What’s your action?
Most of us have never wondered about such things but I love this! I knew the answer to it when I heard it being asked from a famous actor and now, I am taking it for my own. My action…
Tag teaching
Solving Interesting Problems
I listened to an episode of Akimbo yesterday. A podcast by Seth Godin who is basically my inspiration for most professional endeavors these days. With consistency he delivers always the right amount of inspiration, which is a reminder to keep…
Running and teaching
Today I ran a half marathon faster than I ever thought I could. It was quite remarkable how I managed it considering that running for me is a gateway from work and stress more than anything else. I think I…
5 things teachers can do to improve their teaching
Whatever you do, whatever your job is, there's a desire to do it better. If it's not a job than it is a hobby or simply to be a better friend, coworker, person or human being. The desire is real and there's a craving to satisfy it that is indescribable to most of us. We set boundaries on ourselves, come up with excuses and avoid the question. But no matter how hard anyone of us tries the desire to improve remains and will never vanish.
5 things that are not on my resume
Teaching is not only about qualifications and experience. A common misconception is that those are the credentials that matter most but actually it’s the soft skills and ability to connect with students, which are just as valuable regardless of what…
Ep.51 Facing our fears
It’s all about energy!
Many professions require it(energy), but most people don’t think teaching is one of them. Not true. It’s all about energy! And as I am writing this I am running on fumes. I gave it my all this week. Every lesson…
End of summer camp days
A final assessment The final week of camp has come and gone. With days from the end approaching there was a chance to reflect on the work, the experience, the relationships and the summer. Teachers are fortunate to have these…
Excellence through habit
‘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…
Leadership is about action
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…
You are contagious
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…
Respect: Take it
Does anyone respect teachers anymore? Parents? Kids? Teenagers? Adults? When I meet someone and they happen to ask what I do, which in Europe is extremely rare, and I tell them I’m an English teacher, I get no further questions.…
Empower your students
It is important to emphasize to teachers that students are the ones in the classroom that should be talking and communicating not you, the teacher. Many teachers seem to forget this simple truth and like to go on their rants…
Bring on the change
Change is a process. Change is the hardest thing we can choose to do. That’s cause people don’t like change. They like what’s comfortable and familiar, if you force them to change then they will resist and maybe even protest.…
Facing our fears
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…