Lesson: FIRE
I have a new word for you – parsimony. Wait! Before you click the link – and I know some of you will – let me explain. One of my students brought the FIRE movement to my attention, and I immediately thought it would be an exciting topic. FIRE is an acronym for Financial Independence Retire Early. It is a movement that has been around for a few years now and is building steam. It seems that Marie Kondo’s ‘sparking joy,’ environmentalism, stagnant salaries and a later projected retirement age have all combined to inspire this movement. I’m not going to tell you what it’s about – that’s why I have gone through all the trouble of reading many articles and handpicking the ones I thought were the best. What I will tell you, and this is a big hint, is that parsimony means to be very careful with your money and refuse to spend it on any unnecessary things, no matter how small the price. I hope you enjoy these articles and am sure you will see how they tie in with the theme of a changing Western social structure and society.
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Example Article
Each conversation topic is based on a theme. In order to help students acquire a basic understanding of that topic, four media articles are provided for them to read. I will never test you on the articles, but I strongly suggest you book lessons far enough in advance to give yourself enough time to properly prepare. The better prepared you are, the more benefit you will receive from our conversations.
Below is an example article for this conversation topic.