Thank You for the Help
The Joy of ESL Blog
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3y ago
 Thank you to everyone who used the "Buy me a coffee" button to help me pay for my website domain. I was able to get Weebly to stop charging me for a premium account, and they even refunded the recent annual charge for that. I was left with only a $40 annual fee for the domain, and you all have very generously stepped up and helped me with that. I'm good now until the end of 2021! Yay! I'm adjusting to life in Arkansas and am learning to live my life in Mom's spare bedroom with kitchen privileges, my own bathroom, and my sewing machine set up at one end of her art room. She's getting used ..read more
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Asking for a Little Help
The Joy of ESL Blog
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3y ago
I hope you all, if there is still anyone reading, are doing well and surviving online teaching, something you've had to do with zero forewarning that this was what would be expected of you. Because Weebly just docked me another $100 USD for a year for a premium account and the domain registration, and because I am currently unemployed, I decided to put a donations button on the web site. I'm hoping to be able to break even. Because I have a premium account, I've never had to worry about how many documents I uploaded for teachers to download. I'm happy to say that after posting this on the FB p ..read more
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Update from Yuliya Desyatova - Nov 2020
The Joy of ESL Blog
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3y ago
 I may no longer be in the field, but the field is still in me. Last week I got to participate in an independent focus group designed to gather feedback on PBLA from various stakeholders, and my departure was recent enough that my participation was considered valuable in a unique way. I just heard from Yuliya Desyatova regarding the next phase of her Ph.D. / PBLA research. I have posted that letter on my website's PBLA Activism page. Scroll down until you see the words November 2020. I continue to receive communication from teachers across Canada. This week one teacher told me that the ot ..read more
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Yes, You May Turn My Materials into Liveworksheets
The Joy of ESL Blog
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3y ago
A teacher reached out to ask if I'd considered turning my activity packs into Liveworksheets. I told her that I have left the field, but that she is welcome to do that.  All my activity packs were released under a Creative Commons BY NC-SA 4.0 International license. You may create derivative works as long as you share those works freely with others and do not charge for them. I'm not worried about credit, but please always respect Bow Valley College's copyright over the readers upon which most of my activity packs are based. Those are not in the public domain but remain the property of Bo ..read more
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A Good Run
The Joy of ESL Blog
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4y ago
Ten years is a good run. It is longer by five years than the length of time I had ever stuck with one employer. I am sad to be leaving a good organization, a team of wonderful colleagues, and my beloved students, but recognize that my teaching was stagnating. The wind had gone out of my sails. The combination of PBLA and its sickening effect on our field, a need for new horizons, and the call of filial duty has made for the perfect storm. Learning to teach English to newcomers is without a doubt the most satisfying calling I've ever found, a most perfect fit for my skills set. I leave with a ..read more
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COVID-19 and Our Livelihood (and PBLA Update)
The Joy of ESL Blog
by
4y ago
Hey, teachers! Long time no blog, eh? I am posting from my mother's home in Arkansas where I travelled for spring break without thinking ahead to the possibility that I might end up remaining longer than a week. I did not bring my sewing machine or good sewing scissors nor any patterns. I did not bring anything connected to my work as a settlement English teacher. I did not even bring my good chef's knife, as I forgot that my mom lives with a houseful of tools dulled from years of using them for other than their intended purpose. The good cast iron dutch oven is just as likely to be used as ..read more
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Just in Time for Black History Month: an Abridged 'Life of Josiah Henson'
The Joy of ESL Blog
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4y ago
It's not as if I think Black history should be relegated to one twelfth of the year. Not at all. Black history is everyone's history and deserves a place in our classrooms at all times. Nevertheless, I know there are many teachers who will make a point in February of shining a spotlight on the topics of famous Black Canadians, the Underground Railroad, and other stories of the African diaspora that typically come to the forefront at this time of year. In October of 2018, Irene Moore Davis spoke to my local TESL Ontario affiliate about incorporating local Black history in our lessons. She had ..read more
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Jan 2020 Update from Yuliya
The Joy of ESL Blog
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4y ago
Dear Colleagues, I hope the New Year has been off to a good start for you. I have exciting news to share: another article on the research project you contributed to has been published this week. Here is a link to the journal website, and a pre-print copy attached for those (most of us) who do not have access to an academic library. When inquiry is seen as resistance to change: expert teachers’ experiences with the implementation of portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA) Unfortunately, the journal is not open access, but it is a reputable one, with a focus on critical theory and pe ..read more
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Calling Edith!
The Joy of ESL Blog
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4y ago
If anyone knows how to get in touch with Edith, please let her know that I'm awaiting her mailing address, as she did win the book in the draw. Also stay tuned for an update from Yuliya. My SPO had their visit from our IRCC overseer yesterday, and my manger asked him if he had heard of my website and blog. He had not and appeared very open to feedback to send up the chain, so she will send him links. Before that happens, Yuliya will post an update on her latest research, which I will post here and on the PBLA activism page of the website. Stay tuned. P.S. At my SPO we just learned we are lo ..read more
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Wanna Be There for the Draw?
The Joy of ESL Blog
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4y ago
Okay, I have capped the draw at these six people: Cheryl, Tiff, Gaby, Sarah, Siddiqa and Edith. I am just checking now to make sure that the free Zoom account allows screen sharing. If it does, I'll invite ya'll to hop on Zoom with me when I spin the wheel. You won't have to be present to win ..read more
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