Page 7 - Italian American Herald - April 2020

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
Tidbits of Italian trivia become valuable teaching tool in the classroom
By Louis Thomas
I have always had a special affinity for languages. It began when I was 13 years old when my uncle, who was a linguist, world traveler and priest, took me to Italy to meet our paisans in Abruzzo. I was hooked for life.
I majored in Italian and minored in German at Temple University. At that time, computers were all the rage so I went
to school for six months and acquired a certificate in computer programming.
Thus began a long career in IT working
with hardware and software. In 2001 I was working with a dot.com as a project manager, which was a 65 mile commute. Fortunately, it was short-lived. After Sept. 11, 2001, many IT jobs were outsourced.
I felt it was time for a change, and found my true calling in my second career as an Italian teacher.
I have been teaching full time since 2003 in New Jersey. I discovered that like in the corporate world there are those who repeat the same experience year after year. I found the teaching profession similar.
Recognizing this, I promised myself to do otherwise. I pride myself on developing two new concepts for each year – i.e., Google Classroom and Goggle Expedition.
I have acquired my Masters in Teaching at Rutgers University. I teach on all platforms: high school, college, online and private lessons. I find joy in teaching my students beyond the love of learning la bella lingua. Throughout the year I enhance the classroom experience through Italian trivia.
FASCINATING FACTS FROM
THE ITALIAN CLASSROOM:
• Italians only drink cappuccino in the morning.
• The police in Rome wear blue uniforms in the winter and white in the summer. • You only have to be 14 years old to ride
a Vespa in Italy. (By the way, the word
vespa is Italian for wasp.
• Pepperoni in Italian is a false cognate. It
is not a sausage. It’s the word for peppers. • Nutella isn’t even an Italian word. The
company made it up because it just
sounded good.
• The national Italian soccer team is called
the Azzurri. The team jerseys are blue,
or azzurro in Italian.
• The Mona Lisa in Italian is called La
Gioconda. The name of the model was
Signora Gioconda.
• The most recognizable music in the world
is written by an Italian. It’s called “Quattro Stagione” (The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi.
• The currency in Italy before the Euro was called the Lira. 1,700 lira was worth $1. • Italy holds more than half of the greatest art treasures in the world. Like il David,
La Capella Sistina and La nascita di Venere. • Did you ever see the word venti written
on the menu at Starbucks? Ask any
barista. Venti equals 20 in Italian.
• The word “paparazzi” comes from the
photographer in the 1960 film “La Dolce
Vita.” His name was Paparazzo.
• Do you know what Marco Polo brought
back from his trip to China? Noodles and fireworks. IAH
APRIL2020 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 7
Make education your new resolution.
WilmU works in 2020.
Find out why at
Nadia G. Class of 2019
wilmu.edu/WilmUWorks
WilmU is a registered trademark of Wilmington University. All rights reserved. ©Wilmington University 2019