Imagine Being A Teacher Of English As A Second Language (TOESL)…

…and confusing the living beegesus out of an intermediate student by explaining the meaning of “it’s your call” by saying “it’s up to you." When I was a TOESL in Santiago, Chile circa 1980. May I just say that I recently met one of Pinochet’s bodyguards and if anyone wants to write a story, this … Continue reading Imagine Being A Teacher Of English As A Second Language (TOESL)…

Plan Mexico: Winning the Peace #1 (readers’ advisory: esoteric military stuff)

[First published on L!, January 28, 2013] I’ve had opportunity to work overseas with many of Uncle Sam’s alphabet soup agencies (DEA, CIA, DOS, USAID, etc.) and have generally been underwhelmed by their lack of foreign language skills and understanding of the local culture. On the other hand they are filled with lot of really … Continue reading Plan Mexico: Winning the Peace #1 (readers’ advisory: esoteric military stuff)