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Do you always need to have the last word?
Here’s one fancy way to do just that: use an epiphonema! What in the world is that? So glad you asked! According to Dictionary.com, an epiphonema is, and I quote, “a sentence that is an exclamation, a general or striking comment, or a succinct summary of what has previously been said“. In other word, it’s […]
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Do you believe in what you’re doing?
Why does it matter? More like: why doesn’t it matter? I was having a conversation with one of my adult sons about personal work choices. I suppose he was trying to figure out my mindset. It got me thinking. I realized that at some point I made a decision to only do work that I […]
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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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Need a shot of chutzpah?
I’m thinking I sure do! Chutzpah is that zingy Hebrew word that means gall, effrontery and sometimes outrageous audacity. It’s the stuff that entrepreneurs, politicians and every-day go-getters have loads of. What does it look like? How about not taking no for an answer, daring to ask why when everyone else is frozen in stunned […]
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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 […]
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How are you today?
Any student of mine knows that my priority in class is their well-being, which is why classes usually begin with: How are you? How’s your day going? What’s new and exciting? I’m sure that most teachers would agree that a happy student is a learning student (at least, more likely to be learning student!) So […]
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3 Lessons My Students Taught Me
I came across this quote on my Facebook page this week, a gif shared by the BrainPower Neurodevelopmental Center in Newburgh, Indiana. At first, I thought about my home situation; the older my sons become, the more I realize they are their own selves. What a myth to believe that kids become what parents ‘make’ […]
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When Initiative Is MIA: What to do about it?
I had a wonderful opportunity to take initiative on the weekend. And I didn’t. No, no, of course I won’t obsess about it (not!) It’s just that this weekend, I was preparing an activity for a class this week about initiative because a student and I had a discussion that ended with the question: how […]
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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 