Home School – a complicated debate

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lifetimerambls's avatarlifetimerambls

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/24/e1/af/24e1af6dd27714f90fd168ab99e4b49d.jpgHere’s a complicated issue. Most people reading this would be able to say whether they agree with home-schooling or not straightaway. And I think this is sad. Because you don’t know the position of the children who are home-schooled.

Here’s a complicated issue. Most people reading this would be able to say whether they agree with home-schooling or not straightaway. And I think this is sad. Because you don’t know the position of the children who are home-schooled.

I went to school and had a great time (mostly). I had friends, I enjoyed learning and being taught by teachers and it taught me a lot of life skills, particularly in social situations. You’re introduced to all sorts of people with different personalities and backgrounds and people who are not very nice to you. This happens to everyone throughout your life so it’s good to learn how to deal with people…

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Love Has No Labels

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Marisa Donnelly's avatarMiss Donnelly's Daily Apple

I came across this video around Valentine’s Day, “Love Has No Labels.” Curious, I followed the link and was captivated by what was two dancing skeletons behind an x-ray screen. From first glance, it was two twins, two mirrors of one another–same skulls, same leg bones, same hips, same arms wrapped around one another’s necks.

Then the two people stepped from behind the screen–two women.

What fascinated me the most about the video was how this simple screen seemed to erase people’s notions about what love was. When two nameless, raceless, faceless skeletons embraced, it was beautiful. Yet these perceptions seemed to change as the skeleton’s identities were unmasked.

I know that posting something like this on my blog is a risk. This is a controversial topic, and a topic that many feel isn’t a part of the classroom. But I disagree. I think that in today’s society, and especially…

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Incentives for More Student Participation 

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The Ardent Teacher's avatarThe Ardent Teacher

Sometimes, it can be difficult to get students to participate in class. Being a middle school teacher, I see it year after year and day after day: students feeling self conscious and apprehensive when asked to participate in class discussions or answer questions. Students participate for one of two reasons: they are either intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated. For the students who are intrinsically motivated to participate in class (motivated by internal factors such as wanting to do well or participating merely because they enjoy the experience), there is little you need to get their hands raised–their intrinsic motivation is enough on its own. The students who struggle are the ones who need extrinsic motivation–motivation by external factors, such as rewards etc. Below are some fun ways I boost participation in my classroom by taking advantage of extrinsic motivators.

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The Music Education Crisis in America

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thetalljosh's avatarThat Tall Guy Over There

Something disturbing is happening around the city I live in. Art programs are losing their funding, theaters are lacking in attendance, and music and arts are being pulled from school systems. I understand that the economy is tight nowadays, and that there are “essential” things students have to learn in school such as history, math, english, and the sciences, but unfortunately music is being pushed to the fringes and altogether eliminated from class offerings in school districts with smaller budgets. And this isn’t just a phenomenon happening in my area. School districts all across the country, and even in places like California that seem to be meccas of art and music, music and art education are taking a hit. In 2009, California diverted $109 million from music programs, resulting in closed music departments across half of California’s 10,000-plus public schools.According to Citylimits.org, Educators in New York City have estimated that…

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Experiencing the Courtroom for National Law Day

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brookhillschool's avatarBrook Hill School News | Tyler, TX

Our 8th graders got a taste of the legal system this week in celebration of National Law Day. Students had the opportunity to observe and participate in the legal system from the crime scene to the court room. Holly Stadelmann and Sawyer Hayes were chosen as witnesses to the “crime” while other students served on jury.

You can read a full article about the field trip here: http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-News+Local/218601/students-experience-justice-system


    

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student fails: how we love them.

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Kirsten's avatarThe TEFL Life: A TEFL blog

There is often a lot of attention on pronunciation and teaching it. For a long time I thought pronunciation was not high on my list of priorities, but then there are moments when you realise why there is such a focus on it.

Today was such a day. I love my students and I understand they are going to make mistakes (my language learning is appalling) but sometimes it’s hard not to laugh when they have no idea what they have just said.

The obvious chuckles are the b*tch/beach, vegetarian/vagatarian distinctions, but sometimes it’s a bit more subtle but still good for a giggle.

Today I attended a prize giving for a language school and a student was selected to give a speech:

“My teachers always tell me, working in a team is bitter than to work alone”.

#lovemyjob

[for more awesome funninesses check out  https://www.englishforums.com/English/FunnyEnglishMistakes/mcrk/post.htm

and Helen Doron English on Pinterest]

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Computer Assisted Language Learning

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rowanhayward's avatarGame On!

CALL

Computer Assisted Language Learning, or CALL in the English language learning field, helps students learn English (or any other language) more quickly and thoroughly than if they were only taking traditional class based lessons.  There are many applications that are available, and some are definitely more useful than others.  One of the best language learning software producers I’ve come across is English Language Learning Inc.  Most of their software runs through a browser or can be downloaded and installed on Windows or Mac OSX computers, as well as on IOS and Android devices.  There are some exceptions, but those are made clear before you purchase them.

English Language Learning

A teacher (or a student) can purchase online accounts, where the students can log in and practice anywhere.  The system will keep track of users’ progress and the amount of time they have logged in.

The flagship product is Pronunciation Power, which…

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Returning to the States After Teaching Abroad

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arysteja's avatarArysteja's Blog

Let me start by saying that I am going to try to be as objective as I can, but this blog is personal. VERY PERSONAL.

So many people go abroad to teach English. Sometimes these experiences are really awful, and other times they are pleasantly life changing. I experienced the latter. I lived abroad in South Korea for 7 years. There, I completely paid off all of my debt, learned some amazing teaching skills, and discovered who I was as an individual. In addition, I did something that I would NEVER have been able to do living in America. I traveled, lived, ate, and had fantastic health care for a fraction of a fraction of what just rent costs in the States. It is amazing what you can accomplish when basic survival is not a concern. To say the least, being an English teacher was a breath of fresh air…

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