Introducing the February 2026 issue (Volume 35, Issue 1) of The Word newsletter, produced three times per year by Hawai‘i TESOL, in February, May, and September (ideally!) This issue marks the first time that we are going completely electronic with our newsletter. We hope you enjoy this new format.

In this issue we have a variety of articles on topics ranging from field reports to AI to pronunciation to theater and storytelling.

We begin with a field report from one of Hawai‘i TESOLʻs longest-term board members, Jean Kirschenmann, who has been spending her post-retirement in Poland.
Then we have a selection of articles from the classroom, including goal setting, ChatGPT, and using AI for self-editing and pronunciation.
Weʻre also pleased to have a number of articles from teachers in our TESOL Sister Affiliate, TESOL Ukraine, on topics that include improving pronunciation and intonation through theater techniques, using storytelling to develop language, and perspectives on being a teacher and a learner in Kharkiv, Ukraine, during wartime. For more info about our Sister Affiliate relationship, please read about it on the Hawai‘i TESOL website.

To learn how you, too, can contribute to the Hawai‘i TESOL newsletter, see the guidelines and suggestions in the Submit to The Word section of this newsletter!

Hawai`i Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (HITESOL), the local affiliate of TESOL International Association, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a community of professionals teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in the state of Hawai`i.

All photos taken by the Newsletter Editor and article contributors.

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