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TESL Trainers' Introductions
Welcome to TFLI’s TESL Certificate Program! We have an incredible group of teacher-trainers lined up for you. Each trainer brings his or her unique perspective to this course. All of your trainers graduated at the top of their class in TESL and have demonstrated extraordinary skills in Teaching English as a Second Language. Each one is a specialist in various components taught in this course, and each will be working with you and your class to ensure that this will be TFLI’s best TESL course yet.
Angie Harris: angie@tfli.org
ESL/TESL Director
What I love about the TESL Course is watching how quickly people develop their teaching skills. Anything new is a challenge, but with practice, teaching is rewarding and fun. That is why I have been invloved in ESL for so many years -- each day presents a new and exciting experience or opportunity.
After graduating from TTU in 1991 with a B.A. in Foreign Languages and a Teacher’s Certification, I fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining the United States Peace Corps. In Papua New Guinea (South Pacific) I taught English to high school students for two years. After serving as a volunteer, I had the travel bug and was not yet ready to return to home. It was through Peace Corps that I found out about the abundant opportunities to teach ESL in Asia (and make a decent living)!
After teaching in PNG, I packed up and headed to South Korea to teach ESL at a women’s university, various language institutes, and businesses. During my last position in Korea, I was given the responsibility of designing the first ESL program at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul in which I subsequently became the Head Instructor of the ESL program there. It was in Korea that I got my first taste of program design and development, and I loved it! I stayed in Korea for 3 ½ years.
From Korea I went straight to Kathmandu, Nepal where I served as the head ESL instructor at the American Language Center (USIS). Due to political unrest, however, the 30-year-old school was closed after I had taught there for only one year. It came as such a disappointment to the students and staff that I helped to re-open and privatize the school, which was renamed the English Language Center (ELC). I became the Assistant Director and continued to teach ESL in Nepal.
Upon returning to the U.S. at the end of 1999, I discovered the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. TFLI gave me the opportunity to create and direct our ESL/TESL Department, which was greatly needed in the Southeastern USA. The TESL staff and I have coordinated and supervised all of the teacher certificate programs from 2000 until now, and our department is delighted to begin the next one with all of you. Some advice for success is: sustain your passion for learning and keep a good sense of humor. I wish you all the best of luck and will do everything to help you succeed in this course.
Helia Rethmann: helia@tfli.org
TESL and Professional Development Trainer/German and ESL Teacher
I grew up in Germany, where I studied Journalism and Cultural Anthropology and Communications. After several wild career changes I ended up an under-employed actress in New York, where I started teaching German in 1992, only because I was tired of waitressing. I taught at BERLITZ for a year, and then went into business as a private tutor, which was more fun and more profitable. Basically self-trained (except for the Berlitz Method which I found too rigid and not very effective), my teaching style evolved on a basis of ‘trial and error’.
I started working for TFLI in 1997 and I have taught German (and later ESL) ever since. It was not until I took the TESL course in 2001, however, that I wholeheartedly started to enjoy teaching. The TESL training replaced my ‘pick-and-choose’ approaches with a solid foundation to foster learning success. I have since developed several Professional Development Courses for ESL and foreign language teachers based on the principles of TESL. Aaron Lovett: aaron@tfli.org
TESL Trainer/ESL Instructor
Greetings! My name is Aaron Lovett. I am an ESL teacher and a TEFL/TESL trainer and will be working with you throughout your training at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. I encourage you to approach me with any questions or comments about the course. We are all eager to assist you in reaching your potential as ESL/EFL teachers. Before teaching ESL I taught various other subjects, including English (for native speakers) and mathematics. I also have extensive training in public speaking. While these experiences are not specifically related to teaching in the ESL classroom, they have helped me to develop effective teaching methods. In April 2000, I earned my TESL Certification at Winfield College, a school in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Since then, I have been teaching ESL at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute in Nashville. I regularly teach classes from the “Intro” level to advanced, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TSE (Test of Spoken English) preparation classes, and accent-reduction classes. Currently, I also teach ESL to postdoctoral students for TFLI at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). I have been privileged to be included in the development and instruction of the TESL Certification program, and sincerely look forward to assisting you in your development as an ESL teacher. Mickee Carter: mickee@tfli.org
TESL Trainer/ESL Instructor
I am pleased and amazed at how I've embraced the teaching/training profession. Years ago when friends had talked about their purpose in life, I'd always felt unsure of what mine might be. It's now completely clear to me that being a teacher is my path.
My corporate experience spanned two decades, but it wasn't until I worked as a training specialist with Hewlett Packard that things began to fall into place. I left corporate in 1995 to flex my personal value of independence by working as a freelance trainer. I've delivered personal growth, customer service, and leadership programs throughout the U.S. and Mexico. I now specialize in delivering business writing workshops through my company, Write On Time, Inc. I have a B. A. in English Literature from Fisk University and an M.S. in Organization Development from Case-Western Reserve University.
In January of 2003 I was feeling restless and unchallenged. I saw an article in the Tennessean about TFLI needing volunteers to work in the office. I immediately sent off an e-mail and was volunteering there in only a few days. One day, Angie passed me in the hall and asked what I did for a living. After hearing my response, she suggested that I participate in the TESL certification program. There it was. The new challenge I was looking for. After completing the program in May 2003, I was not only trained to teach ESL students, but the program made me a better business writing instructor in my own workshops.
As an ESL instructor I've taught classes and done private tutoring through TFLI, ProLingua, Nashville State Community College, and Accent Language Services (Delaware based). However, even within the ESL framework, I consider myself a writing specialist whose purpose is to help my students become fluent in what is often the last communication skill that they master. I hope to one day teach ESL classes in a foreign country. I've done very little international traveling, but I feel that my ESL training will be the vehicle for an international experience some day.
The TESL program is a wonderful opportunity to learn many different skills. Please know that I am present and available to help you succeed in this program. But most of all, get ready to fully experience this most excellent adventure called TESL.
Thuy Nguyen: thuy@tfli.org
TESL Trainer/ESL Instructor/Assistant ESL Director
As refugees from post-war Vietnam, my family came to America so that I could be educated in a world of freedom. My family’s dream came true, and I was the first in my family to go to college. My most memorable experience from college is teaching English for the Migrant Support Program in college and teaching at the Institut de Touraine in Tours, France for 6 months. At the time, I did not know that teaching was my true calling.
In 2002, I graduated from Emory & Henry College with a B.A. in French Literature and a B.A. in International Relations. I am currently pursuing a Masters in ESL at the University of Memphis. While immersing myself in the corporate world of Dell computers, I realized I wanted something more fulfilling. Then a teaching bug bit me. My overwhelming desire to teach guided me to TFLI.
When I first embarked on the TESL certification program, I thought it was just another classroom. I quickly found it to be a world full of stories, methods, creativity, and personal interactions that would redefine the way I learned and the way I taught. I never learned any true English from my ESL class as a child. I have learned from TESL the most indispensable art of teaching. As an ESL instructor for five years now, I have found so many opportunities in teaching and in learning.
As we all gather in our classroom--the window of opportunity, we will question every aspect of teaching. So I leave you with my favorite quote: “What keeps you going isn’t some fine destination but just the road you’re on, and the fact that you know how to drive.” TESL will be your GPS. I hail from a family of teachers beginning with my great-grandfather, who was a teacher in Germany in the late 1800's. As a child my mother told me fascinating stories about my grandmother's emigration to the US to "seek her fortune." I secretly wanted to emulate my grandmother's experiences.
While seeking out my own fortune I have worn many hats. I have a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management from Michigan State University, a bachelors degree in computer science from the University of Michigan, and a masters degree in business administration from Central Michigan University. I've worked for the State of Michigan, Chrysler and General Motors.
After my second child I took a part-time teaching position at the University of Michigan and Baker College so I could be home with my boys.
I moved to Tennessee in 1992 and continued teaching at Columbia State Community College. On a chance meeting in 2005 I met Jane Benz from TFLI, who told me about the ESL program. I earned my certificate in 2006 and started teaching immediately. It's been so rewarding. I look forward to each class as it brings new insights into different cultures and their people.
 Jane was born and raised in Michigan, where she received a Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. After careers in the financial products and healthcare industries, she began volunteering at TFLI. After several months as a volunteer, Jane enrolled in and successfully completed the TESL course. This led to her present position. She facilitates many of the behind-the-scenes activities of the department, as well as manages the enrollment and practice teaching components of the TESL course. Jane's goal is to make the deparment run smoothy and to create an environment for success for all students. TESL Trainer/ESL Instructor
My background in education stems from many years of working with children in daycare settings and summer camp programs while completing my undergraduate degree in music education from Trevecca Nazarene University. After college I lived  in London for 6 months as an au pair and became involved in teaching American English to several students through a local church. It was that experience that really opened my eyes to many possibilities. I came back to the U.S. to teach in the Nashville Metro School system. During those years I became increasingly interested in teaching ESL. I can't remember how I found TFLI, but was determined to find a way to travel abroad and teach. I was in the first TESL course offered by TFLI where I received my certification and began teaching for TFLI. I have taught ESL in Nashville for various organizations including the American Association of Refugee and Immigrant Women, World Relief, and Nashville Adult Literacy. I have taught all levels of English beginners to advanced for children and adults and citizenship classes for adults. I will complete a Master's in Counseling Psychology from Trevecca in May 2008 and continue to teach part-time when time allows. I am currently employed as the Vice President of Client Relations at Ganick Communications in Brentwood, TN. I serve on the board of the American Association of Refugee and Immigrant Women and was recently named their 2008 Athena nominee.
Bios coming soon for Mika Garrett & Cyndi Tierney |
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