Language of Friendship-Part 3

This is the third and last installation in my friendship blog series. I’ve greatly enjoyed examining the English language for ideas about connection and companionship over the past weeks. In my teaching life, I’ve been trying to actively engage in interpersonal relationships as a teaching strategy to facilitate learning. It has been both equally exhausting […]

Language of Friendship-Part 2

Humans have always sought friends. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian, claimed, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” Wow, nothing? Wealth, possessions, fun, excitement, prestige, success — friendship is more important than all things?  What is it about friendship that could make it so powerful in our lives?  According […]

Back to School in Idioms

 As I prepare for the beginning of a new semester, I’m excited and a bit overwhelmed. As usual, I am attempting to accomplish more than is humanly possible by one small dedicated teacher. I do this every time despite promising Mr. C, my cat, my friends, and myself that it won’t happen again! That said, […]

Real or Not Real?

 The Freedom of the Press* is one of our foundational linchpins* on which American society is built. We want to make informed decisions, and this hinges* on the reporting of anything and everything that occurs in the country and the world. Even when I don’t like the news and it distresses me, as a concerned […]

Idioms in Human

I love this song.    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5yaoMjaAmE[/embedyt] Merriam Webster’s dictionary (my personal fav!) defines human as having characteristics or attributes of humans, but what does it mean to be human in today’s world? This week I had the wonderful opportunity (as usual with my awesome job!) to talk with humans from various linguistic and cultural […]

Idioms in “Firework”

It’s 4th of July, our nation’s birthday, a time for celebrations with friends and family and fireworks! I love fireworks. As I thought about this week’s blog, I, of course, went to Katy Perry’s awesome rocky song, “Firework.” I had thought to explore firework idioms, but upon listening to her song, I realized it was […]

Always Stay Humble and Kind

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. […]

Ch2:AAWWWLLL

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] At the request of my students, I am starting this blog with the vocabulary. Take a minute and review the definitions and idioms below before reading Chapter 2: Meet Larry. The idioms are indicated with an *. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Take a minute and review the definitions and idioms below before reading Chapter 2: […]