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Idioms - useful and fun!

Hello everyone!I often find idioms are a useful way of quickly checking how fluent in English someo...

Sweet Traditions of Finnish Winter and Spring

In Finland, winter and early spring are long and cold, but they are made warmer by traditional swee...

New Lessons for 2026: Dive into Culture, Conversations, and Ancient Wonders

We’re a few weeks into 2026, and I’m excited to share with you some fresh additions to my lesson l...

When and Why I Became a Teacher

I became a teacher in 2021, working at a daycare centre with young children. That experience change...

When and why did I decide to become a teacher?

Initially, I started teaching English as a hobby. Gradually, it became my primary profession. Now I...

How I Became a Teacher (Almost by Accident)

At junior high school in the UK, I studied one of the few computer courses available at the time. T...

Why am I a Teacher?

I could say that my teachign story starts in university. I could say that my desire to teach began ...

The Unexpected Moment That Made Me a Teacher

My official journey as a teacher began in 2021, but the spark was lit in a quiet corner of a primar...

When and Why I Decided to Become a Teacher

I decided to become a teacher when I realized how powerful communication is. I’ve always enjoyed he...

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001 Work / Communication / New beginnings “Please t...

The Fire and the Fuel: How to Release Anger—Stop trying to fight the flames. Start looking at what’s feeding them.

The Illusion of the Flame Have you ever felt trapped inside the scorching heat of your own anger?...

What Teaching English Taught Me

 Why Did I Became a Teacher? Motivation / Career / Learning The simple answer is...   I became ...

My Top 5 English Corrections (From a Guy Who Once Complimented Someone’s “Fur”)

  Before we begin, I have a confession to make. A few years ago when one of my wife's friends visit...

真(zhēn)让(ràng)人头(réntóu)大(dà)??

汉语hànyǔ的de音调yīndiào本来běnlái就jiù很难hěnnán学xué了le，可是kěshì有些yǒuxiē音节yīnjié还hái会huì变调biàndiào，真zhēn的de让r...

The Art of the Brave Word: Finding Your Voice Across Worlds

Have you ever felt like Bilbo Baggins stepping out of the Shire for the first time? That tiny flutt...

When and why did you decide to become a teacher?

Photo: A lesson in my old classroom I have been an English teacher for 15 years, but before that I...

English Idioms Challenge - Week 2

Hey all! This is the second weekly English learning challenge: to try & use this idiom in your ...

More winter weather words

Photo: Snow piled high on a car on my street Once again I’m sipping on tea and looking out my wind...

【一週兩次・讀台灣】台美關稅敲定15% 美認同「台灣模式」供應鏈合作

【一週兩次・讀台灣】 教科書を飛び出し、台湾の「今」を知り、生きた台湾華語をマスターしませんか？ 毎週2回、最新の台湾ニュースを題材に、台湾特有の文化、時代を映す言い回し、そして興味深い社会現象を...

THE SILENT SECRET: Winning "Best Thriller Screenplay" in Los Angeles!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself as I write this. As many of...

SHOWREEL

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself. As many of you know, I’ve...

The Turkish tense that shows you how you know

Have you ever seen people online calling Turkish “-miş” the “gossip tense”? It went viral for a rea...

The dimension of my spot in the land of resurrection

The Crowd's Collective-yet-individual Consciousness in the Land of Resurrection How the collective...

Not Cold, Just Considerate: Japan’s Silent Rules for Language Learners

Japan can feel incredibly welcoming—and sometimes strangely hard to read.   You didn’t do anything ...

☆ Grammar Challenge ☆ January Grammar Clinic Quiz ☆

It’s already February, which means the January Grammar clinic has closed.  I’d like to thank everyo...

用(yòng)汉(hàn)语(yǔ)介(jiè)绍(shào)自(zì)己(jǐ)

如rú果guǒ有yǒu1-2 分fēn钟zhōng的de时shí间jiān，你nǐ会huì怎zěn么me样yàng用yòng汉hàn语yǔ介jiè绍shào自zì己jǐ呢ne？If you had ...

A New Adventure in Teaching

Hello to all students (and fellow teachers)! I hope 2026 is treating everyone kindly. I’m still new...

Daily English Upgrade #007: Pronunciation — PREsent vs preSENT (stress changes meaning)

Quick pronunciation win: stress can change meaning. PREsent (noun) = a giftpreSENT (verb) = to show...

10 Grammar Conflicts That Can Cause Confusion

Misunderstandings often happen as a result of a breakdown in communication: what the speaker said v...

It is Time For Tea!

Did you know that 'it is teatime' , can mean different things, depending on where you live in the U...