Category: esl
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Clarity in confinement?
It’s important to say things as they are. Love is the opposite of avoidance. And so, it is important to be able to say things as they are, beginning with our fears. (Boris Sirbey) I read that piece of wisdom this morning in a LinkedIn article entitled Le hamster épris de ciel bleu (The Hamster […]
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An ESL Teacher in Quarantine
I didn’t see it coming. But then again, did anyone? The topic of the Covid19 came up in class. Or rather, the topic of how the company would react, preparing an emergency plan of action if an employee was found to be infected. We all thought it was perhaps exaggerated. We logged onto the WorldMeter […]
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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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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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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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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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In Honour of Father’s Day
How many ways do you know how to say father in English? Three? Five? More?! I thought it would be à propos on this Father’s Day (note that it is Father’s, the day of father, as opposed to Fathers, plural, the day of/for fathers) to write a post on that precise question, and perhaps provide […]
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From Arrested Development to Attested Development: 3 Simple Ways to Get Back on Track
“You come to the gym more than the average member”, the gym employee commented. “Wow! Really? Thanks for the encouragement!”, I responded, feeling dissatisfied with myself all the same. “I guess the problem”, I thought, as I drove home,” is that I’m not seeing any progress”. In fact, after a very cold winter which […]
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The Irish Impact
Try the following quiz to see what you know about words, expressions and traditions that linger in our language and culture! 1. Which of the following words means a crazy person? a) Bother b) Clock c) Bog d) Banshee 2. When a child misbehaves constantly, what do we call him/her? a) A banshee b) A […]
CLAIRE MARIA FORD 