Listening to music provides so many benefits, especially for language learners. Cultural priorities are revealed through songs. Correct and incorrect grammar is used too. Idioms and advice run throughout music. The segments are also short, often less than 3 minutes, so that you can listen over and over again to catch certain phrases or rhythms. […]
Tag Archives: communication
A Fresh Start with idioms
Hello Again. It’s been a while since I’ve been with you. I put the blog on the bench for a month or so because I ran out of steam at the end of the semester and hit the wall big time. I was absolutely ready to throw in the towel. I simply had to dial […]
You’re Fired!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwDMFOLIHxU[/embedyt] Workin’ 9 to 5, for service and devotion You would think I would deserve a fat promotion Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me I swear sometimes that man is out to get me! In our 24-hour 7-day a week world, the days of only working 9-5 […]
Who’s Holding Your Safety Net?
My colleague, who teaches at a private ESL school with small classes and close connections to her students, recently shared a story with me. A group of students were playing in the park and had a minor injury. Afraid to go to the ER, they called her. She drove to meet them, assessed the situation, […]
Be Kind to Others
In Oklahoma, we have a saying, and you may have a similar one in your language as well. Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins. Although we never really know what someone else is going through, empathy can certainly help us to practice kindness with others. I’ve been […]
Black or White… or Grey?
In teaching this week, two different phrases came up that required explanation for my students: mixed blessing and false dichotomy. Additionally, I used the phrase double-edged sword in a mini-lecture and had to explain that as well. These phrases and the explanations got me thinking about absolutes and how we like things to be one […]
In Sickness and In Health
Everyone everywhere gets sick some time or another. Luckily, most of us get better too. Subsequently, every language has its own phrases for talking about sickness. I was wiped out by sickness all spring break, so I had the chance to think about how we speak of sickness and health in English. Hence, this week’s […]
Success by Choice
It’s almost midterms at IVC, so everyone, instructors and students alike, is on edge. Over the past week, several of my colleagues have bemoaned their students’ lack of understanding of basic college concepts– not the classroom content, but the soft skills so needed for success in an American college. Here in the USA, it is […]
Keep Your Fire Burning
One of the most awesome yet arduous aspects of working for or with others is that there is help in feeding the fire of accomplishment and motivation. Unfortunately, many aspects of life require us to stay motivated on our own and finish what we started without cheerleaders or spectators. To be successful, you have to […]
Mistake Idioms
Mistakes. Some are incidental while others, of course, can be substantial, but we all make them, usually on a daily basis. As a college instructor, my mistakes are so often very public and thus that much more embarrassing, frustrating, or even potentially harming than the errors of others less in the public eye. I try […]