Thread: grammar tutor for beginner

JJ, yeah, I know about the "кто, что .. кого, чего" stuff.
It was the я был учитель / я был учителем thing that I was asking. Would a teacher correct you if you wrote я был учитель, or is it just considered a matter of 'style'?

Originally Posted by Линдзи

Many of them need to advance several years in less than a year's time. I work them hard, and they'll appreciate it in a few years. I don't care if they like it at the moment. Most of the reason many of them are so far behind is low expectations from their previous instructors. Everyone is capable - including my special ed kids, which make up a small percentage of the class - but they need to be TREATED like they're capable if they're to achieve.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt... go easy on yourself Lindzi, it's a tough gig. удачи

Isn't the difference similar to the use of long and short form adjectives? By which I mean, use of the nominative implies an attribute wholy associated with the subject, wheras the instrumental implies a looser association:

я был учитель - I was a teacher (my whole life, until I retired)

я был учителем - I worked as a teacher/ I was a teacher (for a few years, until I switched careers)


?(I'm asking, not telling)

Originally Posted by waxwing

Originally Posted by Линдзи

Many of them need to advance several years in less than a year's time. I work them hard, and they'll appreciate it in a few years. I don't care if they like it at the moment. Most of the reason many of them are so far behind is low expectations from their previous instructors. Everyone is capable - including my special ed kids, which make up a small percentage of the class - but they need to be TREATED like they're capable if they're to achieve.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt... go easy on yourself Lindzi, it's a tough gig. удачи

Thanks I promised myself that if this makes me crazy I'll get into a different field three years from now. We'll see.

[quote=Линдзи]Unnngh. I'm going to try to reply even though you messed the quotes all up.

Svetlana replies: Yes, and I think I'm going to f*** them all up again....but what the hell

Originally Posted by Светлана Ежова":1ao1bas8][quote="Линдзи":1ao1bas8][quote="Светлана Ежова":1ao1bas8] What is a "high horse?" Causing problems for newbies...oh no...I never do that. I wouldn't want to do that. Actually I prefer to call them rookies or something. "Newbie" sounds a bit crude to me and a bit condescending. I was a new Russian student once also.[/quote]

And "rookie" doesn't sound demeaning? Pshaw. Let's call a spade a spade. If someone's a n00b, they're a n00b. They can study for a while and get past their n00bness. And as for "high horse" - [url=http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=high%20horse]it's a fairly common English colloquialism.[/url][/quote:1ao1bas8]

[quote]Svetlana: Well I am not at all familiar with English (England?) jargon. Fill me in?[/quote][/quote:1ao1bas8]

There's a link in my post above which should clarify meaning for you; also, I believe it is a New World colloquialism and not a British one. Or if it is a British one, it's widely used on this side of the pond.

Svetlana replies: Thanks. Cool.

[quote=\"Svetlana\

Originally Posted by I

So why do you think it's a good idea to drag your feet with students, then? You were bored. You learned less than you could have more slowly than you could have. Taking things slowly is stupid. ESPECIALLY on a college level, where supposedly people already have some academic strength. No taking things slow. Vroooooom. Full speed ahead! Ramming speed!

THE HEDGEHOG Yezhova: Sometimes I believe in taking things slow, sometimes not. Like everything I guess. You cannot go fast with everybody.

Yes, you can. And you should. Better to go too fast and have to go back and review than to noodle around until the Apocalypse. People are generally intellectually lazy and need to be pressured to perform. Obviously you must take the time necessary to teach a topic, but it should be the absolute minimum time necessary. And a class should not be taught to its slowest student.

Svetlana: Heh. I see your point, but I don't see any sense in moving on to lesson B if the students haven't yet mastered A. That would just F*** them all up totally.

Originally Posted by \"Svetlana\"

Originally Posted by I

Quote:
I teach remedial reading, which sounds like a drag, but it actually splendid. I started learning Russian three years ago, at UW-Madison, which is the institution whence my degree came. My progress was aided by a summer at Middlebury Language School and five months doing an internship in St. Petersburg. I'm not the guru Dog makes me out to be, but I am functional as a Russian speaker.

Originally Posted by Svetlana

SY: cool. What is remedial reading?

Originally Posted by I

It's exactly what name says. My job is to bring kids up to their proper reading level. I work in a school district that isn't doing so hot academically.

Svetlana: And do you go slowly with these people? Or at least with some of them?

No. Quite the opposite. They need to catch up, and they need to catch up now. Reading is an essential life skill. Many of them need to advance several years in less than a year's time. I work them hard, and they'll appreciate it in a few years. I don't care if they like it at the moment. Most of the reason many of them are so far behind is low expectations from their previous instructors. Everyone is capable - including my special ed kids, which make up a small percentage of the class - but they need to be TREATED like they're capable if they're to achieve.

Svetlana replies: Again, I see your point. You say, "clean up your room ya little pigs." Whatta ya get? A pigsty of course, and the kids go oink. Remind them enough and they know who they are and what they believe they can do. BUT, I still believe it's necessary to go slower than the crowd sometimes.

Svetlana: Cool. Are their many cowboys/cowgirls down there [in Texas] or have I just seen too many Western made for tv (hee) movies?

I have not met a single cowboy here. I knew more of them back in Wisconsin. Then again, I live in South Texas.

Svetlana replies: Yep. I thought so. I watched too many movies.

Originally Posted by Svetlana

Originally Posted by \"Svetlana\"

By the way, what are vimes and they walk gloomily do they?

Originally Posted by I

Ai ai ai ai. May I recommend the book Jingo by Terry Pratchett?

Svetlana: I have never heard of this writer.

Then it's time to go to the library, kiddo.[/quote:1ao1bas8]

Svetlana replies: Hee. All righty then (ace ventura impression here).

Hey Svetlana, the quote function is mighty cool, but it's best used in moderation. In other words, there is no need to quote a page-long post, then write a one-line response. Just quote whichever part is relevant(or if your response is rather general then don't quote anything). Or, you could do something like this:

Lindzi:
@Lindzi:
Lindzi:

This shows that you're directing your post at Lindzi.

Just to return to the tutoring topic a little bit, seeing as how this thread was originally supposed to be a bout it,
One of my best friends is a beginner Russian language student and I have been teaching him Russian grammar....
Kirill is in my class at university....
My "newbie" Russian language student friend says I tutor well, and my notes are very clear and understandable,
Kirill is a native Russian speaker and we communicate in Russian all the time, and he tells me that I speak and write good Russian.
When a Native russian speaker says my Russian is good, that means something to me!
I indeed am able to tutor.
Not only that, Kirill himself is learning how to tutor for the first time and I even give him advice on tutoring....

Why are you beating a dead horse?

Originally Posted by Линдзи

Why are you beating a dead horse?

Good question.....

I really have no idea why I'm trying to beat a dead horse (gag) when the horse is already dead.

Perhaps the point here is that your tutoring "skills" are just fine. But there is a difference between being an effective tutor and not knowing what the hell you're talking about. I might be a great math tutor-I can explain problems, tell you how to get the answer, explain why you add/divide/subtract here and there-but if I have no freakin clue what I'm talking about, all your answers are going to be wrong. понимаеш? I think that made sense. At any rate, I'm with Линдзи.

Originally Posted by TiaraNEug

Perhaps the point here is that your tutoring "skills" are just fine. But there is a difference between being an effective tutor and not knowing what the hell you're talking about. I might be a great math tutor-I can explain problems, tell you how to get the answer, explain why you add/divide/subtract here and there-but if I have no freakin clue what I'm talking about, all your answers are going to be wrong. понимаеш? I think that made sense. At any rate, I'm with Линдзи.

понимаеш?
Actually, no. You said that you can be a great math tutor, how to get the answer, how to subtract here, and whatever, but you don't know what your talking about. That makes no sense to me. In my opinion, to be a tutor, you do have to know what your talking about. How can you tell someone how to get the answer in a math problem if you don't know what your talking about? So no, I don't really follow you....

I meant the actual skill of tutoring-not the knowledge. I can teach you anything I want to teach you because I have a teaching/tutoring ability, whether what I'm teaching is correct or not. There is a right way to learn-and a wrong way to learn. What I'm saying is that maybe you have the ability to teach-just not the knowledge.

Edit: понимаете? was what I meant.

Понимаешь is perfectly fine in this situation, unless you want to be on вы-terms with Svetlana.

Pravit says:

Originally Posted by Pravit

Понимаешь is perfectly fine in this situation, unless you want to be on вы-terms with Svetlana.

Света говорит....
Это хорошо, Правит....

Даю Если ты хочешь быть на "ты", Тиара,

Это очень хорошо со мной....

Originally Posted by Светлана Ежова

Света говорит....
Это хорошо, Правит....

Даю Если ты хочешь быть на "ты", Тиара,

Это очень хорошо со мной....

ЛОЛ огогого оооо гого ооо!!! господи!!!!!
Это серьезно ?? лололол

что за дребедень? Хахаха... Dorks.

Who are you talking about? Not me, right?

Whoever uses "Вы" on the internet is questionably nerdy... but whoever uses вы and then asks permission to use ты and then states that it is ok to call them ты if it's ok with the other person is just ... HILARIOUS.

I mean... wtf... ITS THE INTERNET... We are not planning a 12 hour brain hemerage surgery here.

its like "First we penetrate the inercortex and carefully remove the abdulaoblengada..."

I mean, wtf just call each other Ты, or вы, but please... please, save yourself from embarassment. Dont ask for permision.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

Whoever uses "Вы" on the internet is questionably nerdy... but whoever uses вы and then asks permission to use ты and then states that it is ok to call them ты if it's ok with the other person is just ... HILARIOUS.

I mean... wtf... ITS THE INTERNET... We are not planning a 12 hour brain hemerage surgery here.

its like "First we penetrate the inercortex and carefully remove the abdulaoblengada..."

I mean, wtf just call each other Ты, or вы, but please... please, save yourself from embarassment. Dont ask for permision.

well I guess I am nerdy then, because I call everyone I'm not familiar with by вы.
I never asked for permission. That is, if it is me you're talking about in the first place. All I did was tell the person Tiara that it was ok if he/she used the Ты, form of "to understand" when speaking to me.
But if it wasn't me you were referring to when talking about people embarrassing themselves, then just ignore this part of my message then. Ok?

Originally Posted by Светлана Ежова

Даю Если ты хочешь быть на "ты", Тиара,

Это очень хорошо со мной....

Вот.

But fine ignore me anyways.

Besides, that's not even good russian. Better to say "я не против" or "я согласна"

But "очень хорошо со мной" sounds funny \ wrong.