Emily Serafa Manschot's Page

Some people know that I am half Italian. I speak the language a bit, have been to Italy several times and had a big fat Italian wedding. That's on my mom's side of the family, which is the culture we celebrated since my paternal grandparents died when I was very young.

My father, Charles Serafa, was born in Malta. If you don't know where Malta is, the toe of Italy kicks Sicily. Malta is just south of Sicily. It's a small island surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. I do not speak Maltese, but I… Continue

This morning, MIWLA President Margaret Cottrill and I attended the CLAM Conference at Wayne State University. We were invited session presenters. Our topic was "Practically Speaking", which also is the theme of the MIWLA Conference for October, 2010.

Immediately after we had parked the car and left the parking structure, we found little signs with the CLAM logo showing us the way to the conference center. Margaret and I were excited. Looking for the next sign was like a little treasure hunt on… Continue

My students participated in a mini field trip today, courtesy of my friend Pam Kaatz. Pam is a retired Spanish teacher from Texas, who owns a company called "The Color Connection." This website, www.colorconnection.com, is a must visit for any Spanish teacher. Pam is the creator of the famous Spanish Verb Wall, (www.verbwall.com) which I have premanently affixed to the wall in my classroom. She is also responsible… Continue

Last night I was grading papers at the kitchen table, my usual hang-out between 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM almost every night. My husband was in the living room watching a new program called "In The Middle". Suddenly he yelled out "'Milia! Turn on channel 7!" I reached for the remote and turned to the proper channel. Here is this poor little kid, about 10 or 11 years old, discussing his school project with his mother. He just happened to be building an ancient pyramid...out of SUGAR CUBES! I screamed o… Continue

Yesterday, Northville middle school and high school teachers attended a workshop given by Dr. Marcia Tate, of DeKalb County, Georgia, entitles "Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites." As you know teachers are apprehensive of most workshops. I can count the number of workshops that my district has sponsored that have been beneficial on one hand, and in 37 years, that's not a very good batting average. However, this one was very informative and entertaining. Even though I knew most of the material, it d… Continue