Simple Stories in English: Life on Stage

Season 2, episode 12

Hello and welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English. I love the theater. I love acting and singing and being in front of an audience. I haven’t been on a stage in years, but I have wonderful memories from my time in the theater and I use my experience now to tell stories. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores my short-lived life on stage.


This story is in the first person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: skit, play, stage, and theater. 

Life On Stage

When I was 8 (eight) years old I participated in a program called 4-H. One activity that I did with my club was write and present a skit that represented the values of 4-H. Those values are head, heart, hands, and health. We created a skit with action and music. We did a great job. We won a trophy and got to present our skit at the state fair. It was my first time acting and I loved it.

When I was 10 (ten) years old I joined the school choir. Choir taught me to breathe correctly and to project my voice. I gained confidence and, with practice and experience, I learned to control my nerves.

When I was 12 (twelve) years old, I acted in another skit about a scientist. All the kids in seventh grade participated in the skit, but I had one of the leading roles. I was very proud of myself!

I wanted to act more. In high school there were three theater productions per year: one in the fall, one in the winter, and one in the spring. The fall play was a drama or a comedy. The winter play was a short one-act play for competition. The spring play was always a musical.

I had small roles in productions of “Charlotte’s Web” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, but when I was 15 (fifteen) I got what I considered to be the best role, the role of Annie. It was very special for me to be on stage and sing the famous lyrics: the sun’ll come out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun.

My school’s auditorium is a special place. As a matter of fact, the whole high school is special. The construction of the school lasted 3 years and cost $4 million in the year 1922 (nineteen twenty two). The auditorium copied the Capitol Theater in New York and has elegant architecture. The walls are decorated with paintings with gold detail. The six crystal chandeliers were imported from Belgium. The organ was imported from Germany and is one of only 3 that still exist from that company. There is a balcony and seats for almost 2000 (two thousand) people.

The auditorium also holds a lot of mystery. As it is a very old space, there are stories of ghosts. Even I have stories about the ghosts there.

One Saturday I was working with three friends to clean the prop room, the room that holds all the objects we use in theater productions like cups, bags, dishes, fake flowers, and more. I went down to the stage and I heard something. A lot of tourists come to see the auditorium so I wasn’t scared. However when I looked out at the seats from the stage, I didn’t see anyone. I was about to return off-stage to the prop room when I heard a girl crying.

I said hello, but there was no answer, the girl kept crying. I looked through all the seats and I finally saw her in the balcony. I didn’t understand why she was on the balcony. Tourists entered the auditorium through a specific door and all the other doors, including the doors to the balcony, should be locked. The girl was very young, six or seven years old. She had brown hair and was wearing a white dress. I talked to her. I told her that I would come get her and we would find her family.

I left the stage and ran to the balcony stairs. When I got to the doors to the balcony, they were locked. I couldn’t get in. I returned to the stage to tell the girl that I was going to look for help and that everything was going to be okay, but when I looked at the balcony, the girl wasn’t there. My friends were on the stage and I asked them if they had seen the girl on the balcony, but they hadn’t seen or heard anything.

The most famous auditorium ghost in my old high school is in seat J-47. There are a lot of rumors about that ghost. The most popular rumor is that a man died in that seat during a play. Now he watches all the productions from that seat. There are even photos of the ghost in his seat, but a lot of people say they are fake. I saw those photos in person in the 90s and the camera that took them. I don’t know if they are real or fake, but I do know that there is a presence because I have felt it.

The seats in the auditorium bounce upright, unless someone is sitting in them. Seat J-47 is almost always down, like someone is sitting there. Also, the space around the seat is always cold. But the biggest reason I know there is a presence is because I have seen the ghost during theater performances and practices.

In my last year of high school we did a very fun comedy musical called “I’m Sorry the Bridge is Out, You’ll Have to Spend the Night.” It is a funny musical about a couple that has to spend the night in Dr. Frankenstein’s house during a horrible storm. The doctor has other guests like Dracula and his girlfriends and the wolf man and his mom. Each person in the mansion wants to use the man or woman to advance some evil plan.

I played the woman in the couple and it was my favorite role. The play began with a completely dark auditorium. Andy, the man, and I walked to the middle of the auditorium and I screamed – it was what I was supposed to do. After I screamed in the dark auditorium, we turned on flashlights we were carrying and a spotlight lit us up. Then we slowly moved to the stage.

One night after my scream when we passed seat J-47, the air got very cold and the flashlights in our hands stopped working. I saw a figure in the seat and I wanted to scream again, but I had to keep acting. I saw the figure a few more times during the performance. I asked my friends about it and a few of them said they saw something white in that area too.

I loved my high school theater. I was in it almost every day. My last role in that special auditorium was not planned. I dreamed of becoming a director after graduating, so I took the position of Assistant Director. Unfortunately, the leading actress lost her voice and then had a family issue. She couldn’t continue and we didn’t have an understudy. I had two weeks to learn all her lines and songs. At least I already knew all the stage directions.

On opening night I was very nervous that I was going to forget something, but everything turned out really well. After finishing I went out to greet the public. My dad was crying, which isn’t a big deal because my dad always cries. He hugged me and told me that one song I sang in the play was very special for him. It was a song he heard on the radio with his dad. My grandpa died when my dad was only 23 and hearing that song brought him back to his childhood.

Love makes the world go round, love makes the world go round. Somebody soon will love you, if no one loves you now. High in a silent sky, love sings a silver song. Making the Earth whirl softly, love makes the world go round.

I studied theater in college. I took part in several plays on stage and behind the scenes. I worked in a costume studio and with lightning equipment. I directed skits and a complete play. I acted, danced, and sang. But none of that impacted me as much as my time on stage in my beautiful high school auditorium.

I have not been on a stage for years and I really miss it. Each time I see a play I remember the energy and emotion I felt. Maybe someday I will act again, but for now I am content with my leading role of mother, teacher, and storyteller. Thank you for being my audience.

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Was My Childhood Like?

Season 2, episode 11

I have very fond memories of my childhood. I spent a lot of time outside with my friends and family, no matter the time of year. As a child I played, I ran, I rode bikes, I read, and I just had fun. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what is my family like?”.

Important vocabulary in the story includes: winter, outside, memory, doll, and childhood.

What was my Childhood Like?

I was born in the 1980s in northern Minnesota. Life was different when I was young.

When I was young I spent a lot of time outside. It didn’t matter what the temperature was. My siblings and I were outside in the summer and we were outside in the winter. In the winter we built snowmen. Sometimes there were ten or more snowmen in the yard. When there was a lot of snow, and there always was a lot of snow in northern Minnesota when I was young, we built forts. We made two forts, one on each side of the driveway, and we would throw snowballs at each other.

Another favorite activity was sledding. There were a lot of places to go sledding and it was always fun. We would go so fast down the hills. We would push up the snow and make jumps. I didn’t like the jumps as much because it hurt to fall. After sledding, we would go home and my mom would make hot chocolate. She warmed the milk on the stove for the hot chocolate and it took a long time. By the time the hot chocolate was ready to drink, we were already warmed up, but it still tasted really good!

In the summer I spent a lot of time outside. I liked helping my mom in the garden. We had sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, raspberries and cherries. I used to pick carrots right out of the garden and wash them off with water from the hose for an afternoon snack. We had a very big raspberry patch and I would hide in it and eat so many raspberries. Raspberries are still my favorite fruit.

When I was very little, I rode a tricycle around the yard. We had a good driveway and my siblings and I would imagine that we lived in a big city and there was a lot of traffic. We would drive like crazy people on our tricycles and bicycles and someone always got hurt, but we would put on a bandaid and keep going!

In the summer evenings, we often rode bikes as a family. My dad would take us kids on a bike ride around the neighborhood. He had a special seat for little kids on his bike. I don’t remember riding in the seat, but I remember my siblings on the kids’ seat while I rode my red bike with its blue and white basket.

Sometimes I rode with my sister on her bike. That practice was not safe. Once my sandal got caught in the wheel spokes. My whole ankle quickly got stuck in the wheel. My sister and I fell. My sister ran to the house for my dad. He cut the spokes to free my foot. I was crying a lot. I twisted my ankle and I hurt my knee and elbow. I didn’t ever ride on my sister’s bike after that.

I also spent time outside with my friends. There were a lot of kids on my street and we got together all the time. We rode bikes and played hide and seek and other children’s games. One of my friends had a little play house in her yard. During the summer, the girls in the neighborhood would play “school” in the little house. One of us was the “teacher” and she would teach basic concepts like colors, shapes, and numbers. We did practice sheets in the pretend school. We were smart girls, maybe because of our pretend “summer school”.

I also spent time indoors. I played board games like Chutes and Ladders or my favorite, Trouble, with the special bubble you had to push to move the die inside. I played card games like Uno and Go Fish.

In addition to board games, my sibling and I played hide and seek a lot. There were many places to hide in the house. We also played house or store. I liked to pretend to be a dog and I would crawl around the house barking.

I shared a room with my sister Miriam until I left home at the age of 18. Miriam and I played with dolls. We had Barbie dolls and some small dolls called Glamor Gals. We made clothes for our dolls with tissues, tape, and deflated balloons. When I was little I really wanted a Ken doll to play with the Barbie dolls, but I never got one.

Miriam and I did not always get along well. We were very different people and we fought a lot growing up. We fought over the dolls or about who would sleep on top the top bunk and who would sleep on the bottom bunk. Later we fought over having privacy in the bedroom or about the music we wanted to listen to.

I didn’t just play with my sister, I also played with my brothers. My brothers and I played with cars. We built cities of blocks with streets for the cars. The cars had personalities and families. Sometimes Godzilla would destroy the city and attack the cars. I didn’t like when Godzilla attacked the city because he would always destroy my house first.

My brothers and I also played with Lego a lot. I liked to build houses and make up stories for the Lego people. My brothers liked to build cars and make them crash into the houses and people. Sometimes it was hard to play with my brothers.

As a child I thought my two older sisters were super cool. They had long hair, while I always had short hair. They had a big bedroom in the attic and I felt so special when they invited me to their bedroom. Sometimes my sisters would bring their radio to my room. They played music by the Bangles, Madonna, and Michael Jackson and we would dance and jump on the beds.

My mom didn’t work when I was a kid, she stayed at home to take care of her children (my parents had ten kids total). My mom was a wonderful mom. She prepared delicious meals, made sure we always had clean clothes, and take us where we needed to be. When I was very young, my mom read to me. We had a lot of books and she read to me every day. When I could read on my own, I read to my younger siblings to help out my mom and because I just really liked to read.

I liked reading with my mom, but my favorite activity with my mom was baking. We would make cookies, pies, bread, and rolls. My mom still makes the best rolls.

My dad worked as an electrical engineer. I didn’t do much with him during the week, but I have good memories of the weekends. My dad prepared dinner on Saturdays. He made pancakes with eggs and sausage or bacon. He would play music from the 50s and 60s and we danced in the living room. On Sundays my dad made popcorn on the stove. Later we would eat the popcorn and watch a nature program on TV. Sometimes he made caramel popcorn. It was, and still is, the best!

When I was a child I collected teddy bears. I had a lot of stuffed animals, but the bears were my favorite. My bear collection continued for years. I still collected teddy bears when I was in high school. I received teddy bears for my birthday and Christmas.

As a child I loved Christmas. It was my favorite holiday. I liked decorating the tree a lot. My dad would cut a tree in the woods. Now I see pictures and the Christmas trees seem so small, but when I was a child they seemed big and perfect. My mom would unpack and put hooks on the ornaments and my siblings and I hung them on the tree. There were always sections with a lot of ornaments. I think my mom fixed those sections when we weren’t looking.

Christmas was always chaotic. We received a lot of presents from my grandparents and there were a lot of wrapped boxes under the tree. After opening the boxes, there was a lot of wrapping paper. My mom liked to save the pretty paper to use again.

I have other childhood memories of traveling and visiting family. I have nice childhood memories. I am grateful for my parents, siblings, and friends that helped me form these memories. Now I work to create nice memories for my children.

And you? What were you like as a child? What did you do outside? Who did you play with? What did you play? What memories do you have? What was your childhood like?

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Is My Family Like?

Season 2, episode 10

Hello and welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English. I love my family. I have two wonderful sons that I adore. I also have many brothers and sisters who are very important to me, along with my own mom and dad. My extended family also has a special place in my heart. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what is my family like?”.

Important vocabulary in the story includes: older, younger, son, siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandparents.

What is my Family Like?

What is my family like? My family is the center of my life. I connect with someone from my family every day. My family is divided in groups. There is the family that lives in my house, which consists of my children; the family I was born into, which consists of my siblings and parents; and my extended family, which includes nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Another important family group for me is my ancestors, or my deceased family members.

The most important members of my family are the two boys that live in my house. They are my sons, John and Emmett.

Emmett is my oldest son. He is 14 years old. He is tall. He is taller than me! Emmett has brown hair like me and blue eyes like his dad.

The adjective that best describes Emmett is creative. He likes to paint. He has a poster of Bob Ross in his bedroom. He watches his videos on YouTube and he uses his techniques to make “happy trees” on original paintings. Sometimes he draws, but he prefers painting. Emmett has a lot of Legos. He is always building something. He prefers building big trucks or robots. Sometimes he and I build scenes or buildings together because I like Legos a lot too.

Emmett has a lot of interests. Like many kids, he likes playing video games. He plays with his friends, his brother, his cousin and with me. One summer, Emmett played baseball and later he played basketball. He decided he doesn’t really like sports. Now Emmett plays the trombone in the concert band and jazz band at his school.

Emmett is fun and I like to spend time with him. I used to read to him every night, but now we talk instead. I know that these moments won’t last forever and that very soon he is not going to want my affection, so I enjoy every moment.

John is my youngest son. He is 11 years old. His hair is blonde and curly. He has blue eyes and big ears. He is famous for saying “the end” at the end of my podcast.

The adjective that best describes John is curious. He likes outer space. He received a telescope for Christmas. He likes to look at the stars and learn about the planets. He is frustrated because Pluto isn’t a planet anymore. He likes learning about the nations of the world and the states in the United States. He reads books about the presidents. His favorite presidents are Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

Like his brother Emmett, John has many interests. He plays video games with his brother, friends, and me. He plays with Legos and makes stop-motion videos. He likes to draw and I have some of his drawings in my classroom. John also likes to write. He is a very good writer. I think John is a good writer because he is also a good reader. John likes to read book series like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians.

In my home it is just my sons and I, but my family is much bigger than only the three of us.

I have five sisters. I have three older sisters and two younger sisters. My sisters are kind and beautiful women. My sisters and I are very active. We like to be outdoors. When we are together we walk in the desert, the woods or the mountains. My sisters are intelligent and hard-working. They are engineers, managers, teachers, and mothers.

Unfortunately, my sisters don’t live close to my home. We are not physically close because we live in four different states, but we are spiritually close and we connect with technology. My sisters are my best friends. When I have a problem, I just call one of my sisters. They listen and are very understanding. They have good ideas and experiences that help me in my life.

I don’t just have sisters. I also have brothers. I have four brothers. I have one older brother and three younger brothers. Like my sisters, my brothers live in different states. Unlike my sisters, we are not particularly close. We call each other sometimes and we send photos and texts.

With all of these kids, my parents are special people. My mother is named Betty and my dad is named John. They like being grandparents and spending time with their grandchildren in person and on video. They also like being parents. My youngest brother has Downs Syndrome and will always live with them. They are very loving and patient with him.

My parents don’t work now and spend their days thinking about family. My mother does activities with my brother like putting together puzzles and cooking. She makes cookies with the grandchildren that live near her. She writes postcards to her grandchildren that live far away. My dad spends his time with his ancestors. My dad looks for information and documents about the deceased members of our family. We know a lot about our ancestors thanks to my father’s work and that of his sister, my aunt.

My extended family consists of 5 cousins, 3 aunts, 2 uncles, 11 nieces and 5 nephews. Unfortunately, my grandmothers both died in a year ago and both of my grandfathers died many years ago. I miss my extended family. We don’t see each other often as we live very far apart.

Finally, there are my ancestors. Since I live in the United States, the majority of my ancestors are immigrants, although there is one woman from the Lakota Sioux tribe in my family tree. My ancestors are mostly from Sweden, England, Ireland, and Germany. Their histories are fascinating and I love finding artifacts about their lives.

Family is important to me. Being with my family is the most meaningful part of my day. It is the most meaningful part of my whole life. I am grateful for all of my family.

And you? Who is a part of your family? Do you have children? Grandchildren? Siblings? Nieces and nephews? What do you do with your family? What is your family like?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: Where Do I Go?

Season 2, episode 9

In today’s episode, I explain where I go. I go to some places frequently, like work and the store. Other places I go to when I have time.

This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: school, shopping, church, countries, and home. 

Where Do I Go?

Where do I go? Some days I go to a lot of places. Other days, I don’t go anywhere. But there are some places that I visit frequently.

For example, I go to work. I work in a school. I go to school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Sometimes I go to school on Fridays, but I don’t go every Friday. I don’t go to school every Friday because there are no classes on Fridays. When I go to school on Fridays it is for a teacher work day, but there are no students.

At school, I go to my classroom. I like my classroom. It is big and has a lot of art and a lot of words on the walls. My classroom is different from other classrooms because I don’t have desks or tables. My students sit in chairs around the room. I like this because I can move around the room and get close to my students to answer their questions and help them. It is also nice for when we act out stories or do group activities.

When I need copies of activities for my students, I go to the office. I go to the office to use the copier. I also go to the office to chat with the secretary because she is my friend. Sometimes there are snacks in the office too!

When it is time to eat, my students go to the cafeteria. I don’t go to the cafeteria to eat because I bring food from my house and eat in my classroom. But sometimes I go to the cafeteria during lunch to look for a student.

After lunch, I go outside. I go outside to take a walk. I like to walk everyday. At work I am inside all day, so I go outside and I walk with a friend during my lunch.

Fortunately, my whole life is not work. I don’t only go to work at the school, I go other places too.

Sometimes I go shopping. When I need shoes or new clothes I go shopping. I go to stores like Famous Footwear, TJ Maxx, or Target. I also like to go to thrift stores that sell used clothing. I don’t often like to go shopping. I don’t need very much and I already have a lot of stuff. But I do like window shopping. Window shopping is when you look at things, but don’t buy anything. I like looking at pretty things like artwork, crafts, and earrings. 

On Fridays or Saturdays I go to the supermarket. I go to the supermarket to buy food for the week. I typically go to the supermarket in the morning. I go in the morning because there aren’t  as many people in the morning. I don’t go to the supermarket on Sundays. It is crazy on Sundays!

I go to places like work and the supermarket because I need to go there. But I go to some places because I want to go there.

On Sundays I go to church. I go to church because I am a religious person. In church I listen to sermons and sing hymns. I love to sing hymns. I conduct the music for the congregation at church. I also work with children at church.

I go to the mountains. I mention the mountains a lot in my stories because the mountains are a big part of my life. I go to the mountains almost every week. I go to the mountains to hike. I go to the mountains to ski. I go to the mountains to camp. I go to the mountains with my family and with my friends. Often I go to the mountains to be alone and think.

I go to the Grand Mesa. The Grand Mesa is a national forest near Grand Junction in the state of Colorado where I live. I go to the Grand Mesa a lot because it reminds me of my home in Minnesota. It is a very pretty place. I usually go to the Grand Mesa in the winter. In the winter there is a lot of snow and everything is white. There are a lot of cross country ski trails on the Mesa. I ski and contemplate life. 

I also go to the Grand Mesa in the summer. In the summer there are lakes and all the plants are green. I go in the summer to camp with my family. From the Grand Mesa it is possible to see desert and mountains in the distance. It is also possible to see animals like bears, deer, moose, and bald eagles.

I go to national parks. I love nature and there is a lot of nature in the national parks. There are several national parks near my home. Some of my favorite national parks are Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, Yosemite National Park in California, and Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. In the parks I go to all the popular sites and I take photos of incredible views. I also hike on trails and explore.

When I can, I go to the state of Minnesota. I go to Minnesota because I am from Minnesota. I go to Minnesota to visit my family. My parents live in Minnesota. Some of my siblings also live in Minnesota. I go to Minnesota to visit my friends. In Minnesota I go to the city of Duluth because it is very pretty. In Duluth I go to Lake Superior and I look at the big ships and skip stones on the water. In Minnesota I go to the Mall of America. There are a lot of stores in the Mall of America and some roller coasters. I go to the Lego store in the mall. It is one of my favorite stores.

I go to other countries. When I have the opportunity, I go to other countries like Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. I go to the countries to experience their food and culture. I go to the countries to have special experiences with the people that live there. I go to other countries to learn and expand my mind.

After I visit all these places, I go home. After work, I go home. After vacation, I go home. After spending the day in nature, I go home. After going shopping, I go home. I love my home, it is very comfortable and in a great location. 

And you? Where do you go during the week? Where do you go in your free time? Where do you go to have fun? Where do you go?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: Where Do I Live?

Season 2, episode 8

 I love where I live. I have a beautiful house in a small town in western Colorado. I have lived in 3 houses in this town over the last 19 years and in this episode I will describe those houses.

This story is in the first person and the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: house, neighbors, windows, dining room, basement, garage, and yard.

Where Do I Live?

Where do I live? The quick answer is that I live in a house in Colorado. Colorado is a state in the western United States and I live on the west side of the state in the Rocky Mountains. I am not from Colorado – I was born and raised in Minnesota, a central northern state. However, I have lived in Colorado for 19 (nineteen) years. All that time, I have lived in the same small town, although I have lived in 3 (three) different houses.

My first house in Colorado was old and small. It only had 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a long living room and a kitchen. It also had a small, scary basement. It didn’t have a big yard and it didn’t have a garage. I lived in that house for 6 years. Overall, I liked the house. It had big windows. It had a pretty view from the front porch. It was a historic house. I had kind neighbors. It was close to the library, post office, bank and supermarket. But it was small and the street in front of the house was very busy.

When my older son was one year old, we moved to the country. We were still near the city, but we had more space. We had an enormous yard with space for animals and a garden. The house was bigger too. Instead of only 2 bedrooms there were 4. And there were 3 bathrooms! We decided to use one of the bedrooms as an office, but the office was always disorganized, so I used a space in my bedroom to make my podcast.

The house also had a big living room, a formal dining room, a kitchen and a space in the kitchen for eating. It had a two-car garage, but that wasn’t enough space for all our projects, so we built a large garage separate from the house to work on vehicles.

One thing I didn’t like about that house was there weren’t many windows. I like to look at nature and I like to have natural light in my house. Additionally, I like to have the option of opening windows and having fresh air in the house, especially when the weather outside is perfect. But that house didn’t have many windows. As a matter of fact, in the whole house there were only 8 windows. Two of the windows were big and there were two additional doors that had windows, but for such a big house, it didn’t have enough windows.

When I got divorced, we had to sell the house in the country. When I was looking for a new place to live, I wanted several things. First, I wanted a house with windows and natural light. I wanted at least 3 bedrooms. I wanted space for my two sons and their friends. I wanted space to make my podcast. I wanted a garage. I wanted a basement. I wanted a yard, but not too big of a yard. I wanted a calm place to relax in my yard. And I wanted to live in the same town.

There were not many options in the town in my price range. Many desirable houses cost $500,000 (five hundred thousand dollars) or more. That’s half a million! I am only a teacher and I don’t have that kind of money. I checked available houses in my area religiously and one day I saw my house in my price range. I bought the house and it is practically perfect.

I wanted a house with windows and my house has 17 windows. The view from my windows is incredible. One fantastic thing about my windows is that they are on the north and south sides of the house, so there is a lot of natural light, but they don’t cause a lot of heat in the house during the hot summer months.

I wanted a house with at least 3 bedrooms. Well, my house has 4 bedrooms. There is a big bedroom for me, a medium bedroom for each of my sons and an extra bedroom. Right now the extra bedroom is a craft room full of books, engineering kits, art supplies, and yarn.

I wanted space for my sons and their friends. My sons picked their bedrooms and they are very happy to have their own bedroom. They don’t have to share. They decorated their bedrooms. My older son collects bison. He has a bison wall hanging, bison painting, bison figurines, and stuffed bison. He also has a poster of the painter Bob Ross. My younger son is very interested in space and has the planets hanging from his ceiling. He also likes Harry Potter and has a collection of Harry Potter Lego sets on his bookshelf.

I wanted a finished basement to have more space for my sons. I like basements. I like the space for storing decorations and food. I like the extra space for the kids to play and I like that they are cool in the summer. Unfortunately, my house does not have a basement. Basements are not very common here. It isn’t horrible that there is no basement because there is space in the garage for the decorations and there is space in the kitchen for the food, but I have to be creative with the extra space for my sons and their friends.

My house has a formal dining room, but it also has space in the kitchen to eat. Since I don’t need a formal dining room and I wanted more space for my kids, we decided to turn the dining room into a Lego room. My sons and I have a lot of Legos. We love Legos. We have Harry Potter Legos, a lot of vehicles, city buildings and houses, and many original constructions. We built a Lego city in the center of the room. My sons play with Lego with me and with their friends. My younger son even makes stop motion Lego movies in the Lego city.

I wanted a house with a garage and my house has a garage. I am happy I can park my car in the garage, especially when it snows. I wanted a yard, but not a huge yard and I have a perfect yard. There is green grass in the front of the house and a patio in the back. I wanted a calm space in the yard to relax and one thing I love about my house is that there aren’t other houses behind me. I only have two neighbors. When I am on my patio, I don’t see my neighbor’s houses, I see rocks, trees and animals like squirrels, bunnies, and even deer. It is very relaxing and pretty.

I wanted a space to make my podcast in my house. I still don’t have the perfect space, but this white wall in my bedroom works just fine. Maybe someday I will clean up the craft room and make it into a podcast studio.

My home is not perfect, but I like it a lot. I like the layout and the natural light. I like the blue cabinets in the kitchen and big countertops. I like the grey wood floor that is easy to clean. I like where my house is located because I am in town, but I have a lot of privacy. I believe I am where I need to be.

What is your house like? Do you have a lot of windows? Do you have a yard or garden? Where do you live?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Do I Eat?

Season 2, episode 7

Today’s story is all about food. Breakfast food, snacks, dessert. Get ready to hear about what I eat. I hope you don’t get too hungry as you enjoy my answer to the question “What Do I Eat?”

What Do I Eat?

What do I eat? I like to eat and I eat a lot of different foods. I am not a chef. I don’t like preparing food. But, I do make food for myself and my sons. I think I make good food.

In the morning, I eat breakfast. For me, a traditional breakfast is a plate of eggs and bacon or sausage. I have chickens, so I have fresh eggs. Fresh eggs are extra tasty and I like them a lot. I eat bacon or sausage with the eggs. Sometimes I put cheese and salsa on the eggs. I don’t eat a lot of bread, but when I make bread, I eat toast with the eggs. I put a lot of butter on the toast.

When I don’t have time to make eggs, I have a protein shake or I eat cereal. I like chocolate protein shakes. When I visit my mom, I eat pie for breakfast. My mom makes delicious fruit pies. She makes cherry, strawberry, apple, and raspberry pies. Raspberry is my favorite fruit and my favorite pie too.

For holidays like Christmas, I make cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls with a cup of hot chocolate are my favorite breakfast, but I only eat cinnamon rolls with hot chocolate for special events.

In the afternoon I eat lunch. My lunch is different every day. But there are some foods that I prefer in my lunch. For example, when I am exploring mountains, I like to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanut butter has a lot of protein and it gives me energy. Another lunch I like in the mountains is dried meat (jerky) and cheese and nuts.

When I am home for lunch I eat yogurt or a green salad. In my salad I have lettuce, tomato, broccoli, carrots, and cucumber. Sometimes I put chicken or steak on the salad. Then I cover the salad with vinegar, oil, and salt or ranch dressing. It is very yummy.

When it is cold, I like to eat soup for lunch. I eat tomato soup with a cheese sandwich. Or I eat chicken soup with saltine crackers. Or I eat homemade beef stew with homemade French bread – yum!

When I go to work, my lunch typically consists of leftovers from dinner. After eating dinner, I take the extra food and I prepare my lunch for the next day. If there aren’t any leftovers, I grab a packet of tuna, a can of soup, or I prepare a salad.

Dinner is the biggest meal in my house. As I mentioned, I am not a chef. I don’t enjoy cooking all the time. But I don’t like to eat out at restaurants either, so I cook simple, but delicious, meals.

For dinner, I mainly eat meat and vegetables. For example, I eat steak, corn, and asparagus. Or I eat chicken, carrots, and cauliflower. Or I eat pork chops, applesauce, and peas. One of my favorite dinners is fish with broccoli. I like fish, especially salmon. I prepare salmon with a lot of lemon and butter. It is very yummy.

When it is nice out, I prepare food outside on the grill. I make hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, and steak on the grill. I like meat. I am not a vegetarian.

A lot of times I make tacos by putting meat on corn tortillas with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cilantro. Tacos are probably the most popular food in my house and one of my favorite things to make.

I am often very busy. When I don’t have much time to make dinner, I prepare simple food like macaroni and cheese or spaghetti. Sometimes I bake a frozen pizza. I like pizza with pepperoni, sausage, peppers, and mushrooms.

For special events like a birthday or celebration, we go to a restaurant. I prefer Asian restaurants. I love sushi and Chinese food. I also like Nepalese and Thai food. My favorite Nepalese dish is lamb biryani. I also love a good vegetable curry with rice. I also like Mexican restaurants. There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in my city. They have tacos, chimichangas, enchiladas, and burritos; everything is very yummy.

I like eating cultural foods. When I visit other countries, I always eat traditional foods from their culture. For example, when I lived in Spain, I ate Spanish tortilla, gazpacho, paella, flan, and, obviously, churros and chocolate. When I visited Peru and Ecuador, I ate guinea pig, alpaca filet, and ceviche. In Costa Rica I ate a lot of seafood and local fruits. In Canada, I ate pancakes with maple syrup.

I get hungry in between meals, so I have a few favorite snacks. One easy, fast, and healthy snack is an apple. Another favorite snack is nuts. I especially like almonds and cashews. I cut up cheese cubes and take them with the nuts for my snack at work or when hiking.

Sometimes I want something sweet. I don’t eat dessert every day, but sometimes I want to eat something sweet. One sweet snack is cookies. I like chocolate cookies and gingerbread cookies. Another dessert I enjoy is ice cream. I like all kinds of ice cream, but especially chocolate ice cream. I eat pumpkin or peach pie during the holidays. I eat a donut every now and again. But my favorite sweet snack is simply a piece of dark chocolate. 

In addition to eating, it is important to stay hydrated. I usually drink water. I often put lemon or lime in the water. I also like to drink lemonade or a soda, but not everyday as it isn’t healthy and water is better for me.

I am hungry talking about all this food! I like to eat. I like to try new foods and eat cultural foods. What about you? What do you eat for breakfast? What do you eat for lunch? What do you eat in a restaurant? What is your favorite dessert? What do you eat?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Do I Want?

Season 2, episode 6

Hello and welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English. I am lucky that I get to do many things that I enjoy and I have everything that I need right now. However, there are still some things that I want, someday. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what do I want?”

What Do I Want?

What do I want? It is a question that is both easy and complicated. The things or activities that I want can change from moment to moment. One day I want one thing, and another day I want something different. For example, when I am at work, I want to go home. When I am home, I want to go to the mountains. When I am in the mountains…well, I don’t want anything else.

The things I want also depend on my emotions. For example, in this moment I want water because I am thirsty. When I am hungry I want food. When I am sad I want dark chocolate. When I am tired I want to sleep. When I am angry I want personal space. When I am lonely I want a hug. When I am anxious I want to walk or move.

I want some physical things. I don’t need these things, but I want them. I want a new phone. I want some big Lego sets for our Lego city. I want a new car. I want books because I like reading. I want a nice computer for my kids. I want an Instapot to make cooking easier. I want more earrings because I like earrings.

I want to do some activities. For example, I want to float in a river or lake. I want to organize my photos on the computer. I want to talk with my sister on the phone. I want to climb a mountain. I want to take photos of the sunset. I want to build a sandcastle with my sons on the beach.

I want a vacation. I want to travel. I want to travel to Peru and hike to Machu Picchu. I want to travel to the Dominican Republic and spend a day on the beach. I want to travel to Mexico and visit Chichen Itza. I want to travel to Alaska and walk in the mountains and the woods. I want to go to Australia and swim in the Great Barrier Reef. I want to travel to New York and watch a Broadway show. I want to go to Ireland and visit the cities of my ancestors.

I want more hours in the day because there are things that I want. But I don’t make the time because right now there are more important things I need to do. For example, I want to play the piano better. I can play the piano, but not very well. I want to play better. I want to practice, but I don’t make time to practice. I want to work on my house by painting the walls and changing the carpet. I want to do more art like paintings and photographs. I want to make photo albums for my family. I want to watch movies. I want to read more books.

There are things I want to learn one day. For example, I want to learn to play the guitar. I want to learn sign language. I want to learn to fish. I want to learn to dance the salsa. I want to learn French.

There are some things I want, but instead of not having time, I simply don’t want to do the work. For example, I want a clean house, but I don’t want to clean the house. I want a delicious dinner, but I don’t want to cook the food. I want a pretty yard, but I don’t want to work in the yard because it is hot. I want to be healthier, but I don’t want to go on a diet.

There are other things I want that seem impossible. For example, I want peace. I want peace in the world, or at least peace in my classroom or in my own life. I want conversations of really listening and trying to understand other points of view. I want more harmony and less conflict.

I want to speak Spanish without an accent. I have been speaking Spanish for over 25 years and I still have an accent. I practice all the time, but I still have an accent. I spent time in Spain, Peru, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, but I still have an accent. I want to speak Spanish without an accent, but I have an accent. It is what it is.

I want more rain and snow. I live in a desert and in July and August fires are common. There are often fires nearby. I want rain, but there is no rain.

There are things that I want for my family. I want to play with my kids. I want to camp with my family. I want to hear their stories. I want to live closer to my parents, brothers and sisters. Or, I want my family to live closer to me.

I want a bright future for my children. I want them to have good teachers and learn a lot in school. I want them to go to college. I want them to have jobs they like. I want them to read. I want them to play. I want my kids to be happy.

There are a lot of things I want. To get some things, I only need to go to a store or restaurant. For other things, I need to invest my time and make an effort. For the rest, I need to accept that it isn’t possible or that it is not in my hands.

And you? What are the things you want? What do you want to learn? What do you want to do? What do you want for the future? What do you want?

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Do I Do?

Season 2, episode 5

I am a rather busy person. Many of my activities are related to daily necessities or work, but I also get out and explore. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what do I do?”


This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: create, make, imagine, explore, photos, and exercise.

What Do I Do?

What do I do? I do a lot. I have a lot of activities in my life. I do normal activities. For example, I sleep at night. During the day, I prepare and eat food. I clean the house and wash dishes. I spend time with my sons and with friends. Some of my activities are very common for everyone, but others are more specific to me.

I talk. I talk a lot. I am very social and I talk with everyone. I talk to my kids. I talk to my sisters. I talk to my mom. I talk to my friends. I talk to people in the store. I talk to others in person and on the phone. When I can’t talk, I communicate through text messages or emails. But I prefer to talk out loud.

I create. I am creative and I create a lot of things. I create art with my sons through drawing and painting. I am not an artist, but I draw very basic objects. I create other creative things with my sons too. I build houses and cars with Lego. I build big, intricate houses. I build small cars and big trucks. My sons and I play with the things we build. It is easy to be creative with Lego.

I like to make things. I like to create. I make scarves and hats with my knitting needles. I am an active person and I am happiest when I am creating things with my hands. I knit while I am in meetings. I knit while I watch TV. I knit while listening to an audiobook. Then, I give my creations to family and friends. They are excellent presents for Christmas.

I create stories. First, I imagine my story. I think a lot about the story. I imagine the different elements, where it occurs, who is in it, what the problem is. I imagine all the drama. It is like a movie in my head. Then I write. I write my stories. I have a small book and I write my ideas in the book. Then I refine my stories. If it is a good story, I tell the story to one of my classes or on my podcast. If it is a good story, I edit the story and write a whole novel, then I publish it.

In addition to creating stories, I read a lot of stories. I like to read. I mainly read fiction. I like mysteries and fantasy, but my favorite genre of literature is historical fiction. I don’t read romance or science fiction. I read at home and in school. I’m part of a book club with my students at school. Generally I read books, but I also read news and teaching articles.

I explore. I spend a lot of time in the mountains. I explore the mountains in the car with my family. I go to rivers and lakes. I play in the river and lake water with my kids. I explore hiking trails with my friends. I have a group of adventurous friends. I explore canyons with them. I explore mountain peaks with them. I don’t run or ride a bike when I explore, I just walk. I walk and think about the beautiful nature around me. In the winter, it is harder to explore the mountains. So I ski to explore the mountains. I do nordic skiing and downhill skiing. I also explore other places in the winter. For example, I explore the desert because it isn’t so hot.

I camp with my family and friends when I explore nature. I like to camp. When I camp, I sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent. I see the bright stars in the sky. I watch animals. I think about the beautiful world.

I take photos of all the things I observe in nature. I take photos of mountains. I take photos of animals. I take photos of lakes. I take photos of waterfalls. I take photos of flowers and plants. I also take photos of my family. I take a lot of photos of my kids. Sometimes I take photos with my camera, but I take most photos on my phone.

I exercise. I don’t like exercise much, but I understand that it is important. To exercise I walk and lift weights. Sometimes I run, but I typically walk. I like to walk and talk with friends. If I’m walking alone, I listen to a podcast or an audiobook. When I walk in the house on a treadmill, I watch TV. In addition to walking, I do yoga. I do yoga to center myself. When I do yoga I relax and am happy. Two to three times a week, I lift weights for exercise. It is very important for women to lift weights. I don’t have big muscles, but I feel strong.

I listen to music. I listen to music when I exercise and when I clean the house. I listen to music when I play with my sons. I listen to music when I work in school. I like music. I dance to music. I usually dance alone, but sometimes my sons dance with me. In addition to listening to music, I can make music. I make music by singing. I sing with the music. I sing with music in the car and I sing in the shower when I wash my hair. I also make music by playing the piano. I don’t play the piano very well, I need to practice.

Not all of the activities in my life are fun. The majority of my life is work. I work a lot. I’m a teacher. I work in a high school and a community college. I teach Spanish in my classes. I teach vocabulary and culture. I teach with stories and conversations. I plan fun activities for my students. Sometimes I prepare special foods for my students. I write tests for my students. I read and grade my students’ work.

In addition to being a teacher, I am also a translator. I translate documents from English to Spanish for Hispanic parents in my community. In my translating work, I spend a lot of time on the computer. I type documents for my students and the community.

My life is very busy with all my activities. I am very active, but sometimes I don’t want to be active. Sometimes I don’t want to do anything. It is a secret, but sometimes I just watch TV and eat ice cream – for my mental health.

I do a lot in my life. I do several activities every day. What are your activities? What do you do?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Do I Like?

Season 2, episode 3

We all have different likes and dislikes. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what do I like?”

What do I like?

What do I like? Well, there are a lot of things that I like. First, I like Spanish. I like speaking two languages. I want to learn more languages. I like Spanish because I like to talk to people. With Spanish and English, I can talk to millions of people all over the world. I also like Spanish because of the cultures. I like learning about culture. There are a lot of distinct cultures in the Spanish-speaking world.

I like spending time with my sons. I like watching movies with them. I like building houses and trucks with Lego with them. I like drawing and painting with my sons. I like looking at their builds on Minecraft. I like cooking with them. I like playing video games with them. I especially like my kids’ hugs and kisses.

I like to read. I read in English and Spanish. I like reading novels and series. I prefer historical fiction, but not romances. I also like reading classical books like Dracula and Pride and Prejudice. I like reading to my sons. I like reading Harry Potter and Matilda.

I like spending time in nature. I like camping with my family and my friends. I like driving my Jeep on complicated roads. I like hiking in the woods. I like looking at mountains. I like listening to water in rivers and seeing waterfalls. I like just sitting next to an alpine lake. I like the different perspective of the world when I am in nature. I like exercising in nature. I walk for hours and hours in the mountains. I like climbing mountains. In the winter, I like skiing. I nordic ski – it is good exercise. I ski for hours and hours.

I like the color green. Green is my favorite color. It is a vibrant, happy color. Green is the color of nature and I love nature.

I like to eat. I especially like chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate. I don’t like eating milk chocolate because it is very sweet. But I like drinking hot chocolate. I drink hot chocolate in the morning and sometimes at night. I typically put extra dark chocolate in my hot chocolate.

I like tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite food. I can eat tomatoes for days. I like eating tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, basil, a little salt, and oil. I like eating tomatoes in a Mexican salsa with jalapeño, avocado, onion, and cilantro. I like eating tomatoes with eggs for breakfast, or tomatoes with lettuce in a salad for lunch, or simply tomatoes with spaghetti for dinner. I like eating tomatoes on pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza? I like veggie pizza. I like pizza with cheese, onion, artichokes, red pepper, and broccoli. Broccoli is excellent on pizza. I also like pineapple on pizza.

I like food from other cultures. I love Mexican food, Chinese food, and Thai food. I always eat traditional food when I travel like ceviche or alpaca fillet in Peru. So yummy!

I like to travel. I like visiting states and different countries. I like talking with local people and learning about their lives. I like seeing old architecture. I like eating exotic fruits that I don’t have where I live. I like walking in historic places. I like getting a stamp in my passport!

I like earrings. When I travel, I buy earrings. When I wear earrings, I think about my travels. I like big earrings. I like bright earrings. I prefer handmade earrings.

I like taking photos. I always take photos of my adventures. I like taking photos with my big camera. I like looking at photos and thinking about my trips and adventures. I collect the photos and prepare books of the photos. I don’t want to forget my experiences. I like looking at old photo albums.

I like being a teacher. I like teaching. I like creating a fun class. I like connecting with my students. I like including their ideas in my stories. I like exploring cultures with my students. I like seeing the expression of understanding on my students’ faces. I like learning about my students’ experiences.

I like learning. I like history and I love learning interesting things about history. I like learning about teaching methods. I like learning from expert teachers. I want to be an excellent teacher, so I need to keep learning.

I like telling stories. I like acting and when I tell stories I can act out the stories. I like using expression when I talk. I am very dramatic in my stories. I like captivating an audience’s attention.

I like singing. I sing a lot. I like singing for my students. I like singing at home. I like singing for my kids, but my sons don’t like it when I sing! They always say, “Mom, don’t sing anymore!” I ignore them and I keep singing because I like to sing.

I like watching TV. I like movies, but I prefer television series. I love telenovelas, or Spanish soap operas. Funny telenovelas are my favorite. There are not many funny telenovelas. The majority of telenovelas are super dramatic. I like telenovelas because I can practice my Spanish and because I like fake drama. I don’t like real drama in my personal life.

There are other things that I don’t like. I don’t like bananas. I don’t like their flavor or texture. I don’t like cake. I like cookies and brownies, but I don’t like cake. I don’t like pickles. I like vinegar and I like cucumbers, but I don’t like pickles. I don’t like running. I can run. I run sometimes, but I don’t like it. I don’t really like science fiction books. I don’t like washing dishes or cleaning the house. I don’t like cooking. I cook for my family, but I don’t like the mess it makes or the time it takes. I don’t like being on the computer for hours. I prefer interactions in person. I don’t like going shopping. I have to go to the supermarket, but I don’t like it.

I like a lot in this world. There are also things I don’t like. What do you like? What don’t you like?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Simple Stories in English: What Am I Like?

Season 2, episode 2

This second episode of season 2 presents multiple descriptive adjectives that both do and don’t describe my physical characteristics and personal qualities to answer the question: “what am I like?” So you can better talk about what you are like.

What Am I Like?

What am I like? Well, physically I am pretty normal. I am of average height, I am not tall or short. I am skinny. I am not super thin and I am not fat. I have green eyes. I always wear glasses because my eyes are not perfect. My hair is brown and wavy or curly. My face is round like a circle. I think I am pretty.

But I am much more than my physical appearance. I have a big personality. A lot of people say I am energetic. I always have a lot of energy. My energy is obvious when I talk or teach. I can’t be in one position for a long time. I need to move. That’s why, when I talk, I move my hands a lot. Since I have a lot of energy, it is no surprise that I am also very active. I like being outside in nature and I can walk in the mountains for hours and hours. Sometimes I ride my bike with my son.

I am energetic and active, but I am not athletic. I don’t like participating in sports like soccer or volleyball. I don’t have much coordination. I am clumsy and I have a lot of accidents in sports.

In addition to being energetic and active, I also have moments when I am lazy. In these moments, I can spend hours with a book or watching television. When I watch TV, I am lazy.

I am social and outgoing. I am not shy. I like to talk. I talk with everyone. Sometimes my sons get mad because I talk and talk and talk and they want to go home, but I keep talking. I have wonderful friends and I talk with them a lot. I also talk to people I don’t know. I am friendly and I smile a lot. I like to talk with new people.

I am patient with other people, but I am impatient with myself. When my sons or students need help. I am patient. I repeat myself a lot, without problems. When I am with other people, I am patient. I can listen to their stories or help without frustration. But, when I am alone, I am impatient. When I am in the supermarket and I want to go home, I am impatient. When I am in traffic, I am really impatient. When I need to prepare materials for class or use the copier, I am impatient. I think I am patient when it is important, but I need to work on patience in the rest of my life.

I am fun. I like going out with friends and doing fun activities like singing karaoke or floating the river. I am a fun teacher. In class we do fun activities like finger painting and acting out stories. I am a fun mom. At home I play with Lego with my sons and I read books in a funny way. I am also fun because I am funny. I tell jokes at home and in class. My jokes are typically terrible, but they are also funny!

I am smart. I study a lot and I have a lot of information in my head. I also like reading. When I read I learn more, so with every book I am more intelligent. In addition to the information that I have, I am smart because I recognize that it isn’t possible to be an expert on everything. I don’t have all the answers to the problems of the world and I need to study and listen to experts and learn from them.

I am hardworking. I have a lot of personal and professional projects. I work practically all the time. Personally, I work on my house, I work in the yard, I work on projects and activities for my sons. It is a lot of work to maintain the house. It is also a lot of work being a single mom. Professionally, I work on my books, I work on my podcast, I work to help other teachers in school and I work to teach Spanish to my students at the high school and at the college.

I am creative. I think that I plan creative and different activities and classes. I can create stories in the moment with only a few ideas from my students. I can look at an activity and think of multiple ways to present the activity to have maximum participation from my students. In my house, I am creative with Lego. I can look at a picture and create a house or car without instructions. I make art with my sons. I am not artistic, but I am creative with my combination of colors and forms.

I am strong. I don’t have big muscles, but I am physically and mentally strong. I can do construction projects in the house and yard. I can hike for days in the mountains with all my needs in a pack on my back. I can plan multiple classes for all abilities. I can ignore my problems when it is more important to focus on other’s problems. I can find solutions to my problems and offer solutions to other peoples’ problems. I can do complicated or difficult things with little frustration or anxiety.

I have a lot of qualities that I think are good. But I also have some characteristics that I don’t like. I work a lot to change my bad characteristics. For example, I am very direct. Sometimes it is good to be direct, but sometimes when I am direct people think I am mean or rude. They think my comment is an insult. So, I need to work on being kinder with my direct words and I also need to work on thinking first and speaking later.

Another characteristic that I don’t like is that I am controlling. I like being the leader in everything. I like having control on decisions. It is very difficult for me to give control to another person. I need to work on listening more to other’s ideas and I need to pass control to other leaders in the group sometimes.

We all have physical and personal attributes that we like and that we don’t like. What are you like? What are your physical characteristics? What is your personality like?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)