Articles by Webeditor Moderator
Human Education: Teaching and Coaching
By Maiah Hollander
In education, more often than not, the student is there because they have to be. Even in the case of university education, students are taking “required" courses before they can even touch the topics they actively wish to learn.
As a teacher, this can be one of the toughest challenges to try to overcome. How do you teach someone something they have little or no interest in? How do you approach the student struggling through work that will have no application in their future? Or so they believe.
In my years of teaching, I’ve tried so many different...
EFL Teachers as Bricoleurs: Freelancing in a Fractured Field
By Maria Lisak
The ground beneath English language teaching is shifting. In East Asia, demographic collapse is shrinking student populations. AI threatens to automate skill-based learning. Public education faces budget cuts, while online platforms commodify teaching with little oversight. For many, a once-stable career in EFL feels increasingly precarious, if not obsolete.
Amid this flux, it's often individual teachers, especially freelancers, who hold learning environments together. More and more EFL educators are identifying not as employees, but as bricoleurs: creative...
A Tribute to Francisco Cardoso Gomes de Matos (1933-2025)
By Jocelyn Wright
How do we celebrate the life of one we love and respect? By remembering them, paying homage to them, and building off of their accomplishments!
On 5 July 2025, a dear and inspirational friend and educator, a pioneering peace linguist, a human rights advocate and activist, a nonkilling poet laureate, an extraordinary mind and heart, left us! But I know Francisco Gomes de Matos’s creative, humanizing spirit is watching over us. He will continue to be my muse; his legacy will continue to uplift, inspire, and guide people from his terra natal, Brazil, and...
Are You Just Tired, or Is It Something Deeper? Naming and Navigating Expat Social Fatigue in Korea
By Maria Lisak
Have you been feeling drained by every social interaction lately – even the ones you used to enjoy? Do you dread the next teacher dinner, book club, language exchange, or weekend hike? Are you avoiding group chats, ignoring event invites, and mentally rehearsing how to say “I’m just too busy”? Do you feel lonely but also weary of trying to make new connections? Do you ever think, “Maybe I don’t belong here anymore” – but can’t say exactly why?
If any of this resonates, you might be experiencing something that doesn’t get talked about enough: expat social...
Why Some EFL Teachers Stay Relevant (And Others Disappear): Lessons from Hollywood
By Maria Lisak
Have you ever wondered why some TV actors from massively successful shows seem to vanish while others enjoy thriving careers for decades? Think about the cast of Friends: Jennifer Aniston became a Hollywood mainstay, but others struggled to escape the shadow of their iconic roles. This isn’t just a quirk of show business—it’s an example of the "economics of fame," a concept that applies to EFL teaching careers. Just as actors must reinvent themselves to stay in demand, EFL teachers must navigate an industry that rewards adaptability, strategic networking, and...