Get together with the members of your talking group and discuss the questions below. In preparation for the activity, you can read the NYT's article on summer jobs for students or this other article on Joshua Johnson's train tap dancing.
What interesting, or not so interesting, things have you done in your life to earn money or even just to gain job experience or skills?
If you’ve never worked, what creative ideas do you have for using your free time on weekends, in the evenings or this summer to make some cash?
What do you think of the ideas of students like Joshua Johnson, Cameron Stephens or the other five teenagers profiled in this New York Times jobs article?
The article on Joshua Johnson comes with a short video where he explains all the comings and goings that led him to tap dance on the New York subway. Try to understand as much as you can. Some bits are within the grasp of strong intermediate students, some others are really hard. Anyway, if you want to understand everything he says, here's the transcription of the video:
At least two weekends a month Joshua Johnson travels in State College Pennsylvania to New York City to tap dance on the train.
Johnson is a second semester sophmore at Penn State University, and dancing on the subway pays better than his job near campus.
I ‘m used the tapping on the train as a way to fund my meal plan, for books, yeah. This is the way it´s at.
A Harlem native, Johnson has performed professionally ever since he learnt to dance seven years ago. For when his mother lost her job, Johnson used his skills to help his family, by paying his own way.
First time I started tap dancing in the train I remember I told myself I’m hungry’ and myself told me ‘Well, I can’t do nothing for you’, so I grabbed my tap shoes and went on the train and I rode the train up and down the train for like a good three and a half, scared out my behind, I was nervous, but then some guy gave me like 5 dollars and, I was like What?, is this how easy that is? Ok, well, let’s go to work then.
Johnson knows every bump and turn on the two and three tube trains. It’s the route he prefers because the distance between the stops gives him time to perform and collect money. He adds a routine down to a science.
I always think the introduction and the conclusion is the most important parts of the step. You let them know like, you know, this is what just happen, a tap dancing on a moving train, yeah.
And while he loves tap dancing, Johnson has greater aspirations.
Graduating itself, it’ll just be a great personal accomplishment, and you know, I know the degree is going to mean a lot to me, my family, my friends, so yeah, I look forward to graduating
