TESOL Blog & Activities

          Going to the theater is an excellent pastime that is both entertaining and enriching.  Many people think of Broadway, the major theater district in New York City, but there are theaters in most smaller towns as well.  Many colleges, like Molloy College, have their own theater and will put on student-led productions of popular plays and musicals.  Additionally, many theaters are home to other artistic productions such as choral or orchestral music and dance.  As a high school student, I loved participating in any production put on by my school.  From being a munchkin in The Wiz  to a principal in a faculty written play I enjoyed each experience.  In fact, I even participated in the crew one semester and ran the lighting board during the show.         I consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to see several on and off-Broadway shows throughout my life.  As a child, I s...

          My favorite hobby of all time has to be baking.  I love hunting for new recipes and testing to see if they are worth keeping.  The process of baking is calming to me.  I love picking my recipe, gathering the necessary ingredients and equipment, and following each step.  While the act of baking is my favorite part of the hobby, sharing the treats I have made with friends and family is a close second.  Nothing beats the shared joy of delivering something special you know will make people smile.  One of my favorite things to bake is cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies.  I could not even count the number of times I have made them!  Sometimes, to shake things up, I like to change aspects of the recipe like adding dried fruit, nuts, or different extracts.          Most recently I baked a cake for my mother's birthday.  I wanted to make something special for her so I baked a two...

         Gardening is another one of my hobbies.  My grandmother and mother both love plants and encouraged me to spend time outdoors.  My grandmother loved growing orchids even though she did not have the best success rate.  She passed her love of plants and gardening to her daughter, my mother Fran, who in turn shared it with me.  Since my grandmother has passed away, I feel most connected to her when I am in my garden, admiring the flowers and wildlife buzzing around me.  I love hearing the birds chirping their unique songs as the breeze blows past me.  My dog Louie enjoys sitting on our porch swing with me while he keeps watch for trespassing squirrels.          Another reason I love plants and gardening is that I am named after two different flowers, Heather and Rose.  Both the Heather and Rose flowers grow on bushes.  Roses come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and styles, while Heather is...

My worst experience was the death of my grandmother at the end of my Junior year of college.  The week before my final exams began for my spring semester my mother called me to inform me of the passing of my grandmother, her mother, who lived with us.  She suffered both a heart attack and stroke at the same time.  While my grandmother was 86, her death was unexpected, as I had just spoken to her just the other week for her birthday.  We had made plans for the summer, my grandmother, mother, and I would see a baseball game together, in addition to other adventures.  I remember how hopeful she was, and excited for us to spend time together when I returned from school.           My grandmother, born and raised in the Bronx, was a Yankees fan.  She knew about every player, their strengths and weaknesses, and would passionately watch each game.  When the Yankees were losing, she would moan like it physically pained her. ...

     I have a dog named "Louie". He is the only pet I have.  My family and I adopted him in the summer of 2014.  At the time, he was only 10 months old.  Compared to the scared little boy he once was, Louie is now a confident mature adult.  While Louie now weighs just under 30 pounds, when we first got him he weighed only 14 pounds.  Now, Louie loves to go on walks with my mother and me around our neighborhood.  We visit our neighbors down the block who have two small children that love playing with Louie.  Lucas and Meimei, our two small neighbors, enjoy watching Louie race around their backyard.  Meimei giggles when Louie's long tale brushes her face or hands.      After a long walk, there is nothing Louie appreciates more than a nap on the couch.  Even though Louie has gotten older, his spirit for life and his love for his family has not faded.  I am so grateful my family and I were able to adopt Louie an...

Recently, I got into painting with watercolors.  While I am still learning, and have much room for improvement, I am proud of what I have done so far.  I find I can get lost when I paint, and completely lose track of time.  Painting with watercolors has been very satisfying to me.  I love being able to create something beautiful with my hands.  Often I paint nature, like landscapes, mountains, sunsets, and trees.  As far as hobbies go, painting with watercolors is relatively inexpensive, and great fun.  Painting allows my mind to wander through the seemingly endless possibilities each color contains. Vocabulary: 1. watercolor (noun):  A type of water-soluble paint that creates a unique effect. 2. improvement (noun):  The action of making something better. 3. satisfying (adjective):  Giving a feeling of fulfillment, or pleasure associated with fulfillment. 4. like (preposition):  Having the same or similar qualities; For example. 5....