Author: Claire Maria Ford
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The Call of the Open Road
“No, I don’t know what I am going to do next, but that doesn’t bother me. It’s time [to go].” A friend and I were discussing her recent discussion to leave her job. She talked about the subsequent reactions from friends and colleagues: surprise, consternation and wonder, bordering on envy. She told me she was […]
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Outer mess, inner stress?
“Tell me something you don’t like”, I asked my student. “I don’t like when things are messy.” “”Really”, I responded, “why? “ I don’t know.” “Okay, well, what does it make you feel?” “No idea.” “You just don’t like it. You prefer when things are in their place, organized, structured?” “Yes, let’s say I arrive […]
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When saying good-bye is hard to do
‘There must be around ten people who have left the company lately‘, complained one of my students this week, as he went on to admit that he found it hard. As I asked questions, his colleague joined the conversation and I could feel the turmoil, questioning and well, sadness at the state of affairs. […]
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Teachers, you lead your students, but do you lead yourself, too?
Brené Brown defines a leader as one who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential (Dare to Lead, Random House, NY, 2018, p. 4). That is what you, as a teacher, do every day. In and out of the classroom, during school hours and […]
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Three Questions & A Birthday
“Why can’t I say Happy Anniversary when it is someone’s birthday?”, many an ESL student has asked me. That’s a great question and one that merits a post about to explain the answer – especially since I just attended a very special birthday celebration for someone close who was celebrating 90 years (name withheld to […]
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ESL Mixologist: What’s the deal?
I am never just teaching an English class! I am on the lookout for new insights or epiphanies I may have while talking about vocab, grammar or functional language. ESL Mixologist is all about my journey as an ESL teacher who just can’t get over the serendipitous glimpses into the parallel universe of philosophy while […]
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How can grammar improve your summer work experience?
My students wandered in — late, fewer than usual, not as bright and bouncy as usual, but faithful to their weekly summer English class. “What are the advantages to working during the summer?”, I asked them, perhaps a little precociously. They looked at me like I was out of my mind, so I explained. “This […]
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3 Reasons to Savor the Summer Solstice
Got to admit it, I didn’t know much about the Summer Solstice. Yet the more I Googled, the more I learned, and the more I realized that this is a date to celebrate. 1. Summer has arrived! The word solstice comes from Latin and basically means the day the sun stands still (solstitium: sol – […]
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Have you connected today?
People matter. With those two words, American psychologist, Chris Peterson, summarized his life research on how to enable people to go from surviving to thriving, discovering and pursuing what really what makes life worth living for them. In the Huffington Post Canadian edition today, publishes a video with the astounding title: The most connected generation […]
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Disrupt the humdrum and go creative at the coffee machine!
You know the drill. You get to the office, leave your stuff at your desk, grab your coffee cup and head to the coffee machine. Then the conversation begins. Hey Charles! How are you? Oh, you know, busy usual. Or: Hey Laurence! How are you today! Not bad, you? Or: Good morning, Simon! How are […]
CLAIRE MARIA FORD 