Teacher Appreciation Week

As Teacher Appreciation week approaches I thought I would share some funny stories about my husband. When I first met him, though he was very proficient in English, there were still a few times that we had communication issue.  I hope you enjoy.  And I not only want to hear stories from all my teacher friends, but I would like to say Thank you for all you do to shape minds and mentor young people - especially those struggling with English!


When my husband and I started dating I never took into consideration that English was his second language because he was very fluent.  There just weren't too many times that he would ask me to explain or ask what something meant.  He did say some really funny things, for example; instead of "Fine-see if I care!" he would say - "Fine- Look if I care!", and instead of "This is the best lasagna I've ever had!" he would say- "This is the best lasagna I never have!".  He still shuffles the snow from the driveway and shovels a deck of playing cards.  He uses expressions like, "You in the right truck" (you're on the right track) and "It's taking a long time for you to get off the pot" (poop or get off the pot).  He preheats the aven (oven), eats pitches (peaches), and loves Lance Am'strong (Armstrong).

Right after we graduated from college, he got a job teaching at The Little Gym and brought home a binder filled with songs he had to "learn".  Well I took one look and started to laugh, these were songs any one of us would have heard or sang a thousand times in childhood, however it never dawned on me that they don't sing Pop goes the Weasel in Greece. So we spent the better part of a night singing and when we got to the ABC's he said, "Why you sing it?" I don't know, but I still sing it when I need to put things in alphabetical order.  "You mean I suppose to say the alphabet in order?"  They taught him English without ever teaching him the alphabet!

I must not have done a good job of teaching him the songs because in the first parents class he taught he asked everyone to help him sing the Itchy Bitchy Spider.  He started singing and everyone just stared at him, he just kept singing, thinking maybe no one knew it.  When he got all done one of the mother's kindly went over to ask him what he was singing- to which he replied, "the itchy bitchy spider?"  She explained that the song was the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  He's never gotten that one wrong again!

Once while helping him prepare for a job interview I was asking him questions about salary. (Which by the way he pronounces - celery, and the vegetable, you guessed it - salary)  After practising a few times we ran through a mock interview and half way through I asked the question, "What kind of a salary are you looking for?" to which he passionately replied, "I just want to be constipated for what I do!"

But the very best story was the night we were sitting in my apartment, we had dinner, watched a romantic movie,and we were just sitting quietly when he looked over at me and said, "You are unforgivable."
I think he figured out pretty quickly that he had the wrong word as I stood up, burst into tears, and started shrieking, "What did I ever do to you?!" To which he stood up and shrieked, "What did I say? What did I say?"  We went at each other like this for about 20 minutes.

Those of you that know us well can not only picture this, but you are probably changing underwear right now as you have peed your pants laughing.  We acquired the nicknames, Lucy and Ricky, and we earned every bit of it....

I finally realized he was asking me what he had just said because he truly didn't know.  Just like calm after the storm, I suddenly got very still and said, do you mean unforgettable? Is that good-he said.  Yes, I replied. "YES! That is what I mean you unforgettable!!"

Thank you my dear friends: Julie, Linda, Betsy, Sue, Katie, Carolyn, Angela, Cathy, Mary, Vicky, Molly, Terri, Jodie, Beth, Cindy, Marie, Toni, and many many more ;-)