With two of my precocious students, sisters Tereza and Bara Balatkovy, I decided to do a photojournalism project in the style of Humans of New York. This is the second installment. We walked around Liberec and Bara interviewed strangers on the street about memorable moments in their lives and Tereza photographed them during the interview. … Continue reading Humans of Liberec Part II
As I skip around the globe teaching English, one of my favorite traditions is coordinating a pen pal program between the Soulshine kids in Atlanta, Georgia and my international ESL students. As a child, I remember writing to my pen pal in Hawaii and being ecstatic every time I found a new letter for me in the mailbox. Now, … Continue reading Pen Pals: Dear America, From the Czech Republic
Friday was one of my happiest days as a teacher. My Thai co-teacher left the room and the entire class (2/1--my homeroom, my favorites) spontaneously busted out singing Zombie by the Cranberries. Naturally, I joined in with resounding gusto. We managed to get through the chorus two full times before, upon seeing Teacher Jit imminently … Continue reading Letters from America
I have been intentionally reluctant to divulge my views on the practice of Thai teachers using physical punishments on their (and my) students in class. Before expressing my shock and condemnation for these practices--which I indeed felt--I wanted to be sure that I had fully absorbed what was happening in front of me. So, for … Continue reading An Unexpected Insight
Joc Cousteau 