Austin CO3

Karin Devick again. Level 1, more listening. This time, everyone in her class knew m. There was no big introduction. I simply said hello, and then we got started. This time, we talked about sleep, and how important it is in our lives. Karin asked how many of us get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Nobody raised their hands, and so we all had that in common. America, Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast: None of us can get enough sleep.

The tape we listened to described the reasons people don't sleep well, as well as some old remedies for it. Too much caffeine can keep a person up, as well as stress. Sometimes, people spend their nights on the computer or watching TV. Others don't have air-conditioning, so are very uncomfortable. Of course, if a person is unable to sleep for over 1 month, this is called insomnia.

Then, the tape went over some old household remedies for this. Counting sheep is an old one, but never seems to work. Drinking a glass of warm milk, may work for babies, but only makes me have to use the bathroom. Listening to music keeps me up, as well as my neighbors, so that doesn't work.

So finally, we get to the point of the tape. (I know their called audio files now, but I still call them tapes. I am OLD school.) Researchers at Pittsburgh University, have come up with a method of cooling the brain, lulling the sleeper into a relaxed state. It involves wearing a cap filled with cold water which stays on a person's head and supposedly makes them more comfortable.

I know this is besides the point, so I'll get back to the class itself. All they had to do was listen to the tape, and then regurgitate the information back, in writing, and in speaking. This was done without much trouble. The only word they didn't know was what to call a person with insomnia. "Insomniac" didn't come to their minds, but they thought of insomnia as an action, not a condition. "Insomnier" or "Insomnian" was tossed around, so Karin just wrote the proper word on the board.

All in all, I can only hope to emulate the teachers I've watched when I finally get the chance to teach myself. I plan to observe a few more classes first though.