"Richard Lederer once said that "English is a Crazy Language", and I couldn't agree more! I have been helping students figure it out anyway for 25 years. Like my students, I have lived in a foreign country where I couldn't express myself about simple things, even though I am an intelligent person--this incredibly frustrating experience has helped me to understand the many challenges of my students.

Reading, writing, grammar--I have experience with it all. I have worked with students from grades K-12, although most of my experience is in elementary ESL. I love to use music, games, comics, stories--whatever it takes to help a student succeed, I will try it. I really enjoy languages--each one has its own unique expressions and way of looking at the world. Students, too, have their own unique way of "looking" at what is asked of them--and it is my job as a teacher to understand how they learn best and to help them do so. I have lots of experience over many years, so I have been exposed and used many different teaching styles. As a result, I can use whichever one I think will work best for a particular student. Respecting each ESL student as a learner who has intelligence and capability even though s/he may not yet completely understand the language in a particular task is key to helping ELL students make good progress." less...