Shadowing Practice: Stay in School - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Transcription by CastingWords and who would like to go first um i will go first
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my name is musa i am from the great country of senegal it's in the continent of africa
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and my name is martin
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and i am jamaican my name is Lou I come from
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China I'm from the Dominican Republic oh my parents moved there
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before coming to the US I speak Spanish too cool my name is Omar
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and I'm from India I am
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Yelena I am from Russia
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and you are I am Diego Diego Villa Welcome, Diego.
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And where are you from, Diego?
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I'm from my English class.
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No, man, no. No, what country are you from?
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Oh, I'm from Mexico.
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Okay, everybody.
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This week, we are going to tell our stories.
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How you came here, why you came here, anything you want to tell us.
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Diego, would you like to go first?
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Me?
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Yes.
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First?
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Come on, Diego.
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Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego,
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Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego, Diego.
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Well, I first came to New York a few months ago.
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Diego, come on.
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Look.
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Welcome to New York City.
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The future World Cup champion.
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My nephew, Diego Villa.
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Well, are you going to let the soccer champion in?
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Welcome, Diego.
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This is your home now.
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We want you to be happy here.
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Thank you.
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Hey, Lupe, do you want to play?
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So, that was when I first arrived.
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My aunt and uncle were great.
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I thought school in New York would be like a school back at home in Mexico. But it wasn't.
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Your homework for tomorrow is to read pages 27 through 50.
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There will be a quiz.
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Any questions?
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I was lost in class.
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I couldn't understand the teacher.
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I couldn't understand the teachers either. And...
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I had problems at home.
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Problems at home?
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Oh, yeah?
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Well, yeah.
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One day, I came home, and...
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The landlord called again.
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He wants to know when we're going to pay.
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The rent is a full month late.
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So, what do we tell him?
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Well, what can we tell him?
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We tell him that we'll need another week to get the money.
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He raised the rent, but my salary did not go up.
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We have to pay.
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We don't have a choice.
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I will try to do more overtime.
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But, honey, you already work so much.
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Maybe I can borrow from my sister.
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Diego!
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How was your game?
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Did you win?
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Diego, Lupe, lunch is ready.
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so did you win yes that's my soccer star let's eat i'm not so hungry uncle one come on eat eat
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my family needed money so i decided to drop out
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and get a job drop out you know quit school
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but I didn't tell my aunt
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and uncle you didn't tell them they thought I was going to school every day
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but really I got a job do
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you like this job this job it pays two bills well this job
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and my other job why aren't you in school school will take forever my family needs the money now
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You need money?
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Learn English.
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Get your diploma.
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Then, you'll make real money.
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I hated that job.
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But at least I was making money.
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so what happened what about your aunt and uncle yeah did they find out the truth
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Hello, Mr. Diaz.
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This is Diego's English teacher.
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I am calling to tell you that Diego is not doing well in school.
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He isn't doing his homework.
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He's failing his tests.
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And he has missed class for a whole week.
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Please call me as soon as you can.
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Hello, Mr. Diaz.
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This is Diego's English teacher.
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I am calling to tell you that Diego is not doing well in school.
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Not doing well in school?
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He isn't doing his homework.
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Not doing his homework?
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He's failing his tests.
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Failing his tests?
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And he has missed class for a whole week.
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This is Ms. Glass for a whole week.
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Ms. Glass for a whole week?
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Please call me as soon as you can to set up an appointment.
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If you need an interpreter, please let me know.
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My office number is...
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My office number is 718 -555 -5252.
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Poppy's home!
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Hi, Poppy.
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Hi.
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How was school?
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Good.
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Lupita, please, take off your jacket and start your homework.
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I'll come into the room in one minute.
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Hi.
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What's going on?
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There was a message from Diego's English teacher.
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She said he's failing.
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And he has not been in class for a whole week.
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Diego?
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Our Diego?
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I don't understand.
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He goes to school every morning.
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What am I going to tell his mother?
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She trusted me to take care of him. That boy.
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When Diego gets home tonight...
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Juan, calm down.
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Diego is a good boy.
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He's smart.
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When he gets home, we'll ask him and we'll hear what he has to say.
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Okay?
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Okay.
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Okay.
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Did your uncle really listen to you?
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Or did he just...
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What's wrong?
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Diego.
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Diego.
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Carmen and I got a call from your teacher.
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My teacher?
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What is going on, Diego?
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I, Uncle Juan.
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School?
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Please, I don't want to talk about school.
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You don't want to talk about school?
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You haven't been in class.
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What's the matter with you?
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Please, Diego, tell us what is going on.
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I don't know what's going on.
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That's the problem.
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In Mexico, it was different.
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But here, in English, everything is blah, blah, blah.
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I don't understand my teachers.
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I can't read the books.
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With my English, I'll be in school forever.
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It's hard to learn English.
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It's hard to be in a new country.
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It was the same for us.
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I just want to help the family.
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I got a job.
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A job?
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I could help you pay the rent.
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That's not why you are here in New York.
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You are here to go to school.
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That is your job.
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I want to make my mother proud
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but your mother is proud of you we are all proud of you
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but a school is very important but school is
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so hard get an education you will have more choices you
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can get the job you want you can go to college college yes college why not I don't know.
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I don't know.
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Thank you.
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I don't know.
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Uncle Wand?
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I've decided I want to stay in school.
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Okay, Diego.
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We will do this together.
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I am not sure how, but we will do this together.
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Wow, Diego, so what happened next?
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Well, my family got busy.
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We had to ask questions, find out who to talk to, figure things out.
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Hello, this is Juan Diaz.
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You left me a message about my nephew, Diego Villa.
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I'd like to make an appointment to see you.
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Hi, it's Carmen.
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What high school does your daughter go to?
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Not the one in the neighborhood?
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How did you find it?
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Yes.
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Hello.
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3 -1 -1.
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My nephew is new to New York.
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He is having trouble in high school.
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He needs help in English.
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no one answers the phone keeps ringing and ringing don't give up mommy
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they didn't give up my aunt and uncle called everyone it wasn't easy my uncle took two days off of work
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You mean he can take extra English classes after school, too?
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Extra classes?
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Good.
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Very good.
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And you have the right to be in school until you're 21.
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21?
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I would like you and your uncle to talk to Mr. Shama.
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Our guidance counselor.
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Here.
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These are in Spanish.
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You know, every young person in New York City has a right to free education.
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Classes are free and extra help is free. For everyone? For everyone. With papers, without papers.
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Thank you.
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Tell me, what does Diego need to do to graduate?
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Well, there are classes he has to take, but Diego is a very smart guy.
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It will only take three or four more years.
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Four more years?
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I'm not sure.
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What if it doesn't work?
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What if I can't do it?
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Maybe I don't belong in school.
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yes you do if it doesn't work here we'll find another school
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there are big schools small schools international schools schools that have classes at night
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you have a lot of choices but let's try here first that's good
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you know Diego there's a group
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that meets once a week students like you they get together
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just to talk they're meeting today right after school I think you might like it so
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and that's how I got here with you guys oh mon diego what a story it's like a movie
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so you decided to stay in school
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but will you stay in this school diego you can't leave you're my only mexican friend I'm so, Diego.
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I'm staying here with you.
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Yeah!
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Hello, Mr. Diaz.
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This is Diego's English teacher.
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English teacher?
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I just wanted to call and let you know that Diego is doing very well in class.
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Very well.
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He's passing all his tests.
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He's passing all his tests?
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And after he finishes high school, he wants to go to college.
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And after he finishes high school, he wants to go to college.
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Yes!
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Yes!
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Yes!
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Go!
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Thank you.
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We'll be right back.
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Transcription by CastingWords
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Stay in School”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: diego, English, uncle, teacher. This video has 237 sentences and 1573 words to shadow. The speech runs for 23:07. The speaker talks slowly, about 68 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 47 of its 237 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| aunt noun | /ɑːnt/ | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
| nephew noun | /ˈnɛf.ju/ | A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either a son of one's brother (fraternal nephew) or a son of one's sister (sororal nephew). |
| transcription noun | /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/ | The act or process of transcribing. |
| marten noun | /ˈmɑɹ.tən/ | Any carnivorous mammal of the genus Martes. |
| interpreter noun | /ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪ.tɚ/ | A person or thing that interprets the meaning of something for another, particularly |
| diploma noun | /dɪˈploʊmə/ | A document issued by an educational institution testifying that the recipient has earned a degree or has successfully completed a particular course of study. |
| counselor noun | /ˈkaʊnsələ(ɹ)/ | A professional who counsels people, especially on personal problems. |
| quiz noun | /kwɪz/ | A competition in the answering of questions. |
| landlord noun | /ˈlæn(d).lɔɹd/ | A person that leases real property; a lessor. |
| overtime noun | /ˈoʊ.vɚˌtaɪm/ | Working time outside of one's regular hours. |
| borrow verb | /ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/ | To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. |
| continent noun | /ˈkɑntɪnənt/ | One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and… |
| jacket noun | /ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/ | A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| drop out verb | To leave (school, a race, etc.) prematurely and voluntarily. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. | |
| get together verb | To meet, to gather together, to congregate. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| take off verb | To remove. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- No, what country are you from?
- What am I going to tell his mother?
- You don't want to talk about school?
- What's the matter with you?
- What if I can't do it?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has missed · has not been · haven't been |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | am calling · isn't doing · is going |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will go · will be · we'll need |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to pay · has to say · had to ask |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like homework, aunt, nephew.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.