miércoles, 30 de mayo de 2012

International Baccalaureate Program

The International Baccalaureate Program Authored by Thomas Jerome Baker "An international education must go well beyond the provision of information and is involved in the development of attitudes and values which transcend barriers of race, class, religion, gender or politics." -International Baccalaureate Organization Subject Guide (1996). It is my authorial belief that any education that does not unite the nations of the world in a common endeavour is a relic of the past century. A common sense of sharing the responsibility, equally, for the welfare of the planet, globally, is needed more than ever today. Finally, I can only say one thing: The IB program is a positive way forward for any education system in crisis, any education system that desires quality, any education system that aspires to excellence, any education system that wishes to educate its citizens in the image of the twenty-first century, rather than the past century... The International Baccalaureate by Thomas Jerome Baker

sábado, 26 de mayo de 2012

How to Coach A Debate Team: Paperback edition

Click this link: How to Coach A Debate Team Authored by Thomas Jerome Baker This book contains all you need to know to successfully coach a debate team. First, you may need to convince your students that debate is a good thing: 1. Debating ability is a valuable skill. 2. Debate utilizes useful English. 3. It is a unique way to teach grammar. 4. It develops critical thinking skills. 5. It introduces global issues. 6. It develops research skills. This book will give you insights into how to coach a successful debate team, and equally important, have a lot of fun while doing it... Click this link: How to Coach A Debate Team

viernes, 25 de mayo de 2012

How to Coach a Debate Team

How to Coach A Debate Team [Kindle Edition] This book contains all you need to know to successfully coach a debate team. You may need to convince students that debate is a good idea, though. Here are six reasons: 1. Debating ability is a valuable skill. 2. Debate utilizes useful English. 3. It is a unique way to teach grammar. 4. It develops critical thinking skills. 5. It introduces global issues. 6. It develops research skills. A more powerful reason to coach a debate team is given to us by Dr. Martin Luther King: "“Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace... If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation...” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – 1964 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

miércoles, 23 de mayo de 2012

Poems & Poetry: Our Story

Poems & Poetry: Our Story [Paperback]
This book is dedicated to my family, and their families, and their families yet to be. On countless occasions I’ve said to them: “One day I will write our story.” This time it is I who again make the promise, “One day, I will write our story”. Like all writers, I have no clue if the promise will ever be kept, yet I must admit, I enjoy writing for you. More importantly, I have the aspiration that you will find things in my writing with which you can identify. Poems & Poetry: Our Story [Paperback] In this way, you my brother, Charlie, and you, my sisters, Linda, Kathy and Bernice, will become heirs to a shared memory of days gone by, days present, and days yet to come. More importantly, the memory will live beyond us, beyond our days, and beyond our time. And that is well as it should be. Thus, this is the reason I write for you. Again, it has been my pleasure to write the treasured and shared memory, poetically, personally, for you. Poems & Poetry: Our Story [Paperback] Amazon Author Page: Thomas Jerome Baker

lunes, 21 de mayo de 2012

Solar Eclipse: Natural Wonder

Amazon Author Page: Thomas Jerome Baker Thomas enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics. Thus far, he has written the following genres: romance, historical fiction, autobiographical, sports history/biography, and English Language Teaching. He has published a total of forty (40) books overall. Solar eclipse: What's that? Firstly, Wikipedia tells us: "Not to be confused with Lunar eclipse." OK. Now what is it? How about a photo? Photo of 1999 total eclipse As seen from the Earth, a Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses only part of the Sun is obscured. If the Moon were in a circular orbit close enough to the Earth and in the same orbital plane, there would be total solar eclipses every single month. However, the Moon's orbit is angled at more than 5 degrees to the earth's orbit around the sun (see ecliptic) so its shadow at new moon often misses the Earth. The Earth's orbit is called the ecliptic plane as the Moon's orbit must cross this plane in order for an eclipse (both solar as well as lunar) to occur. In addition, the Moon's actual orbit is elliptical, often taking it far enough away from the Earth so that its apparent size is not large enough to block the Sun totally. The orbital planes cross each year at a line of nodes resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses occurring each year; no more than two of which can be total eclipses.[1][2] Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth's surface traced by the Moon's shadow or umbra. An eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Nevertheless, in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be frightening to people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes. As it is dangerous to look directly at the Sun, observers should use special eye protection or indirect viewing techniques. People referred to as eclipse chasers or umbraphiles will travel to remote locations to observe or witness predicted central solar eclipses.[3][4] Amazon Author Page: Thomas Jerome Baker

The Collected Short Stories of T. Jerome Baker

The Collected Short Stories of T. Jerome Baker Journey of a Lifetime Authored by T. Jerome Baker
Each of the stories in this collection of short stories is a story, within a larger story. Though each story is entirely fictional, nonetheless, closer inspection is revelatory. I have not managed to keep myself, the Storyteller, from appearing in each story. Had I done so, I would have denied the tremendous influence that you, dear reader, has on each telling of the story. For this reason, it has been my unique honor, pleasure and privilege to write for you. I leave you by asking the only question that every Storyteller has ever asked since time began: Did you enjoy your story? Publication Date: Feb 23 2012 ISBN/EAN13: 1470126680 / 9781470126681 Page Count: 158 Binding Type: US Trade Paper Trim Size: 6" x 9" Language: English Color: Full Color Related Categories: Fiction / Fantasy / Short Stories The Collected Short Stories of T. Jerome Baker 2012 Spring & Summer Catalog of Books Amazon Author Page: Thomas Jerome Baker Profesorbaker's Blog: A Bit of Everything

Meet T. Jerome Baker, Author of, "Celestial Games: The First Gold"


Thomas Baker is, by his own account, a globetrotter. He's traveled to Europe, Africa, the Antarctic, and North America. He's visited 40 of the 50 states in the USA. The Luxora, Arkansas native currently lives at the end of the world, in Santiago de Chile, South America. He's been here for the past 11 years, he says.

[caption id="attachment_1397" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Thomas Baker"][/caption]

What made him finally stay in one place? Why didn't he keep moving? The answer, he says, is his wife, Gabriela. When he met her, he was home. In fact, wherever she is, is where he will be. Soon it will be Valentine's day again, but with Thomas and Gaby, maybe every day is Valentine's Day...

What does he do in free time?


When not writing, he enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Gaby, and of course, indulging in his passion, teaching English as a Foreign Language. Being a teacher gives him so much pleasure that he knows he would do it for nothing because it is so personally rewarding. He considers himself lucky to be able to teach English and get paid for doing something he loves so much.

He fits in time for organizing conferences for teachers, such as the recent Edcamp Santiago 2012. He was also one of the conference organizers for the 2010 IATEFL-TESOL Bicentennial Conference, which was held at Universidad San Sebastian.

In 2010, Thomas was the President of TESOL Chile. TESOL stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. It is a professional organization of teachers of English dedicated to raising the standard of English teaching in Chile.

Also, he manages to write a very successful blog, "A Bit of Everything". Often, he confesses, he will be working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Where does he get the time and the energy?

Priorities, perseverancia, and passion, he answers. The P-P-P approach to individual success in reaching your goals. He explains:

"There's always time to do the things we feel are important. Once you begin to do something, you only arrive at your goals by taking a constant series of small steps. When all this becomes repetitive, your enthusiasm, which is transformed into passion for what you are doing, drives you forwards, especially when things aren't going well.
Does he read books?

His mother, Annette, and brother, Charlie, instilled in him a love of reading at an early age. He could read by the time he was four years old.

After pushing his dreams of becoming a published author aside for thirty years, he has finally jumped in with both feet. In the past six years, he has published several major articles in ELT journals before turning his attention to his creative storytelling abilities.

All of his previous story writing was for free, as he wanted his students and fellow teachers to have access to his early work. After seeing thousands of readers reading his stories, it finally dawned on him that he had the talent necessary to be a published author.


He is currently working on his first novel, Celestial Games. The foundation for the novel is put in place with his recent short story, Celestial Games: The First Gold. In that short story, which serves as the backdrop for the upcoming novel, he creates the world in which Celestial Games takes place, the rebirth and repopulation of Earth.

The two main protagonists are a wise old Storyteller and his young son, who is also destined to be a Storyteller. Through their eyes we see the events of Celestial Games take form.

Celestial Games: The First Gold, is available now through Createspace. It comes out on February 16 on Amazon.

You can find out more about Thomas at the links below:



2012 Spring & Summer Catalog of Books by Thomas Jerome Baker

2012 Spring & Summer Catalog of Books by Thomas Jerome Baker Posted on May 21, 2012
This catalog of books by Thomas Jerome Baker brings together over 40 books on Amazon, Kindle, and CreateSpace. Take your time to browse, there is something here for everyone. After you read, share your reading experience by writing a review, a comment, or maybe just a smile. I trust your reading will have been pleasant and enjoyable… Amazon Author Page: Thomas Jerome Baker Thomas Baker is the Past-President of TESOL Chile (2010-2011). He is the Head of the English Department at Colegio Internacional SEK in Santiago, Chile. He is the Co-Founder and Co-Organiser of EdCamp Santiago, free, participant-driven, democratic, conversation based professional development for teachers, by teachers. EdCamp Santiago 2012 was held at Universidad Mayor in Santiago. Thomas is also a member of the Advisory Board for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL), where he also serves as a reviewer and as the HETL Ambassador for Chile. Thomas enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics. Thus far, he has written the following genres: romance, historical fiction, autobiographical, sports history/biography, and English Language Teaching. He has published a total of thirty nine (39) books overall. The source and inspiration for his writing comes from his family, his wife Gabriela, and his son, Thomas Jerome Baker, Jr.