All degrees and the diploma are from the University of Alberta, a leading Canadian
university.
Experience:
2004/5 - Taught English to the staff of Guan Fang Hotel, Li Jiang, Yunnan province, China (and played piano in the dining room).
2003 - Taught ESL and Microsoft Office courses at Sino-Canadian Educational Centre,
Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China.
Before leaving Canada, I volunteered at a drop-in centre for foreign ESL students at
the University of Victoria. Students came to practice their conversational English skills or to receive
help with written grammar assignments.
I taught Music, Science, Mathematics and Language Arts in Canadian elementary and
high schools for 17 years. This has given me skill in organizing, public speaking and
presentation. It has also enhanced my natural sense of what is missing from a student's
understanding of a subject, so that I can focus on his or her specific area of need.
I taught 1st year university music courses at a Canadian college for one year.
I enjoyed teaching at the adult level, and I learned to adapt to the needs of the adult student.
I taught music privately for several years (theory and piano), sometimes to students
with little English. Music is truly the universal language, and my students learned well.
I have much experience in HTML and web design. Click
here to see more of my websites.
When I was teaching in public schools, many of my students had recently arrived in Canada from
other lands, and I had to adjust to their needs. This often meant teaching through gestures
and songs, and I became quite good at it. My music students always performed well on their
exams, and many got honors scores. My long teaching experience has taught me the value of
humour and flexibility, and I enjoy nothing more than to see a student awaken to the joys of
learning.
I have always loved to travel and have spent time in places where English was not the native
language. In France I was able to survive quite well since I know some French, but in other
countries I was put in the position of understanding nothing of the language, and had to
stumble and make mistakes. I understand the frustration and humiliation of one who is in
that situation, and I approach the teaching of the difficult English language with sympathy
and expertise.
