This episode covers practical language tips for expressing your opinion, supporting your viewpoint as well as opinion adjectives. I’ve also included idioms related to ‘getting out of our comfort zone’ and for practical speaking situations. Scroll down to find the…
Knowledge vs Experience Our schools don’t prepare our kids for their future. It’s been said, repeated and discussed whenever education is the topic of a TEDtalk, a YouTube video or an education conference. Trying to figure out how to fix…
Travel is more than just an all-inclusive hotel We discussed it last week with bank employees I teach. They agreed, that it’s a great form but not necessarily the greatest. You know when you book that holiday with the family…
The easy way We are told to try new things. To learn a new skill, pick up a new hobby, explore, travel to unusual destinations, change habits. When you’re young this seems natural because you have a limited number of…
You can’t just turn on your creativity I’ve been talking about creativity this week with my students. It’s a fantastic subject with a lot of intriguing subtopics and tangents that sprout out of the initial conversation. Surprisingly, most of them…
‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’ –Aristotle Rejecting mediocrity Our habits make us who we are. They shape our character and inevitably, our destiny. Our habits come from the actions we…
‘Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment’ – Jim Rohn Applying discipline in our lives When you are growing up you are told to try new things. Experiment and discover. It’s a nice start and an introduction to many…
Today is the final day of the Young Leaders academy here at the camp and so I think it’s time for a bit of reflection on how the past 5 weeks have gone. It’s been quite an experience, and an…
In search of efficiency When you work at a place that serves you three meals a day, provides accommodation, and has crews that keep the whole place tidy, that significantly reduces the amount of responsibility you have. When you live…
Excuses It’s easy to say ‘I didn’t have a choice’. It’s easy to say ‘There was no option’. When we say it we’re basically saying, it wasn’t my fault, it was out of my control and there is nothing I…
The obstacle is the way mentality Whenever there is a crisis, there is an opportunity. Instead of complaining, it is much more productive and helpful to look for the opportunity that a crisis presents. I’ve written about this before but…
It’s Sunday, rainy and cold, in England. I am away from my family and I am headed into week 3 of school dining hall food. Oh man! Where’s the silver lining? Let’s have a look. I had a class this…
The Beginning- Taking risks When I started teaching, I was scared out of my boots. I was scared of making a fool of myself, of what the students would think of me, scared of making a language error or teaching…
Everything has a beginning The time has come to begin fresh. This is a beginning without an end I hope. It’s an effort to try and connect with those of you out there who want to see change and bring…
When I was eighteen I left home and went off to college. It was an exciting time and I was anticipating the freedom and independence that came with leaving home and being out in the real world, finally! In my…