I lived in many countries and learned in each country enough language to take care of life's necessities and niceties. After those years, I settled back down in the USA, where I taught ESL in community colleges. I wanted to go deeper into this subject, so I went on to earn a Masters Degree in Linguistics, including a TEFL certificate.

At times I feel like a mechanic, listening to noises in the engine (problems with communication/language usage), diagnosing the problem and assembling the right tools to fix it.

I have spent over 20 years helping people acquire and master the English language. I have taught in the community college, where new Americans worked towards mastering the language and customs of their new community. For two years I was head of the ESL program at a community college, where I also taught a GED program in Spanish.

My Bachelors degree is in Vocational Training and Adult Education. My MA is in Applied Linguistics. Living in China, I taught at a minorities teacher's college, focusing on one high school class for 3 years, as well as other assigned English classes at that college. In various cities in China I taught at University, as well as private English training schools. In the latter, I was tutoring in small groups as well as one-on-one classes?

Building language skills together with a learner will always be a joyful experience, even through the inevitable rough times. Acquiring a new language requires tremendous effort and dedication. Yet the small victories that come with each step bring the feelings of joy and accomplishment, which spur us on to push through to the next level. That is cause for celebration.

Please feel free to contact me directly, to see if we are a good fit. Tell me what you expect from these lessons. Do you simply want a conversation partner, to expand your vocabulary and cultural understanding? Is someone else reading this to you because you are just beginning the journey? Feel free to write me in your native language, if that is most comfortable