Most Popular Books by Thomas Jerome Baker

"Written for new teachers, experienced teachers, parents of English Language Learners worldwide, and students from all disciplines with a need to know how students learn English in actual day to day practice. This book provides an actionable answer to the question of "How Do Students Learn English?" through the discovery method applied to case studies and actual experience, in reality.If encountering the topic for the first time, this is a clear and practical introduction to experiential Second Language Acquisition (SLA). It shows actual students and teachers grappling with SLA issues in an interdisciplinary manner. To do this, we "stand on the shoulders of giants" like Wittgenstein, Gass & Selinker.Storytelling becomes the medium to illustrate SLA in action, without being heavy on explanation. This is an inductive, discovery approach to deep learning about SLA in action.How a second language is acquired; whether English, French, Yu''pik, or Mapudungun is what the second language learner needs to know; whether in the USA, Canada, Singapore, China, Chile or any other location worldwide, we all need to find relevant answers to know why some learners are more successful than others. The book introduces in a warm, friendly, first-person, engaging fashion a range of fundamental concepts - such as SLA in adults and children, in formal and informal learning contexts, and in diverse sociocultural settings - and takes (in the tradition of Gass & Selinker) an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to consider SLA from linguistic, psychological, and social perspectives."Second Language Acquisition: This book is designed to inspire readers to reach for their dreams in language learning. Buy this book. Read it. Share it with everyone you know. You - and they - will be glad you did!

For more than 400 years, the personal essay has been one of the richest and most robust of all literary forms. Distinguished from the detached, formal essay by its warm, friendly, conversational tone, its loose structure and drive towards candor and self-disclosure, the personal essay seizes on the minutiae of daily life - vanities, fashions, food, culture, language and identity. It is poetry, it is song, it is speech, at once both call and response in the hands of a master story teller. It offers insight into the questions that we are all grappling with today in our increasingly globalized world which affects all people in all places everywhere on the planet: the worth of a university education, MOOC pedagogy, the digital footprint we leave behind, and the essence of Islamic inventions and how to understand Islam itself, through the eyes of its great inventor, and those who profess the Islamic faith. The goal of course, is greater tolerancxe and respect for one another, all people, of all persuasions, in peaceful coexistence, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once dreamed it could be. That then, is the ultimate transformative power of education, to bring us from knowing, to understanding...

It is estimated that over 1 billion people are currently learning English world wide. According to the British Council, as of the year 2,000 there were 750 million English as a Foreign language speakers. In addition, there were 375 million English as a Second Language speakers. The difference between the two groups amounts to English as a Foreign Language speakers using English occasionally for business or pleasure, while English as a Second Language speakers use English on a daily basis.These impressive numbers are driven by adult speakers around the world who use English to communicate in the workplace. It is a commonly held misconception that these speakers need English to communicate with native speakers. While ESL is required for those living and working in English speaking cultures such as the UK and USA, it is equally true that English is used as the lingua franca between nations where English is not the primary language. In a globalized world, the number of English learners around the world is only expected to further grow as the global trend to begin teaching English to young learners at increasingly younger and younger ages continues.Teaching English Language Learners Worldwide contains relevant ELT pedagogy, educational theory, and is a Practical Guide for both the new and esperienced teacher. The practical guidebook offers educators practical strategies for teaching in all settings: EAL / EIL / ELL / ESL / EFL worldwide. It is written by a teacher of English who has over a decade experience in a variety of settings, including language institutes, schools, and university, with all ages and levels, from beginner to advanced.The book is written in a friendly, engaging, authentic, practical voice. It makes for easy reading and reference while motivating and interacting with the reader. The author is the Past-President of TESOL Chile, and thus is no stranger to the controversial topics in English Language Teaching, which he takes head on in this book. The writer says: "This is the book I wish I had when I first started teaching English language learners. It would have made me a better teacher." It provides research-based instructional techniques which have proven effective with English learners at all proficiency levels. The author requests you write a review for this book if you find this book to be helpful to you in your practical teaching, where it is most valuable. Thank you in advance for your support.

***ReViewed, ReVised, ReEdited, & RePublished on June 14, 2015.*** This update includes a case study of a successful, self-published author who took 20 years to get published. The case study is called, "Maids of Misfortune", and it was added as an appendix. Also, updated statistics from the publishing industry and various experts are referred to throughout the book where appropriate. This book is a journey. It is told as a story, set in its historical context of what it means to do something you have never done before. I invoke the names of people who have achieved great things by teaching themselves what they needed to know. You are in good company, with presidents and poets, generals and soldiers, rich men and poor men, Nobel Prize winners, artists, architects, inventors and scientists. True, some of these people were geniuses, but most were just common men and women like you and me. If they did it, so can we. The one thing they all have in common with you and me is that they had to teach themselves. Like you and me, they were autodidactic. No matter how frustrated they became, they stayed focused on their goals, and ultimately, achieved them. Why? Because they never gave up, even when it took 20 years, they never gave up. You and I are in good company, so we won''t give up when we run into difficulties. Self-publishing is highly skilled, technical work, even for people who know what they are doing. For you and me, it is a daunting, challenging task. We must be inspired, we must be motivated. If you are like me and most other people, your first try at self-publishing will be frustrating. Ask other people to help you when you need it. It''s not an admission of failure, it''s a sign of wisdom to ask for help. Just never give up, and you will succeed. Perseverance will take you from an elementary, basic skill level to an advanced, highly skilled level. Patience, with yourself, is needed. As time goes on, you will get better and better at self-publishing. I guarantee it. I have given you a set of tips and principles that helped me when I first began. They will be worth your time to reflect on. Remember, if we can connect to the stories of the people who came before us, and were successful, then we can be successful also. The information in the book is complete and thorough. Like the previous edition, I used the self-publishing steps in the book to self-publish this book. Anytime you feel like something is missing, or incomplete, understand that I have given you all of the information that I used to publish this book. Backtrack, and you will surely find a solution to whatever problem you may be having. Finally, the purpose of this book is to help you self-publish, to help you make your dream to become a successful writer, a moneymaking writer, come true. It''s not easy to do for everyone. Some of us require more effort to achieve the results we want. For others, self-publishing is so easy that it seems like almost anyone can do it. I did it, and I believe you can do it too. That''s why I wrote this book, to help you publish your book. You can trust me, because I have self-published more than 100 times. I know what I''m talking about. If you wait for a publisher, you might never see your book(s) published without paying a high price. If you self-publish, your book will be published. In fact, ALL of your books will be published. How much will it cost you to get published? Absolutely nothing! That''s right, $0.00 to get your book(s) published. Get this book and get started on your self-publishing journey today.

Este libro es una realidad debido a todos los voluntarios de EdCamp Chile. Ellos se dedicaron a la proposición de que los profesores pueden aprender entre pares, gratuitamente, que podemos colaborar, cooperar y comunicar de una manera positiva, para ser mejores profesores, para beneficiar nuestros estudiantes.EdCamp Chile es posible gracias a nuestros patrocinadores. Ellos son personas y organizaciones muy especiales que creen en profesores ayudando a profesores. La calidad de la educación, después de todo, sólo se puede lograr con profesores de alta calidad.Muchísimas gracias, por todos los que apoyaron EdCamp Chile. Tienen nuestra gratitud. Esperamos poder colaborar con ustedes el próximo año, año tras año. Estimados Lectores: Todos los fondos recibidos por la venta de este libro se destinarán a apoyar Edcamp Chile.Este libro está dedicado a todos los profesores que están buscando constantemente la excelencia, en el mundo entero.

Poems and poetry are important because they give us a more pleasant lens to view the world we live in. Whether love, people, places or faces; beauty or the beautiful; poetry enhances our lives, enriches it, and makes our experience of life itself more enjoyable. As a teacher, I write as one who learns and teaches at the same time. Poems and poetry give me this possibility, which is an extraordinary privilege. For my family, in Chile and in the USA, I can not write without thinking of you, for you are always with me. You are the beginning and the end of my world. For you, dear Reader, I share what makes me who I am, namely, a person who must write, not only in prose, but in poetry as well. I also look at poems that inspire me, share them with you, and finish with the spoken word, for a spoken poem is one that demands to be heard, always. It can not remain silent, unspoken. "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." - Maya Angelou With our roots deep in Arkansas, Maya and I share a Southern heritage. That is where the similarity between us begins, and ends. As Maya points out (to me), both beauty and poetry are rarely viewed with a developmental lens, but rather, as a "finished" product. I am, however, along with my poetry, a work in progress, and I present my current poetical thought from this perspective, that is to say, my best work is yet to come... This book is dedicated to my family, USA & Chilean, and their families, and their families yet to be. On countless occasions I''ve said to them: "One day I will write our story." This time it is I who again make the promise, "One day, I will write our story." Like all writers, I have no clue if the promise will ever be kept, yet I must admit, I enjoy writing for you. More importantly, I have the hope that you will find something in my writing with which you can identify. In this way, you my brother, Charlie, and you, my sisters, Linda, Kathy and Bernice, will become heirs to a shared memory of days gone by, days present, and days yet to come. More importantly, the memory will live beyond us, beyond our days, and beyond our time. And that is well as it should be. Thus, this is the reason I write for you. Again, it has been my pleasure to write the treasured and shared memory, poetically, personally, for you.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." ~John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the USA. "Exceptional Educational Leadership" is grounded in the author''s personal experience of developing an experiential philosophy of exceptional educational leadership. Indeed, after the quality of teaching, leadership is the second most influential factor in the quality of education. For this reason, the educator who seeks to fully develop their capacities as a leader will be eager to engage with the bold idea that forms the central argument of this book, namely, that everyone is a leader...

** This book is for teachers, educators, students, parents, administrators, everyone who has a stake in education. By definition, that is everyone. Timeless issues that concern teachers everywhere are looked at (good teacher, bad teacher, teacher conduct at work and away from work, social media, for example) to gain reflective insights which both challenge and confirm our beliefs about education. Being a teacher in Chile, after all, is no different than being a teacher anywhere else in the world.** Chile is a beautiful country that has stolen my heart, my imagination, and become my reality, my life, for the past 14 years, and will become my future reality. Chile, she needs good teachers. Come to Chile, and I will share her with you. Are you a good teacher? You might ask me: "How do you become a good teacher?" My answer: Love. First, love what you do. Love being a teacher so much that if you had the power to be anything on Earth, pilot, astronaut, doctor, dentist, taxi-driver, singer, dancer, artist, musician, anything at all, you would still choose to be a teacher. Love being a teacher, that''s the most important thing to do, that''s number one. In the pages of this book I share with you my love of being a teacher in Chile. I care about teaching, and the issues that impact teaching and learning, not only in Chile, but worldwide. I hope you will also enjoy "Being a Teacher in Chile" as much as I have. I share with you in the pages of this book an honest look at some contemporary issues that affect all teachers, in all countries of the world. Bienvenido. Welcome to my Chile!The common thread that runs throughout this book is Chile, its teachers and its education system, which is similar to all other education systems worldwide, considering its purpose, which is to educate its people. I use case studies from other countries to contrast what I offer about Chile. This acts to contextualise the book in both local and global terms, which is beneficial. Ten Themes in this book are: 1. Teacher competency2. What is a "good" teacher?3. Too sexy to teach? Behaviour away from work 4. PPP: Methodology for student engagement 5. The Native Speaker Fallacy (Why knowing English is not enough)6. A Native Speaker Case Study (Real world ) 7. What is a "bad" teacher? (Not a movie!)8. Identifying good teachers (and hiring them)9. Defining Teacher Quality10. The Power of Teacher Teams (What Harvard says) 11. Finally, we put it all together, a synthesis: Being A Teacher in Chile...* After reading this book, you will have new insights into some timeless issues which concern teachers the world over nowadays. You may want to investigate further, do research, or discuss the topics with your colleagues. Teaching is neither isolated nor passive. Ultimately, I believe this book will promote your active participation in your profession, both in and out of the classroom.

I wrote "Epiphany in A Cluttered Room because writing is life for me. I live to write and I write to live. It''s the first thing I do when I wake up and it''s the last thing I do at night. If I stopped writing I would probably stop living. It is who I am, a writer. Writing gives me the opportunity to share my views, my creativity and my passions with other people around the world, and that is absolutely amazing to me, even nowadays, that what I write from my cluttered office in my home in Chile gets read by some person in China or Turkey or England or anyplace on the globe. It''s modern day magic, and I''m the magician. Beyond the marvels of magic, I feel compelled to share my stories with other people in hopes that my words may provide the inspiration that they have been looking for, to create hope and support for anyone who needs it. My Epiphany is your epiphany, for all of us....

Who is this book intended for? Answer: Everyone. Students of debate will find it interesting, useful, and helpful. ALL people who are concerned with social equality, equal opportunity, and justice will find this book extremely useful. One of the most important uses of this book is not what your opinion is after you finish reading the debate between my friend and myself, but the opportunity to see how two people with extremely opposite views were able to interact with one another in a mutually respectful manner on a very contentious issue. The outcome? You, the reader, can decide who won.When topics are emotionally charged, the current wisdom is to be silent, don''t talk about anything that might make someone else angry, upset, or afraid. When we follow this advice, we never learn how to talk to one another about things that matter. This debate between Mr. Clark and myself clearly teaches how people can talk to one another about things that matter.With this book, you are privileged to see how debate helps people with different opinions, different perspectives and different cultural experiences, to talk with one another, to share their views and visions with one another. I sincerely believe that this exercise helps bring people together, even when all you can do, sometimes, is agree to disagree. Allow me a final quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Learn how to write a love letter. Love letters are immortal. Love letters live forever. In a world dominated by technology and social media, hand-written love letters are still worthwhile. Love letters should not be considered out-dated, old-fashioned, and definitely, not a lost art. Love letters live forever and one day more.Love letters take on their immortal character when the letter comes from the depths of your heart and soul. Your innermost thoughts and feelings, when received by the person you love, will be a treasured memory for all the days to come. In fact, this book shows many examples of immortal love letters. These love letters live on and on and on, even past the time when both the writer and receiver have long disappeared from the face of the Earth.Love lives on. That is why I make the effort in this book to motivate you, dear reader, to write love letters to the one you love. A special occasion such as Christmas, Valentine''s Day, Easter, Mother''s Day, Father''s Day, a birthday or anniversary would be a perfect time to write a love letter to your beloved. It is a unique and incredibly personal gift that your partner will treasure forever.Who knows? It is possible that you might take up writing love letters as a fundamental part of your relationship. Let me leave you with a final thought. As you read this book, you will find out that the most beautiful and most profound love letter was never delivered. Written, yes, but never did the person who it was meant for, never did that person see the letter. Let me conclude by saying that no matter how beautiful a love letter may be, it must be delivered. Don''t forget that part.

If what we read entertains us, speaks to us, or makes us aware of the human condition, then it is literature. How to best teach literature? I share my knowledge about teaching literature, gained from 15 years teaching experience. This book is intended for students of English Language and Literature Teaching. New and experienced teachers will find it a useful resource also. Informed by theory and practice, it explores current approaches of teaching close reading of complex texts. It is applicable to instructional settings from middle school to university. It promotes integrated teaching of the four skills. Critical literacy is promoted for engaging with and interpreting literary and informational texts. Readers will have opportunities to engage with poetry, fiction, and informational texts.

This book is a book of books. It is not only for English teachers, but all teachers, at all stages of their careers, from beginner to seasoned veteran. Teacher professional development is an always evolving, never-ending process. It concerns all teachers, at all stages of their careers. This book covers four critical areas that are most often left to chance by English Language Teachers worldwide: 1. Teacher leadership development, 2. Dealing effectively with standardised tests, 3. The use, misuse and abuse of the students'' first language, the "Mother Tongue", and 4. Connectivism, or self-initiated, connected learning in the digital age. I like to call Connectivism, "Constructivism on Steroids" due to its exponential capacity to bring people and knowledge together. I sincerely believe there are 4 things every teacher of English, worldwide, should know:1. The Mother Tongue2. Educational Leadership3. The National English Test4. ConnectivismI therefore set out in this book to bring these four topics together, in a coherent, non-sequential fashion. The "Mother Tongue" responds to research and practical experience that says teaching English, in English, is how we get our best results. "Educational Leadership" fills a gap by raising our awareness of our individual leadership potential, while the "National English Test" is how we are currently defining the quality of our teaching on a collective, national level. Finally, "Connectivism", as a theory of learning for a digital age, gives a view of what the future holds up as a promising way forward in ELT pedagogy. I am sure your teaching practice will be positively affected & enriched by the reading of this book. I hope you enjoy the journey of discovery that lies before you....To write and publish such a book as this one, there is an army of people who play a role. In self-publishing, however, there is an army of one. I am that "army of one". I felt a need to bring together four topics which are rarely spoken of in ELT in any consistent or exploratory manner, though by no means taboo topics: 1) The Mother Tongue, 2) Leadership, 3) The National English Test, and 4) Connectivism. My hope, obviously, is that this book will make a contribution to fill the existing gap betwwen theory and practice. In reflection, dialogue, and ultimately, in our practice, we seek to find the secrets of becoming the best possible teacher we can be.Self-publishing, as we can see by my example, is a valid way for teachers to ask questions, raise issues, explore profoundly, consistently, and durably, to inform the knowledge and practice of other teachers. It is with this in mind that I encourage other like-minded teachers to self-publish, as I have done, and in anticipation of your future efforts, rejoice in your contribution to the development of our knowledge about what works best in English Language Teaching. Thomas Jerome Baker is the Past-President of TESOL Chile (2010 - 2011). He is the Coordinator of the English Department at SEK International High School in Santiago, Chile. Thomas is also a member of the "Comunidad de Innovación Escolar" (School Innovation Community), sponsored jointly by the Education 2020 Foundation and the Telefónica Foundation. He is a past member of the Advisory Board for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL), where he also serves as a reviewer and as the HETL Ambassador for Chile.Thomas enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics. His writing ranges from historical fiction to romance, from the autobiographical to the biographical, from English Language Teaching (ELT) to the wider field of educational leadership and evaluation. If you have read and enjoyed any of his books, please take the time to write a positive customer review. Thank you, dear reader(s), in advance, for your time, your support and your generosity...

To be a good public speaker, never give up. Face your fear. "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~ James BaldwinIn this book, I share my story, from a variety of angles, of how I face my fear of public speaking. I don''t preach, I don''t lay out a magic formula. I simply share different ways I deal with public speaking, from a variety of viewpoints, stories, activities, some old, some new.I study people, I do what ancient speakers did to train themselves, like Demosthenes, an ancient Greek lawyer from Athens who was often humiliated and made fun of due to a speech impediment before becoming a much admired public speaker. And then who can forget England''s King George, a man with a stammer and a nation to lead. To lead a nation, in wartime, you must speak to your people - in public - in spite of your speech impediment, despite the stammer, despite the fear.I share people and stories and activities that helped me. I am convinced you will be helped, there is something here that will aid you in overcoming your fear. At the very least, by knowing my experience, you will know that public speaking fear is normal, and using the information that helped me, begin to search for your own way of dealing with your fear. In fact, it must be your way. You are the one who suffers, and you must help yourself. Know you are not alone. I admit that speaking in public scares me to death, and I am a teacher of English, a leader, a person responsible for helping young people reach their full human potential. Nonetheless, I am afraid of public speaking, always have been, and always will be. That fear is constant. It is a feeling of sheer terror, when you are about to open your mouth in public, and risk humiliation if what you say, or don''t say, is foolish. It is the kind of fear that is best resolved by simply, well...just being quiet, literally keeping your mouth closed. Except that doesn''t make the problem go away, it only defers it for another day. It''s like being haunted by a ghost, when the night comes, the phantom returns, the fear of public speaking visits us again.Most people are afraid of public speaking, many to the point of a phobia. I am afraid of public speaking, just like you are. We worry about being embarrassed, making a fool of ourselves, getting humiliated by something we said. In fact, some people become absolutely terrified, paralysed, by the very thought of being shamed by public speaking. In fact, many studies have shown that people fear public speaking more than death! This makes sense to me. Death happens only once, with public speaking we die a thousand deaths! A common myth about the fear of public speaking is that it''s possible to completely eliminate it. In my case, I can''t eliminate it, but I have learned to control it, to make it work for me, not against me. You can too. Even the most confident public speakers, people like Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Warren Buffet, Socrates, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Cicero, Thomas Jerome Baker, will all tell you that they feel some degree of anxiety before stepping in front of an audience. Call it stage fright or phobia. Call it fear or simply nervous anticipation. The fact is, we all have to overcome nervousness when we have to talk in front of a group, large or small. As the stakes get higher, you will feel anxiety. The most common way to try to eliminate your public speaking phobia is by "desensitization". As with any phobia, you have to put yourself through the anxiety-inducing experience so many times, again and again, until your body stops reacting to it, or until you learn how to make your nervousness and anxiety work in your favor, and not against you. However, not only is this a long, difficult process, but most people give up before they reap the rewards for their efforts. If I have a secret, again, it''s this: be perseverant. Never give up, and you will become the best public speaker you can be.

It''s not "locker room banter." Statistics tell us that perpetrators of sexual violence often know the victim. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the USA, 3 out of 4 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. Not only that, every two minutes, another American is sexually assaulted. And whether you wish to believe it or not, 57% of the perpetrators are white, vs. 27% black.What does RAINN do? RAINN carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Since 1994, RAINN has helped more than 2.3 million people.Why this title for a book about crime? Lorrie Morgan''s honky tonk classic, "What Part of No Don''t You Understand?" forcefully relates the anguish of a victim of sexual harassment. The story is a simple one. A woman goes to a bar. A male patron sees that she is alone. He sends her a rose, which she refuses. Undaunted, he sends her a drink, which she refuses. Undaunted, he asks her to dance. She replies, "What Part of NO Don''t You Understand?" In this book, you will find crimes in which that same question would have been warranted. This gives the book its name.This book was inspired by Donald Trump. It would not have been written were it not for Mr. Trump''s infamous, "Access Hollywood" tape in which he refers to kissing women without their consent and grabbing women by their genitals. He apologized to the American people for his comments. In his apology, he called his comments, "locker room banter." However, statistics refute Mr. Trump''s apology. Statistics tell us that 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. If we believe the numbers, sexual assault is a reality for millions of Americans. It''s not locker room banter...

This is a multiple-genre, short story. Books like this can be produced when writing is liberated from the confines of genre. Multi-genre books are important, because they respond to a changing world in which we can do new things, write in new ways. It provides a new dimension to the concept of "crossover books", which appeal to young and old alike. The multi-genre book, rather than appeal to a wide age range, appeals to a wider range of reading tastes. For example, a look at the wide variety of review headlines for this book confirms its ability to be enjoyed across genre boundaries.Self-Published Authors have the freedom to tell the story she/he wants to tell, constrained only by the limits of the imagination. The SPA can write like Salvador Dali painted, freely, uninhibited by the boundaries, conventions and restrictions of any genre. This is a revolution that is currently going on, in which hybrid texts are being produced. Yet such writing places demands on reading comprehension that have gone largely unnoticed and unaddressed. We see this when the narrow perspective of genre conventions and expectations is used to judge hybrid, genre-crossing texts. This mismatch between text type and genre is clearly evident. What about the future? I see a future in which readers can and do embrace a new way of understanding hybrid, genre-crossing, boundary blurring, multi-genre texts. I am optimistic this will eventually occur, as more and more multi-genre books are being made available around the world for readers to read, enjoy and engage intellectually with...Synopsis: An Italian-Chilean teacher of English travels From Santiago de Chile to Florence, Italy to celebrate New Years in his mother''s home country. What he will discover is a centuries-old love story that will defy his imagination. How this happens is a mystery that involves the paranormal and time travel. In the end, this is a poetic, mystical and magical tale of the true nature of love. It is the dilemma that every love story from the beginning of time has been faced with, namely: How long are you willing to wait for the one you love? Read this book for the surprising answer to that question...

I have always been a "gifted teacher", as John Dewey put it, in his 1929 book, "The Sources of a Science of Education". I am intuitive. I prepare classes, anticipate problems and alternative pathways through a lesson. Yet, if I am honest with you, I must say that I try to be fluid, to "flow" from beginning, to middle, to end.Bruce Lee, the famous martial artist, put it like this: "Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless. Like water. Now, you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put it into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend." John Dewey admitted that "...success in teaching is often not in any direct ratio to knowledge of educational principles." This is often true in English Language Teaching, where years of study can produce a teacher well-schooled in culture, sociology, psychology, pedagogy and grammar, yet deficient in the ability to speak, read, understand, or write in English, or vice versa.Nonetheless, Dewey felt that, "But what is overlooked ...is that the successes of such individuals tend to be born and to die with them: beneficial consequences extend only to those pupils who have personal contact with such gifted teachers... the contributions of such men and women in the past have been thus confined, and the only way by which we can prevent such waste in the future is by methods which enable us to make an analysis of what the gifted teacher does intuitively, so that something accruing from his work can be communicated to others."In essence, that''s what my books are about, leaving a written record of my intuitive experience, so it may be shared with others, now and in the future...

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." ~ Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities" In the Dickens'' quotation we find a contradiction. How can the "best" be the "worst"? Likewise, most debate coaches have differing interpretations about debating. As a debate coach, I emphasize the practical, namely, you learn to debate, by debating. I dedicate this book to all teachers, coaches, and students worldwide, and especially to the non-native speaker of English. Since most books on debating are aimed at native speakers of English, this book addresses this disparity while still being useful to a native speaker. For example, there are many practice activities, drills and exercises. This makes it a highly practical book for the non-native speaker, who above all else, will benefit most from such practice. Nonetheless, it also addresses debating theory, both inductively and deductively. Therefore, it is an excellent resource book for all debaters, debate coaches, and teachers to have. Finally, debating helps you to understand that others see the world differently. This understanding promotes mutual respect and tolerance of diversity. In this way, debate plays a role in building a better world for everyone to live in...

What is it like to be an indie author, to write, to publish, and to promote your own book? Is it worth the time, the effort, the sacrifice, to become an indie author? All twenty one authors in this book share the same conviction. Namely, yes, it is worth the effort, the time, and the sacrifice. Self-publishing, for all the work it entails, means you, the individual author, are in charge of your own destiny. You don''t have to find a publisher, because you are the publisher. You control everything about your book. "Everything" means all the hard work, yes, but also a higher percentage of revenues. You control all rights and ownership. You publish when you are ready to publish. For example, since 2011, I have published over 150 books. That''s 27 books a year for the past 6 years. Try doing that with a traditional publisher.In this book, you will find 21 indie authors. Some, like me, have published dozens, even hundreds of books. Others have just published their first books. The common characteristic we share, is that we are writing because we love writing. That''s why we do it. Not a one of us has quit our day job. According to Guy Kawasaki, "a successful self-publisher must fill three roles: Author, Publisher, and Entrepreneur-or APE." With all due respect to Mr. Kawasaki, you will find a different definition of success in this book. The successful writer is a writer who enjoys writing. If money, fame, and glory come our way, it will be happily accepted. More importantly, if these things NEVER come our way, we will still be content, satisfied, and pleased. The enjoyment, and pleasure of writing, you see, is its own reward. In that sense, this book is informative, because it shows 21 indie authors fulfilling their dreams. To all those would be writers, who are yet to fulfill your dream, this book is dedicated to you. If these 21 people could do it, so can you.