Uncategorized – Page 3 – Chris Richards ELT

Legacy

Etymonline informs us that legacy (n.) derives from the Medieval Latin ‘legacie, “body of persons sent on a mission”‘. Meanwhile, the Cambridge Dictionary defines legacy in a number of ways, including ‘something that is the result of events in the past’ and ‘something that is part of your history or remains from an earlier time’.Continue reading “Legacy”

What I think about when I think about choice

Choice (n.) ‘an act of choosing; a decision’ also ‘the right to choose; the possibility of choosing’ and ‘a person or thing that has been chosen or can be chosen’ Choice (adj.) ‘of high quality’ (Cambridge Dictionary) This month, I’ve chosen to post two separate thoughts on the idea of ‘choice(s)’: When I was inContinue reading “What I think about when I think about choice”

Fulfilment

I can normally be relied upon to delve into the etymology and meanings of the words set as themes for the #MonthlyWritingChallenge. Don’t worry, this month isn’t any different and I’m particularly excited about this one! I’ll start with modern definitions. According to the Cambridge Dictionary there are two meanings in use and the firstContinue reading “Fulfilment”

Criticism

Why is criticism (n.) associated with such negativity? The etymology of criticism couldn’t be clearer. Since 1600 it has had the meaning of ‘discussion of merit, character or quality’ (etymonline). Criticism meant to talk about how good something is. It retains that definition, to this day, in academia where we talk about ‘Literary Criticism’, forContinue reading “Criticism”

Pace

While not being a fan of playing team sports like football, I’ve always enjoyed running: the chill of the morning air against the skin, the rhythm of trainer-clad feet hitting the pavement, the smell of autumnal, fresh air and the chance to be alone with my thoughts, peacefully for a few kilometres. These days, IContinue reading “Pace”

Who Have I Taught and What Have I Learned?

I drew inspiration for this from a post Rachel Tsateri published last week. Writing this has been an interesting reflection on my career so far, where it has led me and what it has made me realise. When I started teaching in Birmingham (England), I was working in a school where 28% of the pupilsContinue reading “Who Have I Taught and What Have I Learned?”

Awareness

I used lines from Joni Mitchell’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ when I wrote about ‘Togetherness‘ a few months ago, but they seem relevant again. Change seems to beget awareness. Just over a week ago, I was excitedly preparing to travel to see family and friends in Wales for the first time since Christmas 2019 and asContinue reading “Awareness”

Affirmation

In this post, I’m going to dive into etymology and a little bit of comparative linguistics, but I assure you that it will be interesting! Then, I’m going to consider what this etymological safari can tell us about being affirmed. Etymonline tells us that the roots of our modern English word affirmationn are in Latin.Continue reading “Affirmation”

Expectations

I started drafting this entry thinking about everything I had been told during my initial training and early career about the necessity of having high expectations of my pupils and how I had tried to put it into practice: the ways I had succeeded, and the ways those early attempts didn’t quite work. Then, IContinue reading “Expectations”

Togetherness

Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t what you’ve got Till it’s gone Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi They may not have ‘paved paradise’ in order to ‘put up a parking lot’, but we’ve been given the opportunity over the last couple of years to think about what we didn’t realise we had.Continue reading “Togetherness”