Thoughts

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My Polka dot Productivity/ Vision Board

Hi everyone!!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have a  ‘thing’ for productivity and pretty things. I love planning and scrap booking. While I am not the most talented arts and crafts gal, I do like putting together things that help me feel like I am more productive. Key word feel. Since this post can fall under the gilrie side of ELT posts, I am sharing this post here as well. So, enjoy!!

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So, I watched a lot of videos about notice boards and vision boards,but I was not happy. I wanted to make a notice board that would help me remember things, make me more effective,  as far as getting things done is concerned, and I also wanted it to look pretty. That is what I am sharing with you guys today. I will give you a brief description of what I used to make my ‘productivity board’ and you can also watch my YouTube video if you want more details.

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What do you need?

Digital/ scrapbook paper

Glue

Post it notes

Quotes/ pictures/ photos/ prints of what you like

A jewelry bag

A photo frame

Washi tape

Deco flowers/ plastic flowers

A notice board

Procedure

I sat down with a big cup of coffee and wrote down what I want my notice board to do. I wanted mine to

Look Pretty and be part of the decor

I also wanted it to help me do stuff and remember stuff.

I then laid loads of crafty stuff and started playing around with everything, moving in on my board and trying to think of what matched in my eyes. Fun fact. I am colour blind and no one was at home to help me with the colours so I just went with what looked nice to me :).

I stuck my digital paper onto the notice board.On top of that I added stickers/ quotes of things I thought were cute. I used thumbnails to hang on my notice board a white frame (without the glass), a cotton jewelry bag and a board with my to Do list  Once everything was hanging where I wanted it to, I added post it notes in the frame. On the side of the notice board I stuck a flower.

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In the pictures you can see my final product. You can also watch the video for more info.

You can check out my video here 🙂

My picks from Amazon

(affiliate links)

Punch Studio Butterfly Script Sticky Notes Pad Portfolio

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Click here

Lilly Pulitzer Sticky Note Set, Pink Lemonade (154518)

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Click here

Don’t forget to follow my blog/ YouTube channel. Connect with me on social media. Click on the ones you use and connect with me 🙂  Pinterest / Twitter/Instagram/Google+. or give my Facebook page (sidebar) a ‘like’ so you do not miss out on my super duper posts!!

Thanks for stopping by.

xox

Joanna

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Happy 2017

Hi everyone!!

I thought I’d pop in to say Happy New Year and wish you all the best for 2017.

May 2017 be full of

Creativity & inspiration.

Good health & safety.

Great moments with your loved ones.

Gratitude for what you have & drive for what you want to achieve.

Opportunities in every field.

Different flavours & tastes.

Good reads.

Students who learn & teach us.

Finally,  and probably most importantly……

Pens that write!

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Thanks for stopping by!!! Happy New Year!!!

xox

Joanna

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Chucking the Lesson Plan Out of the Window

Hi everyone,

Today I had a lesson with a learner and I had planned to do a lesson on phrasal verbs. I had my lesson plan ready (not really a plan, just a few ideas on what I would do and when), my presentation uploaded (this was an online class) and everything was set. The phrasal verb lesson was quite challenging and my learner did want to be challenged, so I was really pleased with what I had prepared for today.

My lesson started and I did a bit of chit chat. My learner said,

I am working from home because I get distracted at work.

and bam…. my lesson plan went down the drain, and I just changed everything!! You see, this phrase got us talking about distractions and working from home.Penny dropping.

I then decided that THIS was the chance to change the lesson into something that was prompted by the learner and something that made her very chatty. So, scratch the grammar lesson, we are gonna do a speaking/ listening class.

What did I do?

I found the Jason Fried TED talk about ‘Why Work Doesn’t happen at Work’ and asked her questions that were actually answered in the TED talk.

I asked,

Where do you go to get important things done?

What is the connection between work & sleep? She actually got this right!! It is phase based.

What distractions do you have at work? Can you categorise them in real and not important distractions?

We spent about 10 minutes talking about those questions.

I then asked her to take notes of the answers Fried gave to those questions.

Because the TED talk was long (15 mins), I broke it down into 2 halves. Half way through, we discussed her answers to the questions and issues that came up from what she heard. We then heard the rest of the talk and did the same.

So,we talked about what the learner already knew,  what she learnt from the talk, and what she wanted to learn from what she heard. This talk actually inspired her to do some research on meetings, managers differences between  the USA and France, and Jason Fried!

Beach in Chania

Did I just have a learner driven lesson?

I think I did. Yes, I prompted her and gave her a provocative TED talk as stimulus. I have never had this learner be so chatty before! She loved it because she is a manager and she could relate to what was being discussed. She actually asked for the link to the TED talk cause she wanted to use it during a meeting.

Me, to myself.

YES!

Did I meet my learning objective?

Well, we did not do anything about phrasal verbs, and if my objectives were to

*familiarise learner with phrasal verbs of verbs XYZ and blah, blah, blah,

then, we didn’t, but this spontaneous 5 minute planned lesson was one of the best we have had and she loved it. I am glad the penny dropped when it did, and that I was actually ‘listening’ to my pre-lesson chit chat.

Joanna’s words of wisdom

Do not underestimate the power of chit chat.

Listen to the ‘chit chat’.

Use it to guide you in your choice of material.

It’s OK to chuck out the lesson plan and be spontaneous.

Oh! But do keep in mind that I do have a lesson plan for the Jason Fried TED talk (which I have shared here) and I have used it many times, so while the ‘chucking out’ was spontaneous, I did know what I was doing and talking about. I knew my material very well. I just hadn’t prepared it for today.

So, folks that was my lesson today.I am a Happy Teacher today!

Do you guys have similar experiences? Let me know when you chucked out your LP and did something completely different. How was it?

Till next time…..

 

 

 

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The girlie side of ELT: my Xmas book gift guide/ reading list

Hi everyone!!

Today’s Girlie Side of ELT  post is a video about books I will be reading during the Christmas break ( I am a teacher) and some book suggestions.When I am not reading books about teaching,  I like reading romance novels, so light reading. I also like historic novels and books about productivity, business, getting things done and so on.

The books mentioned

(Affliate links)
The Rosie Project & The Rosie Effect:

These are books about a guys search for the perfect girlfriend/ wife. This is a fun/ light hearted book to read.

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Bridget Jones mad about the boy

Bridget Jones? This is the latest book and it has nothing to do with the movie. That’s what I’ve been told.
Queen’s Sorrow

Novel about Henry the 8th wives. I have read a few books written by Dunn. They are easy to read.
Girl boss:

This book has been written by the owner of Nasty girls and she talks about the company and how she rose to success/ advice and more.
The Decision book:

If you want to be more productive, read this book. I read it in one night. Yeap. A page turner.
Presence:

I love Amy Cuddy’s TED talk , so I had to get her book. It is about challenging yourself.

For more details about the books, check out my video. Do subscribe to my channel cause I am really tying and I do know I need to improve and get proper filming equipment, bt for the moment, I am testing it out.

Thanks for stopping by.
xox
Joanna

Hi everyone!!

Today’s blogmas post is a video about books I will be reading during the Christmas break ( I am a teacher) and some book suggestions.

I like reading romance novels, so light reading. I also like historic novels and books about productivity, business, getting things done and so on.

The books mentioned

(Affliate links)
The Rosie Project & The Rosie Effect:

These are books about a guys search for the perfect girlfriend/ wife. This is a fun/ light hearted book to read.

Books thumban.jpg
Bridget Jones mad about the boy

Bridget Jones? This is the latest book and it has nothing to do with the movie. That’s what I’ve been told.
Queen’s Sorrow

Novel about Henry the 8th wives. I have read a few books written by Dunn. They are easy to read.
Girl boss:

This book has been written by the owner of Nasty girls and she talks about the company and how she rose to success/ advice and more.
The Decision book:

If you want to be more productive, read this book. I read it in one night. Yeap. A page turner.
Presence:

I love Amy Cuddy’s TED talk , so I had to get her book. It is about challenging yourself.

For more details about the books, check out my video. Do subscribe to my channel cause I am really tying and I do know I need to improve and get proper filming equipment, bt for the moment, I am testing it out.

Thanks for stopping by.
xox
Joanna

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How talking about’makeup’ has affected my teaching

Catchy title eh? Yup . I am proud of this one! Now, let’s talk. There is a lot of convo going on about whether or not we should talk about our personal life, things we like with our learners on not. When does sharing become over sharing? When do you draw a line? Do you bring yourself down to the learner’s level or are you up on your teacher pedastol?

I am now going to tell you what I think what is essential for ‘good teaching’. Maybe even THE most important.

Rapport

No matter how many diplomas and MAs you have, if you are distant, in my books, you will probably be able to teach the mixed conditionals, but you will not be making an impact and you probably won’t be remembered.

Do you need to be remembered as a teacher? Of course (me thinks) but not as the scary teacher, but the one they smile at when they see after years.

Why?

What do you mean why? When your learners like you, they learn better. When you have a good relationship with your kids, they thrive. They feel comfy to ask questions, they don’t mind making mistakes. They enjoy coming to class. OK, sometimes there may be a danger of overenjoying coming to class aka turning your class into a playground, but let’s not focus on that one.

Rapport and good relationships with your students allows you to use the second best ‘weapon’ in the classroom.

The guilt trip

If your students don’t give a crap about you (sorry for the bad langauge but I am trying to be dramatic), then you cannot use the guilt trip card. You know the card you use when you say,

I put all my energy into:

  • correcting your essay,finding material

  • trying to make the lesson interesting

  • teaching you on a Sunday

  • and you don’t want to pay attention?

The wake up call when learners are in lala land, arrogant or just not putting enough effort into their work. That’s freakin great child psychology (the guilt card) :p

Now, let’s move on to some more focused and serious reasons why ‘becoming friends’ with your learners can be very beneficial.

Finding Material

You learn about your student’s likes/ dislikes, so you know how to choose better material. They become your ‘theme’ syllabus!!

Being more concious of learner needs/ problems

If your learner feels comfortable with you as a teacher, they are mosre likely to talk about any learner problems/ issues they have. It is not just about understanding the Passive Voice, it may be “I am a slow reader”. In Greece, very often, parents do not talk about learning difficulties and you are left scratching your head, trying to figure out what’s going on. If your student feels safe, they will open up. This will help you as a teacher.

Disadvantages of good rapport?

Are there any? Yes, depending on how you define ‘good rapport’. Number 1 is drawing the line. I have had students tell me stuff they haven’t told their parents. that’s when I have said,

Do not tell me this. tell your mum because if you do not, I will

Becoming too invested in your learners and worrying about them.Taking your ‘work’ home and having trouble persuading yourself that it is NOT your problem, you cannot solve everything.

So, yeah, the lines can be blurry, but taking the distant teacher hat off, getting off the pedastol, is better than being the one who does not make a connection, does impact.

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Thanks for stopping by.

Joanna

 

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An Ietls Speaking Session turned into a needs analysis session

Hi everyone,

I had an Ielts class with a new learner and I decided to start with a speaking session. I thought this would give me a better picture of my learner’s level and a first idea of what I needed to focus on when choosing material.

What I already knew about my learner

Adult, engineer, post graduate level learner who wants to do an MA in the UK. He already had a B2 level language proficeincy certificate and used his English occasionally.

The day of the lesson came.

After a bit of small talk,

How are you? (that’s the end of the small talk)

I then took out the Ielts Practice Tests book and went to a speaking test. Of course, my first lesson was not going to be a mock test, but I did want to use ‘authentic’ exam questions.

 

Why?

I wanted:

to give the learner an idea of the speaking questions (topics, level and activities).This is going to be a crash course (intensive course?). We started this week and the learner will be taking the test in March. I needed to know the weaknesses asap, and I thought a speaking sessions would allow me to do that. This was going to be my productive skill needs analysis session.

I also wanted:

to have a communicative lesson (because they are more fun) + a lesson that focused on a productive skill..

to focus on a skill that is a bit more relaxed compared to the others.

The lesson: some thoughts and reflections.

I found a speaking test about being famous. In my mind, talking about being famous yourself, and other people who are famous, is probably a topic everyone can talk about because famous can be defined in so many ways. We also live in a day and age where being famous is not that hard.

Task 1: Ice Breaker/ Intro Questions

I started off with the first part of the Ielts test which is the ice breaker. Talk about your self, your friends, neighbourhood, life / work.

This actually was a good task cause I got to know my learner much better.

I did not stop him or time his answers, I went with the flow. I did not make error correction either. unless it was something major that impeded communication. Instead I lifted up my notebook and took notes. I said to my learner that I would jot down good points and corrections.

I noticed my student was making pronunciation mistakes and grammar mistakes, so I made that the focus of my notes. My needs analysis speaking lesson was in progress.

After we finished the 1st part, we talked a bit about his mistakes. He took notes, and wherever possible he corrected the mistakes he made. If he couldn’t find the correct answer, I told him.

Part 2 The Card

I then gave him a card with questions (this is the 2nd part of the Ielts oral exam). I told my learner he could think as long as he wanted to, take notes and then tell me the answer to these questions.

Again, I took notes, then at the end, we corrected mistakes, discussed issues.

Part 3: Open ended questions

This part was tricky because it required:

Longer turns/ monologues.

Critical thinking.

Digging deeper into the question and elaborating.

My learner had difficulty answering longer/ open ended questions, so I gave him an example and told him how I would answer a question like that. He then did answer the questions. This part showed me that when asked more complex questions my learner struggled, so now I had info about pronunciation, grammar and expressing opinions/ holding monologues/ longer turns.

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On the downside

My learner did look at me while I was writing, so while I did tell him that I was taking notes of good/ things and weaknesses, he wasn’t really convinced and there were times when he asked,

What are you writing now?

There were others where he felt a bit discouraged by the questions, so I did stray off the original exam type questions.I do not think that is a downside though (just to be clear). There was a lot of brainstorming and scaffolding in the last part.

In fact, the last part of my lesson allowed me to see how easy it is for my learner to come up with ideas and organise thoughts.

So, by the end of my one hour course, I had a first impression of what my learner needs help with. I have already made a list of some of the grammar points that need to be addressed in future classes as well as ‘sounds’ my student needs help with. By the end of this first lesson, my learner was also aware of what the Ielts speaking part is about.

All in all, I was happy with this type of ‘needs analysis’ speaking session. It was very hands on, dealt with ‘real language problems’. As this is a crash course, I really need to be very focused and have clear objectives. I always think that my 1st lessons are flops, a lot of let’s meet and become friends vibe and this was

Let’s meet, become friends and get down to business.

That’s all folks.

Don’t forget to follow my blog. Give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you don’t miss out on my super duper posts.

Have a nice day/ evening.

Joanna

 

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Just not feeling it

Inspired by Thiago’s post, I thought I’d write a bit of a ramble/ life update post. Thiago is in a good place. I am not or maybe I am. You see, I used to post one or two blog posts a week about teaching, activities, lesson plans etc. but at the moment I am not feeling it. At all. I am going to tell you why and what I am doing about it.

Work

I did my summer course in the UK and came back to work. I had no holidays. Nada. Now, I am working again. In Greece. I teach online every morning from 9:15-3 and I also have a few afternoon classes with Greek kids. Nothing major.

I decided to make a small change and stop working all day and do other things that make me happy. Have a personal life and live a little. See if it works for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I have fun when I teach, I just don’t want to teach all the time. I used to though. 24/7. Work, work, work and then blog about it.

Now I feel like I have workaholic withdrawal syndrome….

Lousakies

What am I doing?

I am starting photography lessons next week. I have already signed up for classes. I am also going to continue my painting lessons.

I work out a bit more, but I do wanna join a gym, just feeling a bit lazy.

I read books a bit. Watch more TV. I just have more time for me.

I still blog, but it’s more about girlie stuff. Makeup , shopping , life and so on.

I think I am suffering from teacher burnout and trying to find ways to deal with it. I am tired of working all day and making ends meet. I am tired of dealing with parents. Disciplining kids who are not interested. I don’t feel inspired by teaching materials and I am too lazy to be creative. I am just not feeling it and I am not going to force it either. I have been teaching full time (maybe even over full time) for 20 years now and I know that an unhappy overworked teacher is a bad teacher.

Maybe I am having a midlife crisis and in a few months I will be back on track but at the mo, jo has lost her mojo BUT I am happy. Content.

So, yeah. That’s my mindset and I am OK with it.

 

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The girlie side of ELT: Kate Spade Agenda Review

Hi everyone!

I haven’t written one of these posts for ages, but today is the day I repost something I wrote for my girlie blog. An agenda review…. and yes, it’s fancy 🙂 ❤ ❤

So it’s white and gold and it has polka dots. What is it? If you love planning, are a planner junkie, and like pretty stuff, then keep reading. If you don’t, still humor me and keep reading, will you? ❤ ❤

I got my 2017 Kate Spade  17 month Large Agenda in August. The first thing that caught my eye was how pretty it was. You know when love hearts start flying out of your eyes? That was me when I saw this pretty agenda.

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The agenda

First impression: I would say it looks chic and sophisticated.

The exterior

A thick cover. White and gold polka dots. the corners are slightly rounded. It closes with a black elastic band.

Interior

When you open the agenda on the 1st page it says,

This agenda belongs to……… if found please call…….

Then you have a glossy paper envelope/ pocket.

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This is a 17 month Agenda, so it started August 2016 and ends December 2017. You can use the months that have gone by as a journal and keep memories.

The first pages of the Agenda are:

  • Calendar of 2017/ 2018. Just the days/ dates in boxes. You cannot really write anything there.
  • After that, you  have lined boxes for monthly celebrations. There are 7 lines  per month, six months per page.
  • Then a list of all the holidays in 2017.
  • Finally, there is a notes section (8 pages long).

Each month is introduced with a quote page. Before each month you have two notes pages. So, notes pages at the front of the agenda and extra notes pages before each month.

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Monthly layout/ calendar/ agenda

Each month have a monthly overview which is on two pages (picture above). These are small boxes that are great to scribble in appointments and maybe even decorate a bit (if that’s your thing. It is mine). There is also a sidebar where you can take notes. Then you have a weekly overview (two lined pages). There are 8 lines per day. Saturday and Sunday are smaller sections. Each monthly tab is laminated, so they don’t wreck.

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There is no pen holder but I slide my pen in the area where the spiral is and it does not slide off cause it is attached to the cardboard paper on the spiral. It is not heavy or bulky. It is an agenda I prefer to use at home though.

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The large agenda retails for 34 dollars but there are smaller and cheaper ones.

How I use it

Well, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I am a ‘pretty’ planner. The planning process relaxes me because I make it more creative, I like to use stickers, draw etc. You can see pictures of my planning below.

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There you have it. The 2017 agenda. If you want to get a Kate Spade 2017 agenda (like the one I have just described), you can find it here.

 If you are looking for a planner agenda (bigger), you may want to check out the Happy Planner.

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If you enjoyed what you read, do subscribe to my blog. We can also connect on social media. Click on the ones you use and connect with me 🙂  Pinterest /Instagram

*I have used Amazon affiliate links in this post. This does not mean you pay extra for any products, it just means that I make a small commission off the purchase if you choose to buy.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.

xox

Joanna

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Professionalism or a ‘joke’?

So today’s post was prompted by a question online regarding professionalism and I started thinking about what is considered professional and what unprofessional in teaching/education.

OK, first of all, what is professionalism?

According to the Cambridge online dictionary, it is

the combination of all the qualities that are connected with trained and skilled people.

Hmm trained and skilled, I see. So, you need to have your degrees and diplomas. You need to be trained and have skills. I guess I can tick those boxes. So, yay!! I am a ‘professional’. But what else?

clinique pop

I don’t see anything about personality traits. Here’s the thing. What got me questioning my own professionalism or lack of, was what type of person is viewed as a ‘professional’ and what isn’t.

I will cut to the chase. If you are a funny, chatty teacher, does that make you less professional than someone who keeps their distance? What is the fine line between being professional and being too connected with your learners? Are you more professional if you are an introvert teacher or does that have nothing to do with it? Are bubbly teachers doomed and not taken seriously? How much sharing is oversharing? Are girlie treachers, who like to talk about lipstick in the office during the lunch break, and not whether they should be teaching unplugged, plugged or whatever, doomed to be labelled unprofessional?

Do teachers gain respect if they are unapproachable? Does being quiet make others think you are better at whatever on earth you are teaching? What about  your cultural background? I am Greek, we are loud. If I am in the office with quiet people and I speak (loudly, but like me), is that viewed as unprofessional? This actually brings culture into the conversation as well? Are some cultures considered more professional than others?  I have actually been ‘teased’ (?!) by a fellow teacher

You are Greek, and you work? Wow!

I am actually the type of teacher who talks about my life with my learners, I have old learners on my Facebook page, I even go for dinner with past learners, I hug my learners before they take exams, I have been on the phone with a student who was freaking out before a language exam and it was 1 in the morning. That is not professionalism… or is it? I have also been doubted by a (female teacher) cause I dared to wear makeup!

In education, where you provide a service, and that service is language learning, a service which involves interaction, what makes you a respected professional and what makes you a joke (the term joke is used for dramatic purposes)? Does the learner affect how professional or unprofessional you are? Do you become more professional when you teach adults and less professional when you teach kids?

Is it actually either… or?

Once again, a whole lot of questions and no answers. The floor is all yours folks. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Jo

 

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11 Things (blog challenge)

11 things blog challenge.jpgHi everyone!!

I haven’t rambled here for a while cause I have been super busy teaching, cause I don’t really have that much to share regarding my teaching, cause blog number 2 is getting all my TLC and cause well I dunno! Anyhooooooooo, I was tagged in the 11 random facts/ 11 things blog challenge and while I think I have already written one of these a zillion posts ago, I thought I’d write a 2nd post cause I got tagged quite a bit and cause it’s fun.

So, Kevin started the idea and Claire, Sandy and Elly have nominated me, so here are my answers to Clare’s questions. She tagged me first :p (xx Sandy and Elly thanks for the tag).

 

How this works

Share 11 random facts

Answer 11 questions asked by the person who tagged you

Nominate 11 bloggers

Ask 11 questions for them to answer

Welcome to my random world

  1.  I am a Capricorn
  2. My favourite song is “Should I stay or should I go” by the Clash.
  3. My favourite city is London.
  4. My favourite ‘romantic’ city is Strassburg.
  5. My favourite Greek dish is stuffed tomatoes with rice.
  6. I once made tea, started drinking it,and then realised I also boiled a spider. Yes, I live to tell the story.
  7. Even though I am colour blind, my favourite colour is pink. I think. It’ the colour I gravitate towards so I must love it.
  8. I am afraid of heights and wooden bridges.I don’t like glass floors or glass elevators either.
  9. I am a wannabe fashionista.
  10. I’d love to do a PhD but I don’t have the energy to do it. I am looking into MAs that have to do with writing or journalism.
  11. I am materialistic and I know it. So, I guess that’s one step in the right direction, right? I wish someone would give me a Channel bag already.

 

Clare’s questions

One: How are you feeling today?

I am exhausted. I have been running around like a crazy teacher cause my students were taking proficiency exams and I also had various social events: a get-together, a birthday party and a hen party. That’s a lot of stuff for a gal my age!

Two: What book is closest to you as you write this? And would you recommend it to others? Why (not)?

That’s interesting.I have two books. A notebook/planner and an actual book. The planner is really important for me cause I love planning both as a creative outlet but also cause it helps me get things done. The book next to me is The decision book: fifty models for strategic thinking by Krogerus and Tschappeler. I like this book a lot. It is great for people who want to be productive and love planning (like me). There are many interesting strategic thinking models and they are explained in a way that is very easy to understand (I actually reviewed it for blog number 2 here)

Three: What’s your top tip for de-stressing after a hard day at work?

Do something you like. For me it’s watching YouTube videos about applying makeup or sitting, drinking some coffee and blogging. Just do your thing and stop thinking about whatever is stressing you out!

Four: Have you ever learnt any foreign languages? How has this helped you be a better language teacher?

So, I grew up in Sydney and the foreign language I learnt at school was Greek which is actually the language my parents used when they spoke to me at home ( I didn’t speak Greek as a kid). I then moved to Greece and English became the foreign language I learnt at school (which sounds odd. I know). The only foreign langauge that I actually learnt and had nothing to do with where I lived etc.etc.  were  German and Spanish. I sucked at Spanish!! I didn’t learn a thing cause I actually never showed up for lessons ( I was in uni. I had other ‘things’ to do). I learnt German and I like the language. I would say I can communicate a bit,but not that well. I can only talk about the present and have no idea how to use past tenses! It has helped me out cause I realise that motivation is key to learning a language and I try to instill that into my learners’ minds. I also know how hard it is to learn and use a language. The fact that I moved from Australia to Greece and moved from an English-speaking school to a Greek speaking school as a teenager was extremely challenging. I struggled a lot. I felt embarrassed for not being able to communicate my thoughts and that allows me to empathise with my learners.

Five: Describe your teaching style by comparison to an animal, and explain the similarities!

Oh! That’s easy. Stubborn as a mule/ donkey.

I am gonna get the message across even if I am blue in the face,poor student. I will try to find a way to get you to understand whatever I am trying to help you understand!

Six: What are your areas of specialism & expertise within ELT / teaching, and your strengths as a teacher?

I have been teaching for 18 years. I used to teach young learners  and exam classes mostly.  I have moved on to ESP. I love teaching and learning about EAP and BE. Am I an expert? Don’t think so, but I really have fun teaching these types of English.

Seven: Which are the most recently used smiley/emojis on your mobile phone/whatsapp or instant messenger programme?

❤ ❤ always!

Eight: What was the most recent photo you took?

I shared this one on Instagram. It is from a tavern we went to have my friend’s hen party.

sunset cropped.jpg

 

Nine: Where are you based, and would you recommend working there to others?

I am based in Greece, but I teach online (mostly). I would definitely recommend teaching online. I also teach EAP in The UK and definitely recommend that too!!

Ten: What’s your best memory of a lesson you’ve taught?

Hmmm I don’t know how to asnwer that one. I have had loads of great teaching experiences. Cannot really mention just one!

Eleven: What would you like to say to me, now that I’ve nominated you for this challenge?!

Thanks for nominating me Clare (and Elly, Sandy). You know I enjoy tags! These tags are a great way to learn more about the person/teacher.

A question from Sandy’s questions:

What tip would you offer to a new blogger?

Write about the things you love. Blog when you feel like it. Don’t worry about page views. If you really like blogging and want to start a second one. Go for it! I have 2 blogs!!!

A question from Elly’s questions:

Who inspires you (Personally or professionally)?

Anything that challenges me, inspires me. I like to push my limits. I like to take (calculated) risks. You only live once, so you gotta make your ‘what ifs?’, ‘I dids’.

So now my 11  semi-random questions 😀

1. How do you spend your free time?

2. What’s your favourite song?

3. What’s your favourite food?

4. My guilty pleasure is…….. (fill in the sentence).

5. Share a picture. What is of (inspired by Clare)?

6. If you could go anywhere in the world to teach, where would you go and why?

7. What’s your top tip for new teachers?

8. What’s your top tip for teachers who feel burnt out?

9. If I wasn’t an English teacher , I would be a/ an…….

10. What’s the funniest thing that has happened during a lesson?

11. Describe a typical work day.

I am nominating aka you have been tagged, and yes, you can thank me later…   😀

Anna

Tekhnologic

Marc

T. Veigga

Kirsty

Maria Theologidou

Ljiljan

Christina

I know I haven’t tagged 11 people, but I am also tagging you/ anyone who likes my questions and feels like writing something :). Also, many of you have already been tagged.

Happy Sunday!

Till next time……

Jo