Looking Past Assumptions
I looked at the three eager, yet curious faces studying me shyly from around the plastic cafeteria tables. They didn’t know me, but I’d heard…
Activating Student Engagement
“Cindy Engel studies zoopharmacognosy, or ________________.” I paused the video on the caption so the students in my Speaking and Listening Intermediate ESL class could…
Committed to Teaching
I’d been teaching in the English Language Institute for 6 years and thoroughly enjoyed the last 3 or 4 classes. They had been a delight…
The Value of a Mentor
I didn’t train as a teacher in college. My major was English, “writing, not teaching” as I was quick to highlight for anyone who asked.…
Beyond the Classroom
“You are the God of miracles and wonders! Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was…
Keeping Mental Sanity in the Pandemic
Teachers also feel the strain of trying to keep their students’ attention and balance their work life while working from home during the pandemic.
Disrupting the Norm
The average quiz is a cop-out, a way to fill class time and have easy quantitative means to prove a student’s grade. We need to…
Teach to the Test, Then Teach Some More
Education is not a rigid system that penalizes those who understand things differently. Education is transformation through learning.
Creating a Meme Culture
True teaching is more than delivering subject matter to students. One teacher shares her thoughts and experiences on wholistic teaching.
Using Technology to Enhance Students’ Learning Experience
While there is immeasurable value in putting away the smartphone and challenging the mind through in-class interaction, there is a place for electronics in the…
Mentoring Third Culture Kids
A third-culture kid is one who grows up in a different culture from the culture that his or her parents grew up in.
The Courage to Clash
Conflict in communication is often perceived as negative, but it can serve a purpose if we are able to accomplish three objectives.