Category: growth mindset
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One Crisis, Three Questions
Going into Week 8 of confinement, how’s the morale? I don’t know for you, but for me it’s been such a roller-coaster of emotions! Sometimes, I feel short-tempered and irritable (especially when watching the news or reading other people’s reactions to government decisions). Then I swing to frustration at not being able to go running […]
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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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Opportunity, or just an opening?
There’s a difference between an opportunity and an opening. While pondering a change of employment lately, I realized these three things: An opportunity pushes you to grow. An opening just lets you continue being as you are. An opportunity pushes you to do new things. An opening just lets you continue doing the same-old tasks […]
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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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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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When you’re aiming for the moon…
Beresheet may have crashed, but for a moment we raised our eyes to the heavens. The headline of the Times of Israel article (first in links below) couldn’t help but grab my attention. I wondered what the article would say about ‘raising our eyes to the heavens’ and began to read. I was so glad […]
CLAIRE MARIA FORD 