Gratitude is heaven itself
A bright college student asked a simple vocabulary question that threw me this week. “What is the opposite of jealous”? What is the opposite of jealous? Generous? Selfless? Confident? I found myself discussing various possibilities with students adding in situations. The simple vocabulary building exercise (create 25 pairs of opposite adjectives) took a more philosophical turn. We...
Read MoreDoes Uncle Sam want immigrants to learn English?
Learning to read, write, and speak English remains a legal requirement for legal immigrants to become citizens in the United States. National polls also consistently show that over 80% of American voters favor making English the official national language. Immigrants to English speaking countries like the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia also want to learn more English to gain...
Read MoreWhat is a lifequake? Is that a real word?
Earthquakes remain a concern for people living in many places, including my home in Southern California. This awareness, and fear of sudden shaking and buildings falling, enters into many conversations. I recently read a wonderful term and vocabulary word: lifequake. What does it mean? An event that suddenly changes your life – a car accident, being laid off, terrible illness, or getting...
Read MoreAnother inspiring Huxley quote for English teachers
“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self… Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting.” —Aldous Huxley I found this quote after grading another pile of ESL papers. Somehow it spoke to...
Read MoreTeaching Quotations Creates Lively ESL Classroom Discussions, Shares Insights
Why do you recommend using classic quotations in ESL classrooms? “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence Classic quotations, like proverbs, brings in many insights from religious leaders and philosophers that go back even more than 2,000 years...
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