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ESL Basics: How It Began
It all happened up in the Rocky Mountains on a whim really. Our family always takes a vacation every year together, and in 2008 we were perched up in a mountain cabin in Estes Park, Colorado. On one of our last days there, my brother Josh and I were watching a cooking show on television. I kept looking at the host thinking, "I could do that." Not cook, mind you. My mom gave up on me a long time ago with that. No, I mean explain something to the masses in a way that's simple and creative. I finally said outloud to Josh, "You know, I feel like I could do that." "Do what?", he asked. "I don't know. Explain the steps to something on camera. I feel like I could do that." To this day, I don't remember if it was Josh or myself who thought of it first, but all of the sudden, the ball was rolling. I could do it, but instead of souffles and parsnip (I told you I don't know anything about cooking), I could teach my passion - ESL. Within minutes, Josh and I were bouncing ideas off each other...What our site could look like, what avenues for learning we would create, what the videos could look like. And there, with mountains majesty as our backdrop, ESLbasics.com was conceived.
ESL Basics: Who We Are Today
Today, ESLbasics.com has been accessed by thousands of students and teachers in 150+ countries around the world. Josh and I are more committed than ever to the authentic language learning process, and are constantly discovering innovative ways to make the language learning process a happy one.
At ESL Basics, we believe that real-life context is a student's best friend, not a list of terms to memorize. This is why our vocabulary is surrounded by a conversation. This fosters an environment where students aren't just learning one word, they are acquiring language. ESL Basics is structured around a philosophy of student-centered lessons, videos, and usability. We also know that everyone learns better together, so we have created the ability for students to share what they find with their peers through social networks around the globe. ESL Basics: Watch and Learn.
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