About the Author

Toni Aberson After 35 years of teaching English and supervising English teachers, Toni Aberson (M.A. English; M.A. Psychology and Religion) believes that a lively classroom is the optimal learning environment. "If people are thinking, sharing, and laughing, then they're learning," notes Aberson. "The mere fact that those adults are in an English classroom attests to their courage and their determination to learn." "Adult English language learners bring a wealth of interesting experiences with them," continues Aberson. "Immigrants bring the world into their American classrooms. The challenge for English teachers is to put students at ease, share some interesting ideas, and encourage students to practice English. What better way than to ask students about their lives? I love teaching English." Aberson, a co-author of the advanced ESL textbook Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics, focuses on developing fluency. Yet she has also enjoyed teaching high beginning and intermediate adult ESL classes. Her latest ESL book for American immigrants, It's A Breeze: Lively English Lessons on American Idioms, emphasizes common expressions in real life situations. "The key in a classroom is engagement," Aberson says, "and people become interested and excited when they're learning about the daily stuff of life. When they are thinking and writing and talking about their real lives-food, jobs, family, homes, sports, movies-that's when they learn the language. Learning English is not easy. It can be a real challenge, but it can also be fun and stimulating. That's what I'm aiming for-the real life and the fun that stimulates ESL students so they want to learn more. They want to jump in." Aberson loves gardening, working on crossword puzzles, living by the beach, and reading mysteries. She also shares an idiom lesson in Easy English Times, a monthly newspaper for adult ESL students. She currently lives in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.