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Importance of authentic vocabulary reflecting interests “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”  -Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), British author What are the 1000 most common words in English? Wiktionary, an offshoot of the wonderful Wikipedia, offers this...

What should every ESL student know? Beats me. One size fits all philosophies often seem a bit strange to me. Can anybody really answer this question for every international student and ESL (English as a Second Language) college student? Really? Don’t circumstances, needs, and...

A good society helps its citizens flourish and visitors feel welcome.   A good society also invests in education, including teaching immigrants enough English that they can use their considerable intelligence, creativity, and skills in the workplace. Unfortunately, low standards...

Adverse effects of public education budget cuts “Only the educated are free.” -Epictetus (55-135), Stoic Philosopher The dollar continues to decline in value. The national budget, seldom balanced, has zoomed deep into mega-debt during the Bush II era with two...

Pleasant surprises at TESOL Convention “Expect the unexpected.”  -ProverbI kept an open schedule, previewed some workshop titles, and conducted more research than usual before going to the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages convention in New York. I expected...

Teaching English and Engaging the World “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” -Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Roman Emperor How can we encourage our students to speak to...