Stephanie Schottel

Why learning this one English tense will make you sound like a pro

By: Stephanie Schottel on December 4, 2023

What is typically one of the first tenses taught in English classes but one of the last to be fully and correctly integrated into speaking and writing? It’s the often misunderstood (and sometimes dreaded) present perfect tense. From the perspective of an ESL teacher who speaks English as her native language, the correct use of […]

5 Simple Rules for Mastering the Difference between Exact and Exactly

By: Stephanie Schottel on January 20, 2021

I love it when there are similarities between the English language and the native language of the student I am teaching. This happens sometimes with my German-speaking students. We are both excited because we know the word, grammar construction, or idiom that is being introduced is more likely to stick since it is the same […]

Expat Life In New York – What It’s Really Like

By: Stephanie Schottel on July 4, 2018

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet It’s generally not a good idea to view things in black and white—entirely good or entirely bad. Nothing illustrates this point better than the story of one of my favorite students, Osnat. She told me about her expat life […]

Expat Homesickness – 3 Ways to Deal with it and Heal from it

By: Stephanie Schottel on April 8, 2018

You hear the term ex-pat a lot. I’ll be honest. I never really knew what it meant until I started teaching ESL. I associated the term with retirees sipping piña coladas on islands in the Caribbean. Just in case you are like me and don’t know the definition, the Oxford Dictionary defines an ex-pat as a […]

4 Ways to Take Your English Fluency to the Next Level

By: Stephanie Schottel on November 14, 2017

There is a lot of pressure that comes with speaking a language expertly and articulately. But that’s true for most things; once you become a master at something, people tend to expect great things from you. The pressure is on; there is no room for mistakes. Or, at least that’s how it feels.

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Why learning this one English tense will make you sound like a pro

5 Simple Rules for Mastering the Difference between Exact and Exactly

Expat Life In New York – What It’s Really Like

Expat Homesickness – 3 Ways to Deal with it and Heal from it

4 Ways to Take Your English Fluency to the Next Level

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