing yourself after working a lot  Discussion questions: *How do you unwind after a busy day?   *What is a good way to take your mind off things? *Give an opinion you have of something.  Then, explain why you have it in a way that gets your partner to say no wonder .   Example: I really love my neighbor!                  Oh really, why?                 My neighbor gives me $1,000 every week!                 Oh, wow!  No wonder you like your neighbor so much!  *Using besides, explain two reasons why you can't do something now.   >>>I can't go to the Four Seasons hotel this weekend because I don't have time.  Besides, that hotel is so expensive!    For example, I unwind by writing s...

 By Nate Feldman Psycho Teacher It was 3:30, and most of the students had either gone home or were doing extracurricular activities.  Andrew and Madison, however, had to stay behind for detention with Mr. Miller, their English and Literature teacher.  They both had fallen asleep in class, and he told them to come after school.   When they entered the classroom, no one was there.  They looked around the room and sat at a desk.  "How long do we wait for this guy before we split?" Andrew asked Madison.   "What is it?  A five-minute rule?"    Andrew and Madison pulled out their phones.  They sat there for five minutes and were about to get up and leave when Mr. Miller entered the room.  He went behind his desk.   "You two were sleeping in class," Mr. Miller told them. "Sorry, we're tired," Andrew told his teacher.   "And you?" Mr. Miller asked Madison. "I'm sorry," was all she had to say.   "...

 By Nate Feldman *We will listen to the lecture about the best ways to reduce stress in our lives.  I will show a clip from my video, Fall Journeys, to show a way I reduce stress.   Note: Your story about stress, no more than a page, should be completed by Friday.  We will have a small vocabulary quiz on Thursday of terms we have learned in this class thus far. Warm-up Discussion: *Do you use any of the techniques the doctor mentioned to reduce stress in your life? Vocabulary: 1. vital : something very important  2. calm your mind : make your mind and thinking more relaxed  3. greater social connections : have more relationships with more people  4. bodily tension : pressure felt by the body when you are stressed  5. trigger : cause something to happen  Discussion:  1. What is vital for good health in your opinion? 2. How do you calm your mind? 3. How do you build greater social connections? 4. What triggers problems for you? ...

 By Nate Feldman Warm-Up: Complete the sentences cope with     enemy    experience  1. I __________________a lot of stress when I have a big exam.   2. One way I ________________stress is to go running.  It really relaxes me. 3. I used to say stress is the __________________in my life, or a really bad thing, but now I am more comfortable with it.   Showing Contrast: 1. Working a lot causes stress.  Nevertheless, I must work.  2. I feel some stress when I work hard.  Despite this, I keep working hard. *For discussion.  Use nevertheless, however, and despite this to describe some facts about you.  Look at the sentences above as examples. Video.  We'll watch Dr. Trudi Edginton talk about causes of stress.   Discussion:  1. Do you think too much is demanded of you? 2. Do you feel you are judged?   3. Do you feel you have chronic, or long-term, stress? 

 Warm-up discussion: Think of the questions that Kelly McGonagal asked at the beginning of her Ted Talks lecture. 1. How much stress have you experienced in the last year? 2. Do you think stress is harmful for your health? Vocabulary discussion: 1. What problems have you experienced lately?  How did you cope with these problems?   2. How do you reduce stress or relieve yourself of stress in your life?  

 By Nate Feldman                                                                    The New Leader               Dan was a field coordinator for a political campaign.   He organized volunteers to spread the word about the candidate he was working for.   He worked in a small office on Main street with four other coordinators and Brian, the manager.   It was a very informal office, so everyone was on a first-name basis there.             One day, Dan arrived to work.   All of the other coordinators were there, but the manager wasn’t.   “Where’s Brian?,” he asked the...