There is something strange about me. When I was a little kid, I went to French immersion school. That whole thing was new at that time, and at the Y other boys asked me questions about what it was like. The most common question was, “Do you think in French?”… Read full post »

I've been teaching literature at the postsecondary level for thirteen years now. I've taught English literature within a program called "Applied Foreign Languages." I've taught it as an extra to students in business and economics. I've taught it to literature and theatre majors. I've taught it to Eas… Read full post »

Joanne Jacobs has written on this thread about mathematics in American education. She remarks that the top American achievers in math are either Asians or recent immigrants from Bulgaria or Russia.  In doing this, she raises a larger issue: the relation of emotion and emotionally-held preconcept… Read full post »

I don't usually comment on American political issues. I read about them, but, hey, what do I know? I'm a Canadian and I live in Hong Kong. I lived in the States for a couple of years, but that seems hardly a reason.

I do know about second-language education, though. When… Read full post »

I had arrived in Nigeria shortly after one coup, and one more occurred while I was there. For me, it happened like this.

 My friend Murray (pronounced Moo-rye) was Mbula by tribe, and had promised to take me to the village of Mbula for market day. The day had come around,… Read full post »

This will be a longish post, and more than usually plot-driven. But have patience. It's a good story.

My friend Michael came to visit me in Nigeria. He had just finished his Master's in astrophysics in Toronto, and thought it was time for a little adventure. I sent him… Read full post »

Once, I went travelling with another Canadian called Chris. He had a Ghanaian friend called Alex. He had heard that there were beautiful birds to be seen on the upper Niger River, in the northwest corner of Nigeria. You could take a freight canoe, said his source, and it's terrific. Fine,… Read full post »

When I was a young man of 24, I went to Nigeria with CUSO. CUSO, for American readers, is similar to Peace Corps, but is non-government.

Anyway, I went to Nigeria with CUSO. I was an English teacher, and was to be part of a project. I would teach… Read full post »