It’s now the final week before the race in Athens. The training is complete, the squats, the chin-ups, the speed runs, the threshold runs the lunges and on and on. Paradoxically the final week is a waiting game. A resting…
Heat My alarm goes off and I quickly turn over in the king size bed I’m sleeping on to reach the bedside table with my cell phone on it. It’s still dark – 5am to be exact. I got 30min…
This past week I had three evenings of social meetings with Polish friends and neighbors. Three opportunities to practice my Polish speaking skills Numerous individuals Ample time A wide range of topics. What could any language student ask for? (sound…
I finished the exercise book I have spent months on the index cards and doing recall I’ve done grammar I’ve studied I’ve read I’ve listened I’ve matched, filled out and conjugated. bleh What’s next? The Second winter is coming –…
I’ve gotten it recently and I’m working through the units like a freight train steaming on. Nothing is stopping this Polish-learning machine from chugging along. This thing has grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening. This thing has got tables, sentences with missing…
I can confirm, that I am still standing even after some quite big hits to the ears, and ego. Learning Polish. Each day, beginning again, and again and AGAIN. Sharp redirect The grammar method and focus on exercises almost took…
I've tried to stay consistent but now with March under way I am finding it harder and harder as winter slowly reaches the finish line.
In this episode I share some tips and tricks that can help teachers conduct their online lessons more effectively. There are lots of tools and features that can be utilized and in this brief video I cover the ones that have made a huge difference in maintaining
This post accompanies episode 97 of the ESL Trailblazer series on ESL teaching online. You can find complimentary tips and tricks there too. Emoticons for communication They are available on most communication platforms so it doesn’t really matter which you…
Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more. You have it and sometimes you might not even realize it. It becomes a subconscious thing but it’s there and it can wreck havoc on you if you let…
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There is no denying that there’s been a huge disruption for many of us because of the lockdown With language learning students will feel that the face to face interaction just simply cannot be replaced with online learning and live…
It’s the perfect time isn’t? Quarantine has got us locked down and isolated. Can’t go to class, can’t have lessons. When we sign up for a language course we are sending a signal that says we are serious about learning,…
Fluency practice is a NO pain, NO gain proposition. Here's how to get started.
When we’re comfortable we enjoy showing it. But a misstep can quickly turn that smile into a frown and then we’ve lost the pleasure we felt a moment ago. I guess the proverb is a reminder that modesty, appreciation, calmness…