Regarding racism, I read THIS PAVLOVITZ PIECE, and this image came to mind:
Can’t hide behind this
It Should Go Without Saying
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Being a Community Tutor in English on iTalki
Update: Summer 2025
I’ll keep the 04/14/21 post below for historical purposes, but I do need to update the information since my situation has changed. If you’re interested in learning English through conversation, please contact me via iTalki or in the comment form below. Thank you.
Oh, one more thing! In the original post I made reference to being the “luckiest person on my cul-de-sac.” Well that changed too! We no longer live on a cul-de-sac.” We moved from Merced, a small city in California’s Central Valley to the countryside in Southeast Ohio, less than 10 miles from Athens, OH. So, let’s just say that nowadays I’m the luckiest guy in my neck of the woods!
Update: 07/28/25
Click on video to experience the digital transformation.
Since late February 2021 I’ve been a Community Teacher on an online platform called iTalki, a Chinese company headquartered in Shanghai. You can visit my profile page by clicking on the following link: [CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY iTALKI PROFILE PAGE]
To date (4/14/21) I’ve completed around 75 online lessons with approximately 35 students. It’s conversation-based learning, so I target students who can already speak English at intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency. Each “lesson” is about an hour. I currently charge $10 per lesson, although I may increase that once I reach 100 completed lessons. Some students purchase packages of 5 lessons at a slight discount.
The conversation topics are completely open ended. Occasionally, I pause the dialogue to provide feedback on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and expressive, interactive style. So far I’ve had students from Russia, Estonia, Korea, Japan, Brazil, Peru, China, and the list is growing. It’s a remarkably eye-opening and rewarding experience.
If you know anyone who might benefit from such a learning experience, please help them book their first iTalki lesson with me or any number of other qualified teachers. Thank you.
By the way, did I mention that I’m often blown away by folks who use our conversations as an opportunity teach this old dog new tricks? Yes, it happens; and that makes me the luckiest person on my cul-de-sac!
Cowboy, Good Boy (2005 – 2021)
We said goodbye to one of the best on March 20, 2021.
Wise Guy
Annyth and I were talking about potato chips the other day, and she recalled that, when she would visit her grandmother in the Greater Pittsburgh area, she’d always look forward to having some Wise Potato Chips at one point or another. She had her own local Chicago favorite, Jays, barbecue style! But when it comes to potato chips, I’ve always been a Wise guy! So, once again, we rendezvoused back there on Memory Lane! All that prompted the following:
Once again, these were done on an iPad with the help of an Apple Pencil, Sketch Club app, and some digital tweaking in the iColorama app.
Annyth called this the Spinómeter
One of our juiciest investments
Several days ago someone dropped off about a dozen freshly picked lemons. Today I made a batch of lemon sorbet using the 3 cups of juice they rendered and some zest. I used the juicer Annyth and I bought a couple of months after moving here to Merced in California’s Central Valley in 2014. I’ve used it to squeeze grapefruits, oranges, lemons, limes, and even pomegranates. Thank you for your service.
Done on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil using Sketch Club and then iColorama.
Get Off the %#&! Phone
Image
Ceramic Pick Up Quick Study
Garden Variety Pickup Truck
Clean Up on Every Damn Aisle
My Neighbor’s 1950 Chevrolet 3100
A few days ago my neighbor brought out his beautifully restored 1950 Chevrolet 3100, and dressed it up to take part in Merced, CA’s Annual Fire and Kops for Kids activities, targeting families with children aged 12 and under. Here’s a YouTube video of another similarly restored beauty.
Click on image to enlarge.
portfoliolongo 