2026 A Review So Far

Somehow it's nearly May and I've been quietly accumulating a whole year without quite announcing it. The winter was quiet; I was sad about the world to the point of incapacity both emotionally and intellectually. Spring teaching has been BUSY. Working with a colleague to write a 'proper' paper. Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter KOTESOL has had a few events but very quiet compared to other years. KOTESOL Publicity Committee is keeping me busy with the IC on IG and Facebook. I've tried to continue my Saturdays with my reflection, language, art, and philosophy circles, but ill-health has derailed me since the end of March. Hoping to restart those in May. I keep meaning to write a proper update — and here we are. So: here's what's actually been happening.

Ongoing series
Winter Rejuvenation Circle
  • Week 1: Thresholds + IntuitionJanuary 2
  • Week 2: The Body as OracleJanuary 12
  • Week 3: Scent + ColorJanuary 19
  • Week 4: The Voice WithinJanuary 27
  • Week 5: Fire, Heat, & StrengthFebruary 3
  • Week 6: Legacy + LightFebruary 16
Community gatherings
틈 Reflective Practice & KoreaMaria Tea Time
  • KoreaMaria Tea Time Workshops (2026)January 27
  • KMTTW Feb 2026: Korean Philosophy & PedagogyJanuary 27
  • February 틈 Reflective Practice Gathering 2026January 20
  • March 틈 Reflective Practice Gathering 2026February 3
Reading & writing circle
The Afterword Circle
  • The Afterword Circle 2026January 2
  • Stillness & Endings — January's The Afterword CircleJanuary 2
  • Emerging Selves — April's The Afterword CircleJanuary 23
Scholarship & professional writing
Essays & academic work
  • When care becomes curriculum: a pedagogy of trauma, access, and English language teaching in South KoreaApril 27
  • The Affordances of (In)action: What Silence and Spacing Out Taught Me About Language LearningApril 27
  • Reconnecting Learners by Tapping into Environmental Vulnerability & HealingApril 27
  • My Students Are Better at This Than the AI IsApril 27
  • An Influence-Centered Homage: Reading Toward BelongingApril 22
Archiving & looking back
Past years, collected
  • Alternative PD in 2025April 27
  • 2024 Professional Development, Leadership & PresentationsApril 27
  • 2024: Me and Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter KOTESOLApril 27
  • 2023 Presentations and PublicationsApril 27

I'm not entirely sure how all of this happened while I wasn't looking. Thank you for being here, reading along — even when I forget to say so.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Portfolio for Maria Lisak, EdD

Welcome Maria H. Lisak, EdD's Portfolio -  Rooted in teaching, shaped by design, and guided by culture, my work bridges disciplines and invites deep connection. I design for transformation through authenticity, risk-taking, and reflection. I build frameworks that thrive in uncertainty and evolve with context. I create space for quiet thinkers, bold collaborators, and reluctant risk-takers to grow together. I cultivate learner ownership through guided freedom, shared goals, and mutual accountability. I bring structure and soul to suboptimal environments, using design as advocacy. I nurture learning as a meditative, collaborative, and cathartic adventure. I honor lived knowledge, emergent insight, and systems thinking as cornerstones of meaningful education. In my early years teaching English for Specific Purposes in South Korea, I walked into a classroom with no Wi-Fi, outdated textbooks, and learners who had been told they weren’t “language people.” Rather than accept the constrain...
Read more

Week 1: Thresholds + Intuition

Image
Week 1: Thresholds + Intuition Introduction This first week begins at the doorway — the space between what has been and what is coming. We enter not by force or intention, but by noticing. Thresholds are tender crossings: a pause, a flicker of light, the tremor before movement. You are invited to begin by lighting a candle and softening your gaze. Let your senses lead you — the scent of wax, the warmth of flame, the rhythm of your own breath. This week, we honor the wisdom that lives beneath words. Intuition is not a message to decode but a quiet current to lean toward. Each practice — candle gazing, body scanning, scent journaling — returns you to your inner compass. The affirmation, “I honor where I’ve been. I open to where I’m going,” anchors your awareness in both gratitude and possibility. Let this be a week of listening below the surface, of trusting what stirs gently in the half-light. Week 1 Practices  Candle Meditation Candle Video   Candle Gazing Worksheet Body scan...
Read more

Gaps and Opportunities in the South Korean Digital Content Creation Landscape

Gaps and Opportunities in the South Korean Digital Content Creation Landscape As the digital content creation industry in South Korea continues to expand—with the market projected to reach $2.69 billion by 2030 and growing at 15.9% annually—both the saturation of popular niches and the surging global demand for Korean cultural content create unprecedented opportunities for educators, students, and content creators alike. While many established South Korean content creators focus on language learning, travel, beauty, and lifestyle, significant gaps remain that present valuable opportunities for educational innovation and cultural bridge-building. This analysis explores seven notable gaps in the current South Korean digital content landscape, identifying areas where educators can develop innovative curricula, students can pursue meaningful research projects, and content creators can contribute to cross-cultural understanding. From interactive language learning that integrates cultural co...
Read more