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Why are so many EFL Textbooks so bland, boring, and culturally tone-deaf?  Allow me to ask a more polite question. How can English teachers working abroad and international English textbook publishers both respect local cultures and create more engaging English classroom lessons?...

Most of the book’s prompts ask for recollections or personal opinions.“Whatever perspective you bring to the book, I want you to find validation in some great thinker, that it’s okay to see things that way. That gives us all the freedom to be ourselves and less of who we think we...

“To know and not do is to not know.” – ancient Jewish proverb Directing a private international high school in Vietnam last year provided many lessons. English might be the subject, but the context, as so often, became paramount. As English teachers, we often...

Does teaching English open minds in closed societies? Are repressive governments “right” to fear the spread of English? Can the mania for learning English destabilize a rigidly controlled nation? In short, are dictators smart to jam the radio broadcasts of Voice of...

Sometimes the simplest questions create the best conversations. What does success mean? What definition are you using? How is that definition working for you?

ESL students, international visitors, and many American citizens often express shock, dismay, and outrage over television programs. How can the news show people struggling on a rooftop, a criminal cursing the police, or a comedian mocking a vice-presidential candidate – or...

Why I chose not to censor Compelling Conversations to increase accessibility “Only the educated are free.” Epictetus (55-135), Greek philosopher Many English teachers have asked if I plan a “culturally sensitive” version so Compelling Conversations can be used in more...