I like to consider myself an itinerant demagogue. I graduated (in four years, thank you very much) from the University of Texas at Austin, with a major in history (focus on Reformation era European history) and a minor in Linguistics (focus on historical linguistics, though, looking back now I wish I would've studied morphosyntax more). I left for South Korea and over a period of five years taught in that country for four years. Here I picked up not only a TEFL certification and invaluable classroom experience, but also a deep, genuine, bona fide appreciation for and concern with cultures not my own.
I moved back to the US over a year ago (on a permanent basis) and have taught in Las Vegas, Denver and Manhattan and Miami. I've just moved back to central Texas and I can't wait to dive in and start spreading my skills and enthusiasm around.
I have taught both as a paid teacher and a volunteer, I have taught science classes, film classes, culture classes, English classes, TOEFL prep and the tiniest bit of math.
I believe strongly that confidence is key to learning and teaching. The teacher must believe both that he can effectively deliver the lesson and that the student can absorb it. The student must believe firmly that they possess the mental acuity and cognitive capacity to understand the material before them. For this reason I believe in high levels of interaction, completely open dialogue, lots of laughter and a focus on the material at hand until the student understands it and has a firm grip.
back to top