The teaching life (page 2)
Day-to-day life as a teacher abroad.
TEFL Romance
Just in time for Valentine’s Day: the TEFL Logue on the pros and cons of TEFL romance.
Emerging Trend: Bilingual Babies
Bilingual Babies, A Sign Of The Times describes this trend and delves into the reasoning of parents as well as some of the benefits of bilingualism.
The British Council: TEFL Logue Friend Or Foe?
I shared my thoughts on the awesomeness of a certain cultural organization in Online Resource: The British Council .
On Forgetting Words...In Your Own Language
Immersion leaves native language speakers tongue-tied might just provide an explanation for my absentmindedness with English language vocabulary.
Challenging Students: The Sisters
They were seven and nine and had spent five years in the UK so spoke perfect English; they sounded completely like Brits – to me anyway – and even sometimes spoke English to each other.
What Makes Some Countries "Better At" English?
A foreigner was lost in (non-English speaking city name here) and stopped two policemen for directions. She asked in English but they didn’t speak English. She switched to Spanish, also with no luck.
EFL Spring Break Dreams
So it’s only February 5, but you can see where my mind is: dreaming about picking up a Eurail pass, finding some discount hostels and air tickets , buying travel gear … well, okay, bargain travel…
TEFL Mystery #3: The Elusive Reward Resource Pack
I believe there are five separate books of resources in this superb series, from Starter to Upper Intermediate.
Make Your EFL Holiday An Adventure With WWOOF
The TEFL Logue has before mentioned WWOOF as an intriguing and generally low-cost way to greatly enhance your holiday by giving you the chance to volunteer on an organic farm in exchange for room and…
Make Your EFL Holiday An Adventure With WWOOF, Part 2
Any advice? Carrie suggests putting some thought into selecting a host who will be a good fit for you “I, for example, would never go to a place that said something like "no alcohol ever" or had 6…
Emerging Trend: English Only In The US
I’ll start off by linking to ESL Base’s TEFL Blog which provides a handy summary of a new bill before the US Congress concerning English the official language of the country.
TEFL Mystery #2: What's That Thing?
One of the neat things about teaching abroad is that you get to live abroad…and if you’re fortunate enough to get a furnished flat, it will have all sorts of neat and funky stuff in it.
One TEFL Logue Inspiration
Around this time last year, an aunt of mine passed away. She wasn’t primarily an EFL teacher, but her international experience continues to inspire me.
Five Things You Didn't Know About
...me. There is an online game of tag going on, and the TEFL Logue is it, courtesy of Sue of An ELT Notebook . Read on to find out five facts about me and then to see which five bloggers I tag.
Does The Novelty Wear Off?
This question came up on one of the Dave’s ESL Café Message Boards, and it got me thinking.
Fringe Benefit Of TEFL Part 3: Learning Local Legends
I may be a dork, but I love learning local legends, and honestly, even interesting anecdotes from my students, and hearing about the aboriginal legend that another writer learned about recently while…
How To Make The Most Of Your TEFL Time Abroad
First of all, you have to know yourself and your priorities relatively well. This is of course, easier said than done: many people get involved in TEFL specifically to get to know themselves better –…
A TEFL Logue Visitor
Some of my more intrepid readers might have noticed that on Saturday, I broke my TEFL Logue New Year’s Resolution to make four posts a day.
Traveling Man, or Settling Down?
I’m happy to report that TedKarma is back with some more insight for the TEFL Logue.
More From The TEFL Kitchen: Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients: Some black beans Corn Finely diced onion Water Flour or breadcrumbs As my readers may have figured out by now, most of my recipes (well, the ones that don’t come from my mom, like banana…
Fringe Benefits Of TEFL, Part 2
Travel Especially if you’re from North America, teaching abroad will almost definitely bring the world closer to you.
Book Review: Everything Is Illuminated, By Jonathan Safran Foer
There are only a few fictional books which seem connected to EFL; Everything Is Illuminated is not only an enjoyable read for English teachers (and, well, everyone else), but is an excellen piece of…
TEFL Opportunity: Language Exchange
What is it? Language exchange is when you meet with a local and “exchange” English lessons/conversation for lessons/conversation in their language. Why do it?
The English Teacher (The Movie)
EFL Geek provides some insight and a link to the site for the English Teacher, and I have to say – I want to see it!
Does Language Influence Your Worldview?
One of the blogs I like – ESL Pundit – has had a couple of intriguing posts about the topic “does language influence a person’s worldview?” .
How I Spent My Winter Break
In tribute to the good old “How I spent my summer break”, here’s the TEFL Logue’s winter version. As my readers may know: I went to Turkey!
TEFL Logue New Years' Resolutions
I'd like to wish all the TEFL Logue readers - and others who have made this thing possible - a happy new year. Out with the old and in with the new!
Guide To The TEFL Kitchen: Top 10 Kitchen Tools
So you've made your new flat your own , but now you have to furnish your kitchen? You may not want to spend a lot if you’re only going to be there a year, so here is the TEFL Logue’s top ten kitchen…
Making Your New Accommodation Your Own
So you’ve moved into your new place where you’ll stay for a whole year. If you’re lucky, it’s already furnished so you don’t have to invest in furniture and major appliances…but if it’s full of…
Tips For A TEFL Budget
Teaching EFL is usually not the profession to get rich in. It’s possible to save some money, and in a few countries even amounts that will make a difference at home, but in general you need to watch…
Last Minute Gifts Christmas Gifts
This post is directed at who may have slacked off a little in your holiday shopping, ahem, like me.
Where There Is No McDonald's: More TEFL Recipes
I might have mentioned that I think one of the nicest things about living abroad is having the opportunity to sample and even learn to cook local cuisine.
Cool People I've Met Via TEFL: The Friendly Kiosk Lady and the Laundry Lady
Following the demise of my washing machine , I seem to have found the one reasonbly priced laundromat in all of Eastern Europe, located in the bowels of a student dormitory.
Top 5: Gifts For EFL Teachers To Send Home
On a tight budget and wondering what cool gifts to send home to your family? Look no further: 1. Some unique local food, obviously non-perishable.
What's Great About Returning Home Post-TEFL?
Your family. Your friends. Your dog. Your own bed. Television commercials you can understand. When I am back home, it is amazing how easy so many tasks seem.
What's Hard About Returning Home Post-TEFL?
Good old reverse culture shock . Thirty-five kinds of paper towels to choose from and twenty aisles to navigate at every supermarket!
On Being An American Abroad
As a native speaking English teacher, you don’t usually have the ability to leave your nationality up in the air that you do as a traveler.
A Very TEFL Thanksgiving: The Sequel
After a marvelous Thanksgiving Day dinner hosted by a friend on the real Thanksgiving, I had my own dinner to cook up on Friday.
Language As The Perfect Instrument Of Empire?
"When introduced to a construction of Spanish grammar in 1492, Queen Isabella of Spain was perplexed. She wondered what purpose grammar could serve.
Thanksgiving At The TEFL Logue
I’m happy to report that my own Thanksgiving will be a two-day affair. Today was an excellent dinner with a small group of Americans who probably don’t realize just how positive an impact they’ve had…
Top 10: Funky Facts About My Accommodation
You never know what you are going to get when someone else arranges accommodation for you.
Top 5: Tips For Getting Over A Bad Day In TEFL
Maybe the lesson you invested too much time in bombed. Perhaps you got flustered or were unprepared for class because the copy machine got jammed , or maybe you have issues with something at home…
Ode To The Copy Machine
I do not consider myself technologically savvy by any means (read about my other issues with appliances here and here ), but I can sweet talk a copy machine into doing just about anything.
Where There Is No McDonald's: TEFL Recipes
Feasting on local food is one of the highlights of living abroad. But sometimes the craving for some comfort/home food really kicks in.
Top 5: "It's A Small World" Moments
One of the highlights of teaching (and living abroad and traveling in general) is that it enables me to meet tons of people.
Where There Is No McDonald's: Cooking Abroad
Okay, most cities and towns where tefl teachers end up will, in fact, have this import from the US…but one thing that is certain almost everywhere: you are likely to need to do a little cooking while…
No Recycling?!
It sounds corny, but it was hard to contain my joy when I realized that recycling is widely available in my new town after all.
The Canteen
One of the highlights of the school I worked at in Budapest was its proximity to “the canteen.” This was a nice-looking cafeteria-style restaurant where you took a tray and ordered what you wanted…
Fringe Benefits of TEFL
One of the nicest things about teaching English abroad is that you are living abroad as well...and when people you know travel, they are usually more than happy to visit you and be shown around by…
Occupational Hazard: Moody Appliances Part 2
Some well-intentioned readers might ask themselves what an errant washing machine has to do with TEFL.
"Where does I remain over bus 715 there?" More On Speaking The Local Language
I must first admit that I've stolen the first sentence in the the title of this post from Kat Lewin, author of "Out and Aboutski: In Russia, language speaks you" .
Cool People I've Met Via TEFL: My Bosnian Landlady
She was an old woman, seventy-five years old, she told me, holding up seven fingers and then five.
Holidays While TEFL-ing
Many people dread the thought of spending holidays away from home. I’m not going to say it’s always great, but there is at least the potential for fun.
Top 5: Tips For Learning The Local Language
Teaching English as a foreign language overseas is a great opportunity to learn a bit of another language, especially if you are in a place with a rarer language that would be difficult or impossible…
TEFL Ethics
This recent post on ESL Blog – and the article it links to – made me think a lot about more ethical do’s and don’t’s of teaching EFL, especially the last sentence: “The other issues are important,…
Occupational Hazard: Moody Appliances
If you find yourself in Eastern Europe, you will no doubt be both pleased and troubled by your washing machine.
Interesting People I've Met Via TEFL: My Saudi Students
I taught multi-lingual groups of students in Chicago briefly and it was fascinating to be able to converse with people my age (or slightly younger) from Asia and Europe and South America all in one…
A Typical Weekend In TEFL
A frequent Saturday morning trip for me is actually to the British Council . You can join for a fee which is usually very reasonable – about $20 a year here plus $5 for DVD rental – and check out…
Changing Speech: Are You A Regular American?
The irony is that while one of the reasons that language schools hire native speakers is for their unadulterated accents, one of the first things you learn in any teacher training course is how to…
Medical Care Abroad
Going to a doctor anywhere is rarely a barrel of laughs, and visiting a health care professional abroad is no exception.
How Do You Say “Sugar-Free Vanilla Non-Fat No Foam Extra Hot Two Splenda Latte” In This Language?: Customer Service Experiences Abroad
I like the fact that things are different from home when I go abroad. Some of the more amusing and challenging differences I’ve found involve customer service.
A Typical Day Teaching in Budapest
I wake up at six so I can leave at six-thirty and arrive at the school by seven. My first class starts at seven-thirty, and I almost always have copies to make or activities to search for.
Keeping In Touch
Don’t let worries about losing touch with friends and family stop you from teaching English overseas.
Conversations With A Former Monk
What is it like to be a Tibetan monk in Karnataka? How does a person travel on foot from Tibet to India without a map? What do you do if you get lost while leading a herd of yak?
First Teachers' Meeting
Ten teachers are present for this very first teachers’ meeting – several more part-timers are employed but these are the permanent ones.
How To Make Friends While TEFL-ing
If you happen to move in next door to the local version of Joey and Chandler, you'll be all set.
A Night On The Town In Budapest With Students
Timothy and I shared an MX5, which was not a car, but rather an intensive English course that met five days a week for three hours a day...for three weeks.
Arrival: Part 2
So I'd arrived on a Sunday, two days before a holiday, to find a nice apartment which was lacking several things I'd need on a day to day basis: dishes, kitchen utensils, sheets and towels.
September 11, 2002 in Sarajevo
On the first anniversary of September 11 I was in my second month of teaching in Sarajevo, a city which had seen large scale tragedies of its own.
Arrival
I arrive in the city that will be my home for the next year on a Sunday morning. I have the phone numbers of the senior teacher who interviewed me and the school director – who I am to call to pick…
A Typical Day Teaching in Sarajevo
I wake up at 9:30 and walk to the bakery five minutes from my door. I pay 25 cents for a buhtla cokoladna – a warm roll with chocolate inside that I buy regularly but can never pronounce correctly.