What is Your American Dream?
What is your American Dream? This remains one of my favorite questions to ask new immigrants and American citizens. I asked that question, followed by, “why” in a regular column for Easy English Times this month. I gave the last words to Toni Morrison, the Nobel-Prize winning author. “The function of freedom is to free somebody else.” Easy English Times, published in California, ran an ESL...
Read MoreWhere Do English Language Learners Live in the U.S.A?
Sometimes a picture, or in this case, an interactive map is worth a thousand words. The United States continues to attract more legal immigrants and refugees each year than any other nation in the world. We also have an estimated 10 million immigrants who have crossed the borders without waiting for their official invitations. People travel thousands of miles to start new lives here, and join...
Read MoreAre you prepared? Are you ready? Aren’t you nervous?
During the last hectic week of international travel and professional development presentations, I’ve been heard a few simple questions over and over. Are you ready? Are you prepared? Aren’t you nervous? Do you have enough time to do that? When are you going to sleep? Friends – and close relatives – ask these questions out of concern and curiosity. I appreciate their...
Read MoreAttention, California English Teachers – Our CATESOL Conference Opens Thursday!
Time flies – especially when focusing on taxes, grading papers, and browsing the internet! Somehow, the calendar reads April 15. Everybody knows that this is America’s tax day. Yet California English teachers might also remember that April 16 marks the opening of our annual CATESOL conference too. For better or for worse, that also means I have less than 60 hours before presenting my...
Read MorePractice Might not Make Perfect, but it Does Help ESL Students in Job Interviews
More Practical Job Interview Tips for ESL Students, Teachers from Q Blog During these difficult economic times, English teachers should take every possible opportunity to focus on job interview skills. As blog readers know, I’m a big fan of both videotaping practice interviews and having ESL/EFL students conduct research for possible jobs with information interviews. The Q group, an...
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