What's it like teaching ESL in Moscow? Our ESL editor Jenna Makowski quickly learned a lesson about the nuance of culture and language, and that sometimes using a dictionary simply doesn't work. Here's an excerpt from her article, originally published on Matador Abroad:

"But I was wrong – horribly wrong – in my assumption that my students would have no idea what the phrase meant, and that they were blank slates on which I had to write an explanation. In fact, immediately upon reading it, my students not only understood the phrase, but interpreted it against the background of their own experiences. They gave it a nuanced and shaded meaning that made me re-examine my equally biased interpretation of the words."

Read the full article here: http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/classroom-experiences-teaching-esl-in-moscow/

This is part of the ESL Educators Blog Carnival.  You can read more at http://www.teflnewbie.com/esl-blog-carnival-efl-blog-carnival/