(Port) Coquitlam Odysseus

Over at the Marmot’s Hole, Robert Koehler, drawing on a the work of GI Korea has just published ground-breaking survey of foreign English teachers arrested in Korea for drug offenses. Among the highlights: “As of August 2006, there were 4,598 Canadian E-2 visa holders. Even if we were to round the number of Canadians up [...]

The BBC is reporting that a British national who is teaching in Sudan has been arrested for allowing her children to name the class bear “Mohammed.” Complaints from parents, long after the naming took place, were the cause of her arrest. This case should be of particular interest to those in the ESL industry who [...]

“Americans detest all lies except lies spoken in public or printed lies.” – Edgar Watson Howe I came across this quote the other day, and I think it applies to Canadians, also. The reference to private language schools is meant to recall my recent post on a piece of pseudonymous writing on a Vancouver private [...]

A true story. Somewhere, deep in the heart of the ESL mecca that is downtown Vancouver, there is a very nice private training and language school that is owned by some charming people from a country I used to work in. I had an interview there a few days ago. In the process, I very [...]

Yesterday I received word that my proposal for the upcoming Centennial meeting of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States has been accepted. In October, I will be presenting on what I did with the advanced composition and conversation classes I’ve blogged about previously. (The text of the paper will not be at all identical [...]

I see that my old friend S has been writing about the fact that the hagwon industry in Daejon in South Korea is paying people to turn in foreigners who are teaching private students. (Be sure to pay special attention to the pictures and the poor grammar in the “We are watching you” signs.) It’s [...]