While I'm on the subject.............
Being a stay-at-home mom as I was while raising my children (even through all the years of being a piano teacher), volunteering at my children's schools was always a priority. My volunteer opportunities were varied, including: classroom helper, library assistant, pianist for the elementary music teacher, helping in the Reading Assistance Program, PTA secretary, field trip driver, being on the Gifted Education Task Force and the music curriculum committees for the school district and on the redesign committee for the elementary school, and assisting the junior and senior high school band directors in many capacities.
Although my children were not part of the Reading Assistance Program, I took great pleasure in listening to children read and helping them master new levels so they could advance in their regular classrooms. I remember a particular day when the teacher was teaching the meaning of 'being verbs,' as in 'the act of being.' She wrote this sentence on the board:
THE HOUSE IS BIG.
She dissected the sentence to show the example of a 'being verb.' That was a fine idea, only she took her chalk and underlined the word BIG. Then she told the class, "The being verb is BIG." What? Big is a verb? I don't think so!!! She repeated this several times. I knew better than to refute her assertion in class, so I kept quiet and waited for the class to end. After the children had filed out I went up to her and said, "I realize it's been a lot longer time since I was in school than you were, but when I look at that sentence I don't see BIG as the being verb." She replied, "Yes, it is. BIG is the verb. It is the act of being big." I was incredulous.
I could not let this go. I asked to see a grammar book, but there was none in the classroom. As the school was open concept at the time, I could easily walk around the school and asked two different teachers what they thought. One, who was my son's teacher, agreed with this teacher. Oh dear! Another said, "Um, I'm not sure." No one had a grammar book in their classroom. I still could not let this go. I went to the office and finally found a grammar book. Fortunately, I was able to prove my point with the grammar book, and the following day the teacher began the class period by correcting herself. Now she didn't give credit to the stay-at-home mom school volunteer for proving that point, but I didn't care about that. I didn't want kids running around thinking, "BIG IS A VERB!"
Like I said, grammar snob. It's a whole lot better than being a grammar slob, don't you think?
And honestly, already this morning I had to pull out my red pen and correct something j texted to me. Oh dear, BVG's, I cannot help myself. My mother made me this way. Here's what happened:
Last night I took my third selfie. Once I learn something new I have to keep doing it over and over again until it becomes second nature. That way I won't forget how to do it. I recently got my hair cut and added bangs back in the mix. Elletu says I did it to copy Michelle Obama, but that is not true. I am copying Elletu! I love her bangs, so now I have Elletu bangs, something that used to be part of my hairstyle. And though I have had glasses for 25 years, I always wear my contacts when I am out in public. But yesterday, wanting to give my eyes a break from my contacts, I wore my glasses to the store for the very first time since going to contacts. I took a selfie last night with my bangs and glasses and texted it to the BVG's first thing this morning.
Not to pick on j, but she responded, "Very sheik!" Well, a sheik is an Arab chief, ruler or prince, a leader of a Muslim organization or group. I think j means 'chic,' which is defined as 'elegantly and stylishly fashionable, and that's an adjective.
"Firstelle is very chic."
CHIC IS A VERB! THE ACT OF BEING CHIC!
I'm having a hard time getting the red ink off my cell phone screen.......
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