I’m traveling in Indonesia this month, so the column will be somewhat abbreviated.  But I did read a few interesting things.

First up, I read Martin Hajek’s “More than a Gap Year Adventure,” a book about making a long-term career out of TEFL.  That’s something I’ve accomplished, to some extent.  But when people ask me for advice about how they might do the same, I’m often at a loss.  I’m quite aged now, and my anecdotes are decades out of date.  So I’ll send people to Amazon to buy the book, or perhaps even gift a few copies myself.  Readers will find a general introduction to the field by Hajek, and a lengthy collection of essays by contributors who have found success.  There isn’t anything in here about working in the test prep industry, but there is a fine essay about being a test examiner.

(By the way, just a few days ago someone asked me about working in the test prep industry.  Since my earlier musings are all out of date, I’ll try to pen a few words when I return from my travels.  But even this is hard for me.)

Next, I read Angela Nagle’s “Kill All Normies.”  This one is a short history of the online countercultures that memed Donald Trump into office back in 2015/16.  It’s an interesting read, especially in light of the very different path Trump just took to get back into office.  I’ll add it to the “Test Resources Left Book Club” index when that next gets updated…

Finally, I read the 14 December 2023 issue of the London Review of Books.  A few fine articles stood out that could help people practice their academic reading skills.  They are:

  • I Don’t Know What it Looks Like,” which is about the less-studied modern architecture found in Paris.  Architecture comes up now and then in the TOEFL reading section, and I don’t share nearly enough content about it on the site.  Check out the article.
  • Hickup over the Littany,” which is about efforts to figure out what music from the past actually sounded like.  That’s probably impossible to do, but some people have dedicated their lives to it.  Again, music is a topic that appears often enough in the TOEFL reading section, but it is often ignored by people who make prep materials for the test.
  • Friend or Food,” an article about how European exploration of the new world influenced thinking about animals and pets.  A fascinating read.  History, as you know, is a topic often explored on the test.
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