Teacher’s Blog: Reflections on Education, Culture and Life in Canada by Mike Simpson
How Blogging and Social Media Can Improve Your Writing and English Communication
Journaling! Start your draft with pen and paper and then go digital! Image credits: Unsplash / Brad Neathery + Hannah OlingerStart a blog or write using social media - it will change your life! And you might have fun doing it 👍 I'm passionate about writing and...
Fall Tours, Field Trips, and Seasonal Photo Spots in Toronto and Ontario
Feature image: my photo of the University of Toronto campus in downtown Toronto (photo taken at Trinity College looking south toward Soldier's Tower)Fall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada can be epic. It's a beautiful time for a road trip or local outing to witness the...
Hi! Greetings from an English and ESL Tutor in Toronto, Canada
Bonjour! Hola! Privyet! Hi! Welcome to my site. Please note canadatutor.ca is now myenglishtutor.ca. Above are greetings in a few of the languages I have familiarity with. The first is French: Bonjour! The second Spanish: Hola! The third the informal...
Happy New Year! Reflecting on 2020 and Looking forward to New Opportunities in 2021
I wish you a very Happy New Year! I’m excited to celebrate the arrival of 2021! Without a doubt 2020 was one crazy year. For many this year brought profound change and new ways to interact. 2020 introduced new terms like “new normal” and “social distancing.”
Remembrance Day Resources and Videos (In Flanders Fields by John McCrae and more!)
Remembrance Day 2020 will certainly be different, but I will be tuning into services and ceremonies on local tv. I think a virtual ceremonies will be fine for honouring the veterans and those who served and sacrificed their lives for Canada and Canadians. I have a...
How Does ‘Supermom’ Succeed? (Gender Roles and Work Life Balance for Women)
In an interesting article in the New York Times, the issues facing women seeking political positions are discussed. How does a woman balance family with high pressure jobs? There's plenty of resistance to women seeking power but if they have "supermom" it seems to...
COVID-19 and Education: Are We Risking Our Health Going Back to School in September?
Note: This post considers whether schools are safe for us to return to and is also directed at parents and families who are considering homeschooling Now that the heatwaves of summer have arrived I’m about ready for fall. Kidding and not kidding. I enjoy summer. It...
Learn about Canada via Instagram (Social Network for Education Part 1)
WHAT PLACES ARE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? Have you ever wanted to travel across Canada? It’s a bucket list item for many of us, whether we are Canadians, travelers to Canada or visiting business people or students. Recently I wrote about my cross-Canada education resource...
Mike’s Guide to Online Meeting and Video Conference Software (Zoom, Skype, Meet, Teams)
How Can You Choose Between Online Meeting and Video Conference Software? (Zoom vs Skype vs Meet vs Teams) In the age of COVID-19 there’s a new interest in online meeting tools. Whether it’s a kindergarten or university class, chat between friends or business meetings,...
Video Study: Is Namaste or Bow Preferable to a Handshake? (Greeting Customs from Asia/India)
In my last blog post about the Coronavirus I discussed the history of the handshake and shared some of my personal experience. Ever since SARS I have felt reluctant to shake hands and touch objects like subway handrails. Now that we are deep into the first round of...