"What's your father like?"

In the classes I teach, every week the students learn a new "QA." They learn several possible answers, and then they have to repeat the question and answer several times, individually and as a class. They write them in their notebooks with the translations in Mandarin, and I go around and check to see that their English question is written and punctuated correctly. At the start of each class, we review some old QA's and play a game.

One of their questions is "What's your father like?" They know just a few possible answers... and they regurgitate, "My father is tall and strong" or "My father is handsome" or "My father is generous and nice" and sometimes, "My father is short and fat." (hehe)

If I was asked, "What's your father like?" I would not be able to sum up my dad's qualities in two or three adjectives! There would be a long, long list--including:

devoted
sacrificial
hard-working
wise
hilarious
light-hearted
adventurous
gregarious (no pun intended)
intelligent
studious
responsible
fair
creative
entertaining
hungry (all the time, i think)
conniving (in a good way)
righteous

...and on and on. My students don't know any of those vocabulary words yet! But when I hear their voices chant in unison "My favver ("th" is difficult for them) is _________ and _______," I think of my father, and am thankful that he is not just "strong" and "handsome."

Dad, happy Father's Day. I miss you and wish we could meet for iced coffee at Stomping Grounds. I'll go find a coffee shop this afternoon and have one alone, but I'll be thinking of you.

I love you!

My dad enjoying dinner at The Spice on his last birthday! :o)