Like so many in Southern California, my lifestyle would be impossible without a car. I love my MX5 Miata convertible. It gives me joy at the end of a difficult day as I speed down the road with the top down and music up. I can park easily amongst giant SUVs who think they are […]
Tag Archives: motiviation
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 […]
Metamorphosing with Quotes
This week’s blog is a personal response to something happening in my own life incorporating applicable quotes to support my ideas. In my summer writing class, we have been studying the quote sandwich. Today’s lesson exemplifies embedded quotes. Metamorphosing – Trying Something New with Quotations I’m a teacher, and I love my job. Yet, for […]
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 […]
A Cycle of Flow
In my writing summer class, we are beginning the Emotional Intelligence (EI) Unit. I love this subject. So many conflicts among groups could be avoided if we all just had a bit more EI. One of my favorite aspects of this subject (and there are so many awesome ones, it is difficult to choose a […]
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 […]