Published in Better Advice·PinnedMember-only20 Life Lessons I Learned Working in the Social Work Field.Lots of life lessons while on the wrong path. — I was in the middle of my social work degree when it suddenly hit me hard, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I had already been working in the field for almost a decade. I started volunteering for a suicide prevention line, worked with people with disabilities in group…Social Work7 min readSocial Work7 min read
Published in Swap Language·PinnedMember-onlyLanguage Learning Lessons from PolyglotsHow to learn a language from those that are best at it. — I’ve been a language teacher for over 20 years. I’ve taught almost every conceivable type of language class. But honestly, I’ve never been that great of a language learner myself. …Language Learning6 min readLanguage Learning6 min read
Feb 13Member-onlySecond Language Writing is DeadI hate to say it. We just can’t accept the truth. Second Language writing is dead. The language teaching world is all abuzz about ChatGPT. Some want to ban it, some want to contain it, and a few want to embrace it. It is not a choice. We embrace it…Chatgpt3 min readChatgpt3 min read
Published in Writers’ Blokke·Mar 15, 2022Member-onlyA Beginner's Guide to Freewriting.Use THE classic writing activity boost your writing. — I’m a 20+ year veteran language teacher. Freewriting is one of the classic second language teaching techniques used to promote writing fluency. But why not for advanced fluent writers as well? We’ve all heard of it, but why don’t many of us do it? The modern idea of freewriting originated…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Oct 13, 2021Member-onlyAre Language Teachers Obsolete?Probably, mostly. — The Dodo bird, the Woolly mammoth, the Sabre-toothed tiger, milkmen, bowling pin setters, lamplighters, and ice-cutters. Is the language teacher about to join this list? There is evidence on both sides of the ledger. Machine translation technology is improving at a scary pace, as is access to language learning materials…Machine Translation3 min readMachine Translation3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Oct 13, 2021Member-onlyPandemic HangoverSome strange personal quirks from being cooped up for 18 months. Do you feel like you have a pandemic hangover? Everyone’s pandemic experience was and is a little different depending on where you live and your personal situation but I can’t be the only one. What the hell happened? Now…Pandemic3 min readPandemic3 min read
Published in A Parent Is Born·Oct 2, 2021Member-onlyEwww, Not Spaghetti!What to do if your child is from a different food culture? — Yada (Eww in Japanese), not spaghetti! What kind of kid doesn’t like spaghetti and meat sauce? My body is literally half pasta and half potato. This was one thing I didn’t expect as a parent. Usually, children develop food preferences similar to their parents who have been giving them their…Children3 min readChildren3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Sep 26, 2021Member-onlyAre you a Digital Hoarder?27 ways to cut down on the mess — You really need that file. You know it’s there. What a mess! Reams and reams of unorganized files. Half of them with generic names. All pushed to one side so you have a little clear space to work. Then the computer starts with the spinning beach ball from hell. …Organizing4 min readOrganizing4 min read
Aug 30, 2021Member-onlyIs the Arrival Movie Ending Sexist?Did I miss something? — *** Spoiler Warning. This article is full of spoilers for the movie Arrival. It is a good movie and much of its appeal is not knowing what is going on. Please watch the movie before you read. Also you won’t know what I am talking about without seeing the movie. …Arrival3 min readArrival3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Aug 27, 2021Member-onlyMy Ninja Olympics EmbarrassmentLuckily I can’t find the pictures online — Koka Ninja Village, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The noise of the crowd around the muddy pond faded as I concentrated on my goal. I furiously clawed at the bottom of the pond with my long bamboo pole. My too-tight lime green ninja loaner suit was getting tighter as I strained to…Ninja5 min readNinja5 min read
