Category Archives: Teaching
Semester Review
Much better class today. I told my students not to bother taking out their books, which put everyone in a good mood. I’d copied some worksheets from other books, so we could review the semester without boring everyone. It was … Continue reading
Expendability
Sometimes my ESL lessons don’t go every well, and when that happens, they fail spectacularly. My freewrite today was a journal entry about one day in childhood, which I thought would lead neatly into a review of irregular past tense … Continue reading
Portuguese Igloos
I gave my students a writing warm-up exercise today. A lot of my students come straight from work, or from picking up their kids, etc. and I thought it would make a good transition into English class. And it rewards … Continue reading
One Child Left Behind
I haven’t wanted to post about the Virginia Tech shooting because there’s really nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said more eloquently. Yesterday when I got to LCC, I had a new handout in my mailbox. It’s all … Continue reading
3? ? Left
3? ? Left, a teacher blog that I really like, has been on fire this week with Department Of Ed buzzword bingo (note to self: print and discreetly pass out at the next LCC staff development meeting) and this:
2 3/4 Classroom Hours Until April Vacation
I think no matter how much you like your job, there are going to be days when you’d rather stay home and sleep off yesterday’s chardonnay and jelly beans. And remember that when I say “you”, I actually mean “me”. … Continue reading
Going To
I went back to work yesterday, and I got to see one of Mikhail’s finest moments. Mikhail is in his seventies, he’s got a masters in engineering, and he speaks Russian and Hebrew fluently. He’s taking my English class more … Continue reading
No Dentist Left Behind
From the brilliant education blog Are We Doing Anything Today? comes No Dentist Left Behind. My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don’t forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, … Continue reading
Universal Game Culture
My students were having trouble with the difference between an action in the present and a habitual action. The book seemed a little technical here, so I pulled out my cell phone. “I’m going to call my boyfriend,” I said. … Continue reading
No One Said Arbor Day
Today I asked my students to choose the most important holiday in their home country and tell me how that day is celebrated and why it’s important. I thought this would be an interesting topic that everyone would relate to, … Continue reading
