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Author: Kristine Totanes

Hello there! My name is Kristine, and I'm an ESL instructor who has a zest for both teaching and learning. A U.S.-born Filipino American who teaches ESL to expatriates and short-term students living in the Philippines, I've learned how to reconcile seemingly opposing cultures and foster my own sense of identity through my own cultural and national heritage. I've also gained a wider appreciation of other people’s beliefs and cultural values–and even become a better teacher as a result. As the founder of The English Blog, I long to connect with teachers from all cultural backgrounds and walks of life. Besides sharing my own experiences and tips on ESL teaching, I hope to gain insights and advice from fellow English teachers around the world. As a lifelong learner, I'll never stop expanding my circle and improving my craft as a teacher, so please don't hesitate to send me a message through The English Blog and say hello!
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Imposter Syndrome: How to Be a Big Fish in a Big Sea

Posted on March 6, 2021March 6, 2021 by Kristine Totanes

Even if you’ve never heard the term “impostor syndrome,” chances are that you’ve experienced it before, especially if you worked or studied in a high-achieving environment such as a college or university. It basically sums up in psychological terms the phenomenon that takes place when you transition from being a “big fish in a small…

Resilience is Only the Beginning: 3 Ways to Build Antifragile Students

Posted on December 14, 2020December 16, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

As someone who just finished reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s New York Times Best Seller Antifragile, I’d like to share ways that we can build antifragility in our students. “What’s ‘antifragility’?” you might ask. As Taleb nicely puts it, “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets…

Should I Teach My ESL Student Filipinisms?

Posted on November 8, 2020November 8, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

With nearly 400 years of Spanish, Japanese, and American colonial history and hundreds of years of trade and settlements of people from places such as China and the Indian subcontinent, it should come as no surprise that the Philippines today is home to a wide variety of ethnicities, languages and dialects, and religious and spiritual…

3 Ways to Celebrate Halloween While Teaching English Online

Posted on October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

Welcome to the year of virtual celebrations! With holidays such as Easter and Labor Day being celebrated within the confines of people’s bedrooms rather than the auditoriums of their local churches or their favorite shopping malls, we can safely assume that Halloween isn’t going to be much different than the other 2020 holidays.  Thankfully, people…

5 Things You Should Never Tell a Student

Posted on September 23, 2020September 24, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

Being a teacher isn’t just about rolling out lectures and activities for your students; it’s also about developing rapport with them. That being said, establishing rapport with students is no easy business as some people might think. In order to be able to truly connect with your students, you must have a high degree of…

3 Ways Enderun Colleges Has Revolutionized ESL Learning in the Philippines

Posted on September 3, 2020September 3, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

Although Enderun Colleges is best known as the premier institution in the Philippines for culinary arts training (thanks to the school’s partnership with the internationally renowned chef École Ducasse) and hospitality management training (thanks to its partnership with the well-respected hospitality school Les Roches in Crans-Montana, Switzerland), Enderun is also recognized for its state-of-the-art programs…

3 Memory Activities for Your Group Classes

Posted on August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

In my last post 3 Memory Activities for Your One-on-One Class, I shared some challengingly fun and engaging activities you can use for your one-on-one students. Here I’m going to talk about three memory activities for your group classes, whether your classes are in person or online.  By “group class”, I mean four or more…

3 Memory Activities for Your One-on-One Class

Posted on July 28, 2020August 10, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

Do you want ESL games and activities that are fun and entertaining, require little to no preparation, and challenge students in a way that gets them highly engaged in the classroom? Why not try incorporating memory games into your lessons? After all, students learn best when they’re enjoying themselves and playing an active role in…

3 Activities to Get Learners in Your Classes Writing and Enjoying It

Posted on June 17, 2020June 24, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

Whether you’re teaching expository, descriptive, narrative, or persuasive writing, the challenges are relatively similar. You’re there not only to teach students writing skills so that they can succeed in school and at the workplace, but also to ensure that they’re enjoying the writing process.  It’s a well-known fact, after all, that students learn best when…

The CEFR: Why It’s Important for Language Teachers Like You

Posted on May 11, 2020June 24, 2020 by Kristine Totanes

The CEFR is a standard for measuring language proficiency. It helps language teachers accurately gauge students’ English levels as well as their own.

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Our Mission, Vision, & Values

Our Mission:
To support ESL teachers in the Philippines and around the world by providing top-notch ESL educational services.

Our Vision:
To provide personal and professional support tailored to our clients’ individual needs and create a supportive and encouraging environment for teachers that nourishes diversity, inclusion, and growth (DIG).

Our Values:
• DIG
• Integrity
• Transparency
• Mastery

Recent Posts

  • Imposter Syndrome: How to Be a Big Fish in a Big Sea
  • How to be a freelance English teacher
  • Adaptability, Inspiration, Self-discipline: 3 Urgent Things Your Students Need to Learn Now
  • Fine Art and ESL
  • Resilience is Only the Beginning: 3 Ways to Build Antifragile Students

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