Embracing Imperfection

Guest Article by Emily Rivard University of Massachusetts Amherst ETA Emily Rivard with Students at SMK Bukit Mentok Perfection is easy to teach. It's an easy concept to grasp and a very easy one to reinforce. Kids learn pretty fast that if they get every question correct, do everything right, and win everything they participate …

The Opposite of Malu

Guest Article by Brittany Edwardes University of Central Arkansas SMK Datin Onn Jaafar One of the first Malay words that I learned was malu, meaning something like a mixture between shy, embarrassed, and ashamed. Its cultural impact is far reaching across Malaysia- my students use the word frequently to avoid using their English in front …

Shy Away

Guest Article by Katie Schmittauer Ohio University Retiring (adj): Reserved, shy. Example: The retiring young student hid her face behind her hands and refused to speak when Miss Katie asked her a question. Studying for the GRE gave me creative new vocabulary to describe my problem, but failed to provide me with a solution, just …

Guest Article: Living on Campus as an English Teaching Assistant

by David Peterson University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill I wake each morning at the sound of the azan, the Muslim call to prayer. The call comes not from the local mosque, but from the surau, or prayer room, on the school campus. The voice delivering the call is not a religious official or teacher, …