Blog
30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall – November 9, 1989
The Day the Berlin Wall Fell: Memories from 30 Years Ago I was working as an interpreter and translator in Cologne, West Germany, when the Berlin Wall came down 30 years ago. On November 9, 1989, I was waiting at a stoplight, two blocks from my apartment. Suddenly,...
The Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Student for Art School
Navigating Art School Preparation: Top 10 Tips for Students and Parents If you have an art student (or you are one), then I know why you are here. Perhaps you are getting a little nervous or confused as you look at the future of your budding art student. You may be...
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Was God Present in the Forming of Our Nation?
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the...
Filmmaking with a Global Vision
Filmmaking with a Global Vision In the middle of the spring semester, usually in April, I teach my filmmaking classes from somewhere outside of the U.S. Last spring it was from Thailand. This year Holland. I've taught my online classes from Turkey, Spain, Finland, and...
3 Reasons Students Should Travel
Research shows that educators consider travel a priority to raise students’ cultural awareness, and they believe that it has a positive impact on students’ lives. As an educator, but also as one who has traveled, I bring you my first-hand perspective of the benefits....
The Merit of Your Library
Unlocking Opportunities: The Transformative Power of Libraries In some of my high school level classes, I require the use of outside sources during paper composition, and students often seem baffled when I require at least one source to be a book source. They ask,...
Dual Credit for Free: Why That Might Not be the Best Idea
Now that I am approaching my mid-50s, I find myself in a strange situation. I have become an experienced homeschooler and an experienced educator. In a blink of an eye, I have become a homeschool parent who has graduated three students as well as a teacher of hundreds...
Why Should We Embrace Learning Together?
Isolation limits accomplishment. Most people would agree that it would be silly to learn how to use a turn signal on your vehicle without learning how to drive-- just as it would be silly to learn every comma rule but miss out on how to put words together to form...
How Much Help Should I Give My Online Learning Student?
Guidelines for Supporting Your Online Learning Student How Much Help Should I Give My Online Student? You have signed your child up for an online class. You’re both excited. Visions of outsourcing and having less items on your ever-growing “to do” list begin to...
3 Reasons Why Your Child Should Study Geography
Unlocking the World: 3 Compelling Reasons to Embrace Geography You’ve probably all seen videos like this one where a reporter stops people on the street and asks them geography questions. Often the person responding shows a sad lack of even basic knowledge about the...
How to Have Success in Online Classes
5 Key Habits for Success in Online Classes After more than seven years of teaching live online Spanish classes, I have come up with a list of good habits that students should employ in order to optimize their chances of success in a live online environment. ...
How to Practice Language Immersion in the Target Language Around Town
Exploring Language Immersion Opportunities Around Town Bonjour à tous! In my last blog, we talked about all the fun ways that technology can be used to immerse yourself in the target language without ever traveling to a foreign country. Did you know that there are...