Schools

Posted by MichikoNakamura Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:03:09 GMT

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Let's start by reading this conversation between two mothers:

Michiko: Karen, have you found a school for your son yet?
Karen:     Unfortunately, no. What do you think of Sunshine elementary school?
Michiko: I heard it has a solid program and many extracurricular activities but lacks discipline.
Karen: How about Rockwell school? What's their reputation?
Michiko: People say that it's a mediocre school.
Karen:     Maybe we should look into other alternatives.
Michiko: Yeah, there are private schools, church-affiliated schools and home - schooling!

You can ask people what they think of a particular school. For example:

"What do you think of Sunshine elementary school?"

or
"What's the reputation of that school?"

If you have children, they might have trouble at school.

Read this next conversation between a mother and her son:

Mom: How was your day son?
Son:   It was the pits!
Mom: Why? What happened?
Son:   Roger was being a real bully and picking on me.
Mom: What did he say?
Son: He said we were poor and he bet that I didn't even have new clothes to wear!
Mom: Don't pay attention to him. Remember that sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you.
Son:   I'll try to remember that mom.

Children can often be cruel. Children who do this are called "bullies" because they pick on people who are younger or weaker than them. Read this example sentence:

"Don't let any bully pick on you"

There are some proverbs like the one in the conversation:

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

Parents tell children to remember this when someone teases them and not to pay attention to cruel words.

Now, read this next conversation between a teacher and parent:

Mother: How are Mary's grades?
Teacher: She's doing fine except for her Math.
Mother: What can I do to help her?
Teacher: You can make sure she does her homework. Sometimes she doesn't do it.
Mother: All right. Has her behavior   improved?
Teacher: Yes. She's getting along with everyone better. She's not as shy as before.
Mother: That's good news.

Children are sometimes shy in school. Shy means they are timid or reserved. Other children are very active and playful. In the conversation above, the mother asked the teacher:

"Has her behavior improved?"

If your child is shy, you might ask:

"Is Mary still shy in class?"

The teacher might answer with one of these sentences:

"She's getting along with everyone better"

"She's not as shy as before"

Children often try to cut class. That means to not attend class. We
also say to skip class or to "play hooky."

Read these example sentences:

"Carla got in trouble for skipping class"

"Did you ever cut class?"

This act of skipping school is called truancy and the person who does it is called a truant. For example:

"He was caught for truancy by the truant officer"

Teenagers commute to school in different ways. They may walk, drive an car or take the bus. Read this conversation between a father and his daughter:

Father: Bye honey. How are you getting home from school today?
Girl: I'm going home with mom after the PTA meeting. Aren't you supposed to go?
Father: Oops. It was in the back of my mind and I totally forgot!
Girl: Dad! You're very absent-minded recently.
Father: I just have a lot of things on my mind.
Mom: You'd better get going. You'll be late for work.

In this conversation, the father asked the daughter:

"How are you getting home from school today?"

To ask people if they need a ride, you can ask these questions:

"Do you need a ride home from school?"

"Do you want me to pick you up from school?"

A lot of times, people can forget things. One common expression to use is to say that something is in the back of your mind. Read these example sentences:

"That appointment was in the back of my mind"

"You are very absent-minded recently"

If you remember, the father also said there was a lot of things on his mind. That's when you are thinking about a lot of things.

Now, let's read this next conversation between a teacher and a high school student:

Teacher: Keith, you're tardy again!   What's your excuse this time?
Student: Well, um.. I got up late.
Teacher: That's not a good excuse. Please stay and talk to me after class.
Student: um. O.K.

When a person is late for something, we say they are "tardy." Usually schools or other establishments use this word. It means slow.

Read these example sentences:

"Why were you tardy this morning?"

"What delayed you thismorning?"

Now, let's read this next conversation between two college students:

Michiko: Hey Tim, are your parents putting you through school?
Tim: No, I'm making it on my own.
Michiko: What kind of job do you have?
Tim: I'm working part time at a department store.
Michiko: That's tough. Are you having a hard time?
Tim: Not really. My tuition waiver really helps.

In America, many students are independent and support themselves through college. They may work part time and go to school when they aren't working.   If you want to ask a person about who is paying for their education, you can say:

"Are your parents putting you through school?"

or
"Who is paying for your college education?"

Sometimes students stay in a dormitory. Read this conversation between a father and his college age daughter:

Father: How do you like the dorms Judy?
Daughter: It's o.k. but I miss my privacy.
Father: Yeah, I can understand that.
Daughter: I'm not used to coed dorms.
Father: Just grin and bear it honey.

An abbreviation for dormitory is dorms. In this conversation, the daughter is staying in a dormitory. She is uncomfortable staying there for a couple of reasons. She said:

"I miss my privacy"

and
"I'm not used to coed dorms"

A "coed" dormitory means there are both males and females living in the same building. The father told the daugher:

"Just grin and bear it"

When students are not in classes, they're usually studying in their rooms or in the library.

Read this final conversation between two students:

Michael: Hi Linda. What are you studying?
Linda: I'm cramming for my test tomorrow.
Michael: How about your English project?
Linda: I procrastinated on that too so I have to stay up late tonight finishing it.
Michael: Well, good luck.
Linda: Thanks.

When you are trying to prepare for an exam hastily, it's called
cramming. When people procrastinate or wait until the last minute,
they have to cram. Read these example sentences:

"I'm cramming for my test tomorrow"

"I procrastinated on my English homework"