Songs I might use for teaching
This one's for learning the day's of the week. I'd probably include the German intro just for kicks.
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For learning a few subject pronouns.
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I´ve actually already used this one, and it´s definitely been a hit. Might not be as cool to the kids as Yu-Gi-Oh cards, but it still gets their attention.
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Believe it or not, I´ve used this too. The teacher normally has the students stand up and say a prayer before starting class. All are native Spanish speakers, and most are probably Catholic. I am neither. Oblivious to this possibility, the teacher informed me that I should have them repeat a prayer in English. Though I come from a Protestant family, I am not used to saying official-sounding prayers. So, I stood there for a few awkward moments, making bumbling noises to myself as I fished around for something to say to them. I felt a bit like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when the parents of his wife-to-be invited him to say Grace. Among the older group of students, there is one girl who knows a fair amount of English, such that she could rat me out if I just made something up. I did remember the prayer that my grandpa says for Grace every year before Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. We were not, however about to gorge ourselves on turkey, or stuffing, or even gallo pinto. Thus, holy as it may be, the Ahrens family prayer would not save me from my discomfort and the children´s boredom. What was I to do? In the end, the solution came to me just as it did to Gaylord Focker: through the sweet medium of song. Except my song was even better than Gaylord´s. After years of lying dormant somewhere in my long-term memory, the lyrics to Metallica´s ¨Enter Sandman¨ - the song that diehard fans loath and that everyone inevitably hears at least once at some sporting event - unexpectedly saved the day. To find out what I mean, listen to the song (especially the part starting at around 3:34).
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Songs I might not use for teaching
Last week my host mother showed me how she uses worms to help compost things like banana peels, old newspapers, and cow poop. Such items are a part of their daily diet and they gladly chow down on them as a meal or light snack. In doing so, they later produce healthy soil or "tierra" with their waste. It's truly a beautiful thing. It should also be noted that some worms have some rather silly names, such as the red wiggler and the penis worm. To them - and to all other types of worms - I dedicate this song.
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These are two of the songs I have heard the most while in Costa Rica.
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Straight-up pájaros
