Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year filled with joy, prosperity and good health. My year ended with the prospect of a “new beginning” as I celebrated both my birthday (29 Dec) and my final day of work at DLI after 26 and a half years of federal service. It was a bitter-sweet occasion as I’ve always loved my job and the contribution I was making to the mission, and it was hard to leave, but I’m looking forward to what “semi-retirement” brings, especially not having to wake up at 0600 every morning!

You, hopefully, will be looking forward to how you can become an even better instructor, fulfill your mission, and send your students on the path toward becoming proficient in the four modalities of the English language. Let’s set the stage for a great class by beginning the new year where it all begins—”Establishing Rapport,” where failure to do so is likely to “throw a monkey wrench” in any plans you have to be successful with a new class. Please take advantage of the training video on the subject and work hard establishing a good relationship with your students—it will pay dividends in the end.