An Open Heart — Allan Pole
I am, by nature, a shy introvert. It’s not that I dislike people. I wouldn’t want to live out the rest of my days in a cabin on a mountaintop. However, I have been hurt and let down by people. So much of leadership and making disciples rests in the hands of others who have
Openness Starts Between the Ears — Allan Pole
Marty was touring Europe just as they were breaking down the Berlin Wall. Wanting to get some historic pieces of the Wall, he headed for Berlin. Because he found the hotels there beyond his means, he asked a young policeman if he knew of an inexpensive place where he could stay. The policeman told Marty
Kindness Bridges the Gap — Allan Pole
When I was a boy I suffered from asthma and hay fever. Being allergic to hay and growing up on a farm was a tough combination during the summer months. When the air was thick with dust and pollen I would suffer through some sleepless nights coughing and sneezing. I vividly remember my mom enduring
Wise Men Still Seek Him — Allan Pole
Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: “Free to good home. You want it, you take it.” For three days, the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it.
Introducing the New CESLM Board
As fall transitions to winter, CESLM is entering a new season as well. This past year has seen many transitions in our organization. The latest is our new Board of Directors. Some of the faces will be familiar – we’d like to welcome back founders Madeline and Mel Johnson as well as our secretary Dale
Do You See the Opportunities? — Allan Pole
In the fall of 2016 I sensed the Lord direct me to revisit the conversation that He had with the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. While the disciples went into town to buy lunch, Jesus sat down to rest at the well. Seizing the opportunity for a life-changing conversation, Jesus started
Let’s scratch where it itches — Dale Fisher
One Day Workshop Fall 2017 A year ago, we didn’t have enough registrants to hold our annual Reaching Out With English (ROWE). It was a blow to us at CESLM, since we were proud of our 30-hour training, and saw that it was filling a vital need here in Calgary, training volunteers to start ESL
Spring Training 2017 – James Edel
~ Spring Training May 22, 2017 – Ooh la la! What a great time at 2017’s Spring Training Conference that Cooperative ESL Ministries hosted! God is good. It was so beneficial to connect with each other and the speakers were such a big blessing. Our theme was Invited in – The Journey so Far, and
Conversation Starters—Dale Fisher
About this time of year, we often feel that we could use some new ideas for our conversation classes. Here are four of them. The first, is a great idea I learned from my teaching partner, Cindy Hubert. Adjective + Occupation Activity Cindy handed out a set of cards with occupation titles such as: policeman, photographer,
Seasonal, Secular, Sacred Christmas — Mary Cummins
What is Christmas? In many places in the world, Christmas is the most popular holiday in the year, especially for Christians. It is very nostalgic for many people—the sights, the sounds, the smells—and time spent with family and friends. Since Canada is in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas comes in the winter season. Thus, we associate Christmas
A Fond Farewell to Bev Chambers — Dale Fisher
A FOND FAREWELL TO BEV CHAMBERS We were all sad to hear last spring that Bev Chamber’s husband, Norm, had suffered a stroke, and that Bev had to resign from her position of Administrative Coordinator to care for him. How do we say thank you to Bev Chambers for all she has contributed to CESLM?
Dialogue Journals to Improve ESL Writing Fluency—Dr. Roswita Dressler
Sometimes we tell our students not to worry so much about how accurate their writing is, but to just take risks and write. Then we fall into the trip of correcting their grammar or spelling and we wonder, are we sending the wrong message. While many of our students care about writing correctly, it can
Welcome One Another and Be a ‘Helper’ — Amber Wylie-Moerman
I saw a quote recently, posted on Facebook that read, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’ (Fred Rogers).” We see a lot of scary things in the news lately
Soul Food Feeds Friendships—Shannon Sutherland Smith
Last month, women from Afghanistan, Peru, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Cyprus, Brazil and many other countries squeezed into our church kitchen to season bread crumbs, peel potatoes, baste turkeys and set a table that just seemed to get longer and longer as the morning progressed and we realized just how many people we were going to
Blessed in ESL by Earl Stevick—James Edel
Sometimes I think the Professional Development (PD) Day means, for me as a teacher, a day to relax and text a bit, while people talk incessantly about the latest teaching fads, or what the government is currently doing, or which way the pendulum is swinging in our field. But I was recently rebuked for my disinterest in
The Value of Comics for ESL Learners—Dr. Roswita Dressler
I attended an interesting conference recently on Comics and Contemporary Literacy http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/ldlp/schedule . The speakers were all people who write and draw comic books or graphic novels and the purpose of the conference was to raise awareness as to the strengths of comics as a type of literature that has its own unique characteristics.
Helping Prepare Adult English Learners for Employment—Dale Fisher
When we meet with adult English learners, questions around employment are always near the surface. Those who do not have a job, know they need to get one. Those who have jobs, want to move beyond their “survival” job, to one that better uses their qualifications and experience.
Middle East Expert Speaking in Calgary
On April 9, 2016, Middle East expert Peter Twele (MA in Linguistics) will speak at our full-day spring training event Building Bridges: Responding to the Refugee Crisis. Peter carried out research through a number of institutions while residing in the Middle East for 11 years, and for the past 20 years has consulted for various Middle
My Bread and Butter Lesson—James Edel
My ESL class has been studying the Canadian Food Guide. So, we’ve been learning that there are four food groups: Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk & Alternatives, and Meat & Alternatives. Tricky situations do emerge. Why are nuts meat? Why are eggs meat? Why are lentils meat? Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Aren’t potatoes
With a Song in Your Heart—Dr. Roswita Dressler
“L-is for the way you look at me”. I heard Michael Bublé serenading our adult beginner ESL class the other night and I thought to myself “what is up?” When I went in, I discovered that our creative and adventuresome teacher had decided to work with a Valentine’s theme and bring in songs for students
How to Help Refugees with their English—Dale Fisher
Many groups are responding generously to the call to sponsor Syrian refugees. This is wonderful because these people will need this support, guidance and friendship for many years. CESLM can help with this process because we have a wealth of experience and resources to offer. All refugees will be eligible for free LINC classes, unless
Emigration: Through the Eyes of a Child, Part Two—Karin Kossman
Karin Kossman (Jorgensen) emigrated from Denmark to Canada when she was eight years old. Here, she shares part two of her story about life on the ship as they leave Copenhagen for North America. These are Karin’s own words, but they have been mildly edited for clarity. Part One can be viewed here. LIFE ON THE
Syrian Refugees: How Can We Help
The Syrian refugee crisis has been prevalent in the media lately, along with Canada’s response. Our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has committed to providing shelter for 25,000 refugees who will arrive in Canada in the coming months. Of these, approximately 2,300 will make Calgary their new home*. Last week, sixteen refugees arrived, reuniting with family they
Spoken Grammar – Dr. Roswita Dressler
“Full sentences, please.” Have you ever been in a language class where the teacher reminded students to speak in full sentences? Have you ever thought about how odd that request actually is? I recently went to a workshop for English as a Second Language teachers where the presenter, Jane Willis, reminded us that spontaneous speech
Be Not Overwhelmed – Dale Fisher
Two weeks ago, I was listening to several excellent speakers at our Reaching Out With English course. I was inspired by the content and the well thought out presentations. But I also sensed that some of the participants were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and the realization of how much in involved in