Today, my morning ESOL class and I went on a field trip to the Peanut Shop on Main Street. Initially, I’ll have to be honest, I just wanted to do something fun. While my class, as many of Project Learn staffers will attest to, can be a laugh riot, we don’t often do things outside the classroom, and, unfortunately, Akron doesn’t have a lot to offer in the downtown area on Wednesday and Friday mornings (We’re going to the Museum on May 2). Plus, my students always like to experience Akron localities, especially my Japanese students who make restaurant recommendations to me quite often.
So, we headed down the street to eat up some peanuts. It actually turned out to be more educational than I originally thought. Not only did they learn new vocabulary about nuts but also had the opportunity to practice placing an order and learn new vocabulary regarding weight. Marg, the owner, was great. She explained the history of the shop and told the class all about the historical decorations (old peanut roasters, etc.) that decorate the shop. Standing among all the candy and nuts, I’ll have to say that I felt like I was in the candy shop from the beginning of the 1970’s version of Willy Wonka. The shop isn’t that big, so it’s easy to see that with approximately 10 students we basically took over.
The entire class left with bags full of nuts, paid for and free samples, and a couple pictures to boot. Marg even took one for her own collection. Afterwards, we walked across the street to Lock 3 to chat and bask in the sun. While it was an impromptu English lesson, everyone had a lot of fun, and the students seemed to take home a little more than just nuts (which when you’re in my class you tend to get a lot of).
I highly suggest that everyone check it out!
Until next time,
Kolter
