Trainyouraccent.com

Hi everyone. I am always experimenting with increasing engagement and learning on my sites. Here is a possible new quiz format and style for creating questions about the listening activities students here.

What do you think? Are these questions with immediate feedback helpful? Please let me know.

https://www.trainyouraccent.com/readings/apartment-rentals

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a day is a time of gratitude. I’m thankful for:

- A good family who cares, listens, and feels;

- Good friends who remember our family in small acts of kindness;

- A very rewarding job that provides a deep well of opportunities to learn about the world;

- Daily moments of wonder and mystery that allow me to reflect on how limited my understanding is of our existence;

- Constant reminders on how I need to be more compassionate for those who struggle beyond my awareness;

- Uncertainty, which keeps me searching for new knowledge instead of just holding on to what is finite and comfortable;

- Animal companions at home who don’t hold grudges and love you no matter how hard your day has been;

- Nature and the mountains where we live, a place where I can hike, run, and soak in solitude and wonder;

- A warm home, something so many people live without in despair;

- The lessons of struggle to humble me;

- Strength to rise each morning;

- Food and clothing;

- Contentment;

- Inner peace;

- Me.

What are you thankful for?

Kindness Needed More Today

Having worked with students for over thirty years, I’ve slowly discovered the importance of the simple things that connect us all and our humanity. Perhaps the greatest thing we can do is to make a difference in someone else’s life.

I wish I could say that I learned that in the first few moments of my career, but it has been a process that has helped me view people more expensively beyond my own ethnocentric worldview.

I’m deeply grateful for the thousands of students and teachers with whom I have worked the years who have shown me kindness as well. Enjoy the video. Feel free to share your opinions on the topic.

https://youtu.be/Z-aVMdJ3Aok

Trainyouraccent.com

Hi everyone. Here's an update on one of the projects I am working on right now.

To make my sites more responsive to all devices, including mobile phones, I am slowly updating my sites, and I invite you to visit the new version of my site, www.trainyouraccent.com.

Eventually, I will do all of them, but I am starting on one of the smaller sites first. Please let me know how the site works for you.

Sushi Night

My wife, Shirley, has a real gift in the kitchen (and beyond), and she enjoys sharing her talent.

Last night, we had some family over for a “sushi night,” where people learn to prepare and put together their own rolls. Tuna, salmon, eel, and other delights. (We now hope to have other family over for Mexican night or other. Who knows.)

I think everyone left stuffed, and the good company made it even better. When I was growing up, there would have been no way I would have tried to eat a slimy piece of raw fish; I would have gagged mightily, and would have had terrible nightmares thinking about it. I would have probably preferred to eat rocks, liver, and the like before raw, uncooked, unseasoned, unprocessed, and un-you-know-sea-creatures.

If I had been on a deserted island, I would have probably starved to death while fish swam freely along the beaches. (You can only live on coconuts for so long.) That was the level of my thoughts regarding sushi years ago.

But now, you just can’t beat the taste.

What kinds of foods do you enjoy?

Presentation on Death and Grief

I’m on the train right now heading to a conference, and in about two hours, I will be speaking about how death, loss, and grief touch so many lives, including my students who live so far away from their families.

It can be a difficult topic to address, but so many people struggle and want to be understood. Our own son, Josh, died by suicide.

Being ready to sit with someone in their pain and discomfort is the mark of a true friend. I encourage all to be that friend.

Heartache is certainly not limited to death. Illness, abuse, divorce, loss of employment...the list goes on...are all traumatic events.

I will share post a copy of the presentation later this morning.

Here is a listening activity on my site that models possible conversation when someone loses a family member or friend close to them:

https://www.esl-lab.com/insurance/insurancerd1.htm

End of the Harvest

As we come to the end of the harvest season in our garden, I wake up each morning with a thankful heart that we have a home where my dad can live with us, great family and friends, and food that we can enjoy and share. So, if you live in the area and could use some vegetables, you’re welcome to visit our place. Life is filled with unexpected twists, hills, and valleys, but I relish in the exhilarating adventure, feeling fortunate for what I have.