Saturday, October 19, 2019

The School that Laid An Egg

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     I got one more essay to add to my book of  Winning Essays yesterday as I edited a recitation for a young man named Oscar from a middle school in Hu-Wei, Taiwan. Someone adapted the Crocodile and Hen folktale, relatives because they both lay eggs, and how the hen saves her life by reminding her predator to this fact of nature; they are brother and sister. The story was solid but it didn't flow or rhyme until I started editing it. There are only a few weeks left before the contest but if Oscar listens to the story as i read and recorded and mimics me, it is only his diction and body language that would get in the way of his winning. 
「The Crocodile and the Hen」的圖片搜尋結果     Why, in the name of English gnomes, don't teachers realize that, no matter how well they did in Taiwan universities, it is imperative to have a native speaker review a work before committing it to a student to memorize? Here I am, at their service, free of charge whether or not they buy textbooks from the publishing agent that contacts me, but they wait until it is too late to do anything about it. They sabotage their students' chances of doing well, perhaps even winning a contest? 
     So, here it is, for anyone who wishes to share it with their charge, my edited version of "The Alligator and the Hen":


            Good morning dear judges and fellow students. The story I will share with you is “Why a crocodile does not eat a Hen.” A long time ago, a hen went down to the bank of a river to look for food. A nearby crocodile noticed her. The crocodile decided to hunt the hen. Off he went in the river singing a song to himself. It went something like this:
“Chu-chun-chun-chun-chun
Chu chun-chun-chun-chun
I’m going on a hen hunt
I’m gonna catch a big one
What a beautiful day
I’m not afraid to say.”
            He stuck his big head out of the water and opened his mouth wide to eat the hen, but the hen saw him and cried out, “Brother, please don’t eat me!”
            The crocodile was so surprised that – SNAP! – he closed his big jaws shut. He was confused. He wondered to himself, “Why did the hen call me ‘brother’? She is not in my family. I am a crocodile and she is a hen.” As the hen waddled away, he promised himself, “Tomorrow I will be back to eat her.”
            The next day the crocodile set off singing the song to himself:
“Chu-chun-chun-chun-chun
Chu chun-chun-chun-chun
I’m going on a hen hunt
I’m gonna catch a big one
On this beautiful day
I won’t be fooled this way.”
            He stuck his big head out of the water looking for the hen. He saw her and said, “Hey hen, today I’m going to swallow you down in one gulp!” He opened his mouth wide but the hen spoke up again.
            “Brother, please don’t eat me,” and waddled away. Once again – SNAP – the crocodile closed his big mouth. He was mad at himself. “Why did I let the hen go? She cannot be a member of my family! I’m going to find her right now and eat her up once and for all!”
            The crocodile got out of the river looking for the hen. On the way, he met his friend, the lizard, who asked, “Crocodile, is something bothering you?”
            “Listen, lizard. I have a problem. Every day a fat little hen comes down the riverbank for food. She looks sooooo delicious that my mouth starts to water but just when I open my mouth to gobble her up, she says, ‘Brother, don’t eat me!’ Why do you think she keeps calling me ‘brother’?”
            “Oh, that’s easy,” said the lizard. “Ducks lay eggs. Turtles lay eggs. I lay eggs. You lay eggs. Hens lay eggs.” So in this way, we are all brothers and sisters.
            “Hmmm, I didn’t realize that. Aw shucks!” He started to go back home but with a different song that went like this:
“Chu-chun-chun-chun-chun
Chu chun-chun-chun-chun
I’m not going on a hen hunt
I’m not gonna catch one
What a day!
I’m not glad today.”
            To this day, even though the hen looks very delicious, when she comes down to the riverbank, the crocodile does not eat her.


            Thanks you for listening. I hope you liked the story. Have a good day.
Copyright © 2019 by David Barry Temple. All rights reserved.


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Workplaces & Occupations



Green Sings:
 Zum zum zum zum
zum zum zum

Red Sings: 
Working working working working

Orange Sings:
Zum gali-gali-gali, zum gali-gali 
Zum gali-gali-gali, zum gali-gali 

Blue Sings:
We are working working along
We are singing, singing a song




Question: Where does a pharmacist work?
Answer: She works in a drug store.

Question: Who works in a drug store?
Answer: A pharmacist works in a drug store.

Question: Where is a drug store?
Answer: A drug store is next to a gas station
(next to **, between*+* , across from =)