TEFL-Diary.com

During my senior year at UCI (University of California, Irvine), where I was studying Spanish, I came to Madrid as an exchange student. When my year was up and I had graduated, I decided to stay longer thinking I’d eventually go back to the States to teach Spanish, so I began work on a Master’s degree in Spanish literature offered by New York University here in Madrid.

However, fate had other plans for me as I met a particular Spanish girl, who’s now my wife. We have two children, Madrid is my home now, and my bread and butter is English-language teaching and not Spanish-language teaching as I’d planned. I’ve been here 25 years as I’m writing this, and currently combine free lance teaching with work in language academies.

This blog is primarily about my in-class experiences, which I speak about in general terms, but my teaching has been shaped by the writings of two authors who I feel have opened up new worlds for me, and whose influence can be felt in my blog. They are Michael Lewis, who is a proponent of the Lexical Approach; and George Lakoff, author of Metaphors We Live By.

Also, thanks to the economic storm we’re currently weathering, I’ve developed a strong interest in economics, which if I could, I’d study at the university. As it is I’ve taken to reading The Economist regularly. I’ve also begun relating the larger picture of the economy to the economic situation of EFL teachers.

Finally, being a member of a US-based church called Eckankar, I do my best to keep a spiritual perspective on life, for example, by feeling gratitude for all I have, even in the bad times. Perhaps being in education, I tend to view life as school: our situations and circumstances are just right for us, and teach us spiritual lessons, that is, problems often force us to grow and view others with more tolerance and love. In any case, I do my best to let spiritual principles guide my life, though I’m certainly not saying I’m always successful.