Masters in Teaching; Taught ESL Abroad for Years and in US

Diana C.

Hey! My name is Diana and I have a Master's degree in teaching from DePaul University in Chicago. Also, I have 2 Bachelor's degrees - one in English and the other in Philosophy, with a Minor in Art History.

I was an English teacher in China for 2 years and I was also a teacher here in US, Chicago. I’ve worked with all group sizes, from one in one to groups of 40 students and above. I’ve also been a hostess to rooms with several hundred people. And, I’ve worked with very young children, with high school and college students, as well as elderly who were in their 60s and older.

Originally I’m from Lithuania, Eastern Europe, though I’ve been in US for almost 20 years now! :). I remember that when I first came to US I barely spoke any English, but I love reading books and listening to them, and over time I became proficient and excelled at it, and today I teach it :)

Currently I have students whom I teach from English grammar, to reading and writing, to speaking, as well as the US Citizenship Test. In the past I’ve taught students Business English, various English tests to get students admitted to English speaking countries and colleges such as IELTS and the like. I’ve done many different courses to help me teach ESL students and I’ve volunteered in ESL classrooms. Having been an ESL student myself and becoming a master at it today, I know very well what it takes and what you have to do to get here.

I am very, very passionate about helping my students. I try to vary my lessons and to make them fun and engaging and appropriate based on my student’s needs and interests. As a teacher I think it’s necessary to try and offer students lessons on topics that they’d find interesting because that way my students learn better.