7 – Baby, would you marry me? (Quieromilk Podcast)

Baby, would you marry me? (Svavar Knutur) Out in the forest under a tree, lies a dream that you once told to me. Out in the desert, under a stone, lies a poem, that you once wrote to me. Baby, would you marry me under an apple tree or the bottom of the sea or maybe on a train to Spain or some nice place like that? And, baby, would you marry me on a mountain top or a traffic stop or maybe on a boat that floats into the great unknown? That would be a day to […]

6 – Chit Chat Little Chat… with Makena Marx (Part 2)

En este episodio podéis escuchar el final de nuestra primera charla con nuestra amiga Makenna Marx.  Para más info ver el epidodio 4. Esperamos que os guste. En breve continuaremos… In this episode you may listen to the last part of our first chat with our friend Makenna Marx. More info in episode 4. We hope you like it. We’ll continue soon… Hello! 🙂 My name is Makenna Marx and I am a senior at Indiana University in Indiana, USA majoring in Speech-Language Pathology. I have been studying Spanish for 9 years and hope to work with bilingual […]

5 – The Wrong Word (Quieromilk Podcast)

RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL, LET DOWN YOUR CHAIR… En este episodio/sección presentamos la sección The Wrong Word. El peque (de 7 años) lee un trocito de un diágolo de una peli en el que hemos sustituido sólo una palabra (por otra que suena de forma parecida, pero que hace que no tenga mucho sentido lo que lee).  Os damos tiempo para ver quien adivina cual es la palabra que hemos sustituido, The Wrong Word. No sé si os parecera intersante o entretenido, pero con esto conseguimos hacer de la lectura algo divertido y con una finalidad. La primera película que […]

4 – Chit Chat Little Chat… with Makena Marx (Part 1)

  En este episodio os presentamos a nuestra amiga Makenna Marx, una persona extraordinaria. Nuestro primer episodio de la sección Chit Chat Little Chat, tenía que ser con ella.  Estuvimos haciendo video conferencia y grabando el audio sin parar durante más de una hora, primero haciéndole nuestra primera «entrevista» y después jugando a juegos, cantando y haciendo el ganso. Aquí está la primera parte (hasta que el peque decidió que ya él había terminado su parte y dijo que se marchaba) y un poquito de la segunda en la que Makenna nos enseña algo mágico… un kazoo. Esperamos […]

3 – Play the role, have a ball (Quieromilk Podcast)

To have a ball = es una expression informal que se podría traducir como “pasarlo bomba”, o como algo más vulgar si usásemos palabrotas… pero como no las usamos, nos quedamos con “pasarlo bomba”. Play the role sería hacer o desempeñar el papel (por ejemplo en una escena). En este episodio/sección vamos a leer un trocito de un diágolo de una peli y damos tiempo para ver quien la adivina. Después leemos otro diálogo de la misma peli y os lo ponemos super fácil. Es una peli de los 90 que ha visto todo el mundo… aunque la […]

2 – Call the tune (Quieromilk Podcast)

Call the tune = se podría traducir como “llama la melodía”, “chilla la melodía”, o “haz venir a la melodía” pero también es una expresión hecha (idiom) cuya traducción no literal es “llevar la voz cantante” o “llevar la batuta”. En este episodio/sección presentamos la sección Call the tune. Vamos a leer un trocito de la letra de una canción para que la adivinéis. Os damos 2 oportunidades pero no va a ser facil (buena suerte!). Bueno y ya que estamos, contamos algo sobre la canción y de paso decimos lo que pensamos sobre la historia que cuenta. […]

1 – What in the world is this? (Quieromilk Podcast)

What in the world = es una expression informal que se podría traducir como “qué diantres”, o “qué leches”. Algo más vulgar sería “What the hell” aunque hay quien dice que la palabra hell (infierno) se puede utilizar porque al venir en la Biblia, no se considera una palabrota. En este episodio nos presentamos (somos de Sevilla y por los nervios del directo, no sabemos ni qué edad tenemos). Tenemos 7, 9 y 11 años y como grabamos los episodios sin parar de reirnos e improvisando un montón, cometemos errores. De echo tenemos una sección dedicada a nuestros […]

LOS JUEVES, A LAS 9 (Every Thursday at 21:00)

LOS JUEVES, A LAS 9 (EVERY THURSDAY AT NINE O’CLOCK) Esa es la fecha y la hora elegida para lanzar los nuevos episodios de Quiero Milk Podcast cada semana. ¿Y porqué? Pues en inglés no tiene sentido, pero en español rima y se te queda: “LOS JUEVES, A LAS 9” Vale, tienes razón, tienes que pronunciarlo con un acento del sur como el nuestro para que rime, pero si te suscribes, no hace falta que te aprendas la frase, y cada semana tendrás en tu móvil tu “mihita” de inglés semanal. Suerte!!! PS: Sorry mates, I forgot you […]

EXCUSES: pretextos, excusas.

99% of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses (George Washington Carver) Las excusas más utilizadas para no avanzar con nuestro nivel de inglés son: NO TENGO TIEMPO. MI NIVEL ES MUY BAJO. EL INGLÉS ES UN ROLLO. Solución: Escucha 10 minutos de Quiero Milk Podcast a la semana y te quedarás sin excusas para avanzar: No tengo tiempo. Escúchalo mientras haces lo que sea (en el bus, en el gym, en la ducha…) Mi nivel es muy bajo. No hace falta un gran nivel para escuchar a niños que llevan menos años […]

INSANITY: Locura, insensatez, estudipdez.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results (Albert Einstein). Sólo un loco hace una y otra vez lo mismo y espera que el resultado sea distinto. Si quieres que tus hijos aprendan inglés y lo que haces no termina de funcionar, ¿porqué no pruebas algo nuevo? Pregunta en el colegio, en la academia o a “tus amigos guiris”. Todos te dirán que hay que incrementar la exposición al idioma desde pequeño y que lo mejor es aprender de forma divertida. Solución: Escucha con tus hijos un episodio de Quiero Milk Podcast a […]

Episode 0 (Quiero Milk Podcast)

La semana que viene lanzamos los 3 primeros episodios. Aquí os dejo un trocito como aperitivo… No se lo paséis a todo el mundo, que no todos están preparados para aprender de forma divertida… Next week we’ll launch the firt 3 episodes. Here you have a little taste. Please don’t share it with everyone. Some people are just not ready to have fun yet… Era broma. Si  os ha gustado, no seáis egoístas. Gracias por compartir! I was kidding. If you liked it, don’t be selfish, thanks for sharing it!! Suerte!!!

Quieromilk Podcast: Coming very soon…

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school.  (Albert Einstein) Este verano no hemos hecho deberes en absoluto. En lugar de eso hemos empezado este nuevo projecto: A podcast to LEARN & HAVE FUN. Esperamos que vosotros tambíen aprendáis y os lo paséis bien. Para ello nos hemos inventado un montón de secciones (family first, quote the quote, simple science, call the tune…), y juegos, y hemos compuesto un montón de canciones. Además vamos a hacer algunas»entrevistas» (en inglés, of course), por si alguien quiere apuntarse…  Y todo está grabado non-stop, así […]

Futuro y Presente: Si este video no te hace pensar, eres un robot.

Un par de cosas para pensar sobre el futuro, y sobre el presente. Alguien me dijo que probablemente el trabajo que tendrán mis hijos el día de mañana no existe aún a día de hoy. ¿Alguien sabía lo que era un community manager hace 20 años? En esta web hay un inquietante estudio hecho por  Oxford University y por Deloitte en el que intentan estimar la probabilidad de que dentro de 20 años, tu trabajo lo haga un robot. Interesante para el que quiera aprender nombres de profesiones en inglés y para el que aún piense que va […]

I’ve decided to quit the Now Teach program

Dear Lucy, I’d like to inform you that I’ve decided to quit the Now Teach program. As you already know, the step I was about to take was particularly life-changing for me because it involved moving to another country with my whole family. I could come up with a lot of excuses to explain why I’ve decided to make this decision (I’m “just” forty something, I don’t think all we can live on a teacher’s salary, I’m not sure I can survive London weather/English food, even Brexit is a good excuse, why not?). But the only excuse I […]

Quieromilk celebra el “Bilingual Education Day” en el Liceo Erasmus de Almería

El próximo sábado 18 de marzo, en el Liceo Erasmus (Bilingual School) se celebra el “Bilingual Education Day” (ver nota).  Es una actividad abierta a todas las familias que lo deseen. Se pretende ofrecer a las familias herramientas prácticas y consejos para que puedan ampliar un entorno de aprendizaje bilingüe en sus hogares.  Para mí es un privilegio el haber sido invitado para compartir durante un hora y media algunas de las experiencias de nuestra “Aventura Bilingüe” que contamos en el libro “Quieromilk: Aprende inglés jugando con tus hijos”. Además habrán un montón de actividades para los peques: deportes ingleses (rugby & cricket), […]

What happened to Peter Carter?

I took Peter Carter for granted and now he’s gone. What happened to him? Help PLEASE! Why does someone record something at home in order to help people learn a new language and a new culture? Why does someone do it for free? Why does someone do it for several years? I have no idea. But thank God someone did it. Peter Carter posted 289 episodes on his website called www.listen-to-english.com. In my opinion, Peter Carter is the best podcaster ever. I’ve learnt so many thing thanks to him that I don’t know to return the favour. His […]

Don’t take anything for granted

 ¿Qué día trae mala suerte? ¿Cuántas vidas tiene un gato? ¿Cuántos continentes hay? According to dictionary.com if we say that you’re taking something for granted, it can mean two things: 1) to accept without question or objection; assume: I took for granted that there were only 5 continents). 2) to use, accept, or treat in a careless or indifferent manner: Don’t ever take someone for granted, we usually don’t know what we have until we lose it. I took Peter Carter for granted. What day brings bad luck? Tuesday the 13th? No, of course, you already know that it […]

Chopping Wood

“People love chopping Wood. In this activity, one immediately sees results” (Albert Einstein) The previous quote means a lot to me, and if you are trying to learn a language, it should mean a lot to you too. If you want immediate outcomes, maybe learning a language is not the best idea. Try something different, like… yes, that. That quote was so important for me that I had the words “chopping wood” as my Whatsapp Status for a long time thinking it was very profound. Suddenly, one day  I found out that to chop wood has another completely […]

QUIEROMILK (The song)

Quieromilk  (The song) With the song of my frog, I wake up every morning, I sleep like a log, but that tune can stop my snoring. (3 snores) (cock-a-doodle-doo) 1,2,3,4… In my house   (in my house) There’s a kitchen (there’s a kitchen) In the kitchen (in the kitchen) There’s a fridge (there’s a fridge) In the fridge  (in the fridge) There’s a bottle  (there’s a bottle) In the bottle  (in the bottle) There’s some milk (there’s some milk) I love milk (I love milk) You love milk (you love milk) We love milk (we love milk) QUIERO  MILK […]

A pain in my back triggers a life-changing decision

            Last Christmas, Santa was very generous and very surprising. He not only brought a lot of presents, but also changed the way he gave them to us. As every year, he brought material things, yet this time, many of them were for the whole family to share (a Solowheel, a scooter…). Apart from material things Santa left a couple of experience-presents to share. The first one was a bunch of tickets for all of us to have free horse riding lessons (mainly because, as he explained on the letter he left, he […]

A pain in my back triggers a life-changing decision

            Last Christmas, Santa was very generous and very surprising. He not only brought a lot of presents, but also changed the way he gave them to us. As every year, he brought material things, yet this time, many of them were for the whole family to share (a Solowheel, a scooter…). Apart from material things Santa left a couple of experience-presents to share. The first one was a bunch of tickets for all of us to have free horse riding lessons (mainly because, as he explained on the letter he left, he couldn’t grant little Raúl’s wish and bring a real horse). The second huge surprise was for little María, but it involved the whole family: free flight tickets to London for all of us to spend five days there at the end of January 2017. What a coincidence that we’re arriving in London one day and the day after, I’m attending an event I’ve been invited to, that may change our near future and our lives. Let me explain it.

            I don’t mean to be conceited nor arrogant but, as many of you may know, for several years I’ve been listening to a Financial Times Podcast made by a journalist called Lucy Kellaway. As the FT website indicates, Lucy Kellaway is an Associate Editor and management columnist of the FT. For the past 15 years her weekly Monday column has poked fun at management fads and jargon and celebrated the ups and downs of office life.

            I’ve been a regular listener-admirer to her podcasts because her articles have always given me the chance to kill three birds with one stone: stay abreast and learn about economy and office matters, improve my English, and have lots fun. However, during the last few months I’ve been trying to disconnect from social media (and technology in general) so it had been a while since the last time I listened to one of her magnificent podcasts. It was fate that I had some sores on my lower back at the end of November, and maybe it was because of the karma that the physiotherapist that my wife recommended was a bit behind that day and I had to seat a bit in the waiting room. The fact is that it was purely coincidence that I came across a tweet by Lucy Kellaway in which she explained that she was quitting her 31-year career to retrain in education.

            As people of her level do, not only she was going to quit her job, but also she was co-founding a charity (called Now Teach) to encourage others to do the same. This project is designed to persuade “determined people with a couple of decades’ professional experience to retrains as teachers”. She said that she had grown used to messages from corporate layers, senior managers and bankers bleating “My job no longer has any meaning” and “I want to give something back” but she knew that it wasn’t easy to chuck in a well-paid job and start again in something as hard as teaching. Expecting to find about 20 successful older people within about 8 months, she was surprised to receive more than 20.000 visits on their web and more than 100 applications within 24 hours of her column being published.

          I heard my name and looked up to see a nurse beckoning me to follow her to meet the physiotherapist. During the time the massage lasted, I had stuck on my mind that article that I couldn’t finish reading. Something that I amended as soon as I got back home. Ten minutes later, feeling my lower back muscles much better, I couldn’t believe it when I told my wife and kids, (mainly kidding) that I could find a job in London as a teacher, and my eldest daughter goggled at me and said: “Yes, I want to live in London”.

            Was it my daughter who prompted me to apply for the Now Teach job? Was it a rush of happiness after the relief of the massage? Was it maybe many years of listening to my unprofessional boss absurdities? Never mind, the thing is that I filled out the form on the first of December and a few days later, the selfsame Lucy Kellaway emailed me inviting me to an open evening on the 26th of January and to a brief conversation on the phone to talk about the selection process.

            The week after, we talked on the phone for the first time and after telling her that it was an honour just to talk to her, and that I had listened to many of her inspiring podcasts, she stated that she liked the fact that I described myself as a “bored analyst” on the application. It wasn’t a long chat but it was clear for both of us that I’m not facing an easy decision, although I’m willing to start the process, and that it’s impossible to keep my standard of living in London on a teacher’s salary.

            And now what? Well, so far so good. Now I’m busy planning our trip to London and looking for activities for the whole family. We want to treat us. Once we are there, one afternoon I’ll attend the event, I’ll meet Lucy and the rest of the group (co-founders, trainers, candidates…) and I’ll get more information. If I decide to continue, I must have a one-week experience within 2 or 3 months on a Secondary School there (how exciting!) and after that if I pass a recruitment process, I would start my first year of training while working four days per week (three and a half days in school and half a day in training).

            By the end of my first year, I will have gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and if I complete successfully my second year of the program, I will become a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT), able to work “anywhere”.


Will I go on? Will I get cold feet at any time of the process? I don’t know. I’ve been teaching at a university here in Seville for several years, so I don’t think I’ll end up realising that teaching is not my cup of tea, but who knows. If I take the plunge, I know it won’t be easy. The fact that I don’t want to be doing the same thing during my whole working life doesn’t mean that I’m willing to forfeit everything I’ve achieved so far. I don’t like to go out on a limb. If I decide to say yes, this will be a life-changing decision so I have to be cautious. I’ll keep you up-to-date.

Suerte!!!

Santa's Letter 2016

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