Though I currently teach college-age students, I have 20 years of experience teaching English as a foreign language to ages 8-80 in the U.S., at community colleges, in intensive English programs and abroad. I've also taught Spanish to Americans from ages 6- 65 and have studied eight foreign languages, half of which I can speak. Props are not just for kids or for vocational ESL. I am passionate about making the classroom as like the real world as possible, sparking genuine, spontaneous oral communication and creating a sense of community in the classroom that is supportive of risk-taking. Props and humor always help achieve those multiple goals. A student's emotional state is a student's learning condition. In my ESL speaking, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation classes, I am all about getting students' noses out of their book, up on their feet, playing, making friends and using the language without writing out or reading every word they will say. When I'm not bringing the world into the classroom, I'm sending the students out on campus to talk to Americans.