Three things I have learned while learning Arabic – again I have studied Arabic in books, learned from a teacher, and learned from a tutor. Now I have the pleasure of learning Arabic during the language exchange sessions that I am coordinating between 10 English speaking women and 10
A Social Justice Approach for Everyone As described in my first ever blog post, Esperanza Education aims to promote social justice education throughout all aspects of our work and relationships. My own understanding of social justice has been influenced by philosopher Iris Marion Youn
Every week in Social Studies we have a current events day. I ask students to bring in a news item to talk about with the class. The past few weeks there has been a lot to talk about. As the days are getting shorter and darker, it’s starting to feel like the world is becoming dar
Valores de la escolaridad La educación escolar se ha convertido en un tema central en el discurso político internacional, recientemente incluida en los nuevos Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible para el 2030 de las Naciones Unidas. Las formas en que instituciones internacionales como U
The Work of Teachers Did you know World Teachers’ Day is today? Teaching is one of the most ubiquitous and perhaps most misunderstood jobs. We spend our days with other people’s kids. Sometimes we have a lot of fun. Sometimes we don’t. We get a winter break a spring
Last year I asked readers to help me decide which language to focus on next: French or Punjabi. Well, I have to admit, I didn’t follow through on either plan! Although I have continued to use Duolingo for French vocabulary building, and have learned a few more Punjabi phrases fr
B.C. Addresses Racism through Curriculum Change In May 2014, a formal apology was delivered by the BC Provincial Legislature to Chinese-Canadians in BC. The province acknowledged and apologised for the historical wrongs committed by previous Provincial governments against Chinese-Cana
Online Resources for the Progressive Spanish Teacher At Esperanza Education, we are always looking for ways to share and promote resources that bring together language learning and social justice education. For the busy teacher, finding age- and level- appropriate resources for the la
Teaching the Language of Sexual and Gender Minorities: Sex Ed can actually be quite boring. After we’ve gotten the giggles out about the words for the reproductive system, and looked at the after effects of letting an STI go untreated for far too long (“if it burns, if it
Check out this podcast interview of Esperanza Education founder Nicole Benson on the Map Your Learning website. She discusses her path as an educator, her experience living and working in Peru, what bringing social justice and language education together is all about, blogging, and mu
