What makes our teachers stand out

Natalia Payne is an American who was born and raised in New Jersey. She majored in Professional Writing/Journalism with a minor in Spanish at The College of New Jersey and earned a TESOL certificate from The Canadian Institute of English. She has worked as an ESL teacher, teaching students of all ages in the Dominican Republic, and as a volunteer teacher in Haiti and the French-speaking African country of Burkina Faso. She speaks French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish fluently. “Children’s brains are specifically engineered to learn languages, which decreases as they get older. Also, exposing children to another language often promotes learning in other academic fields. Since English has become one of the main international languages for business and communication, it allows parents to give their child a head start in life.”

Fatima Abdul-Ghafur is American, from New Jersey. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English, has earned her 40-hour TEFL certificate to teach online and has more than 10 years of teaching experience. She’s taught in brick-and-mortar elementary and middle schools, as well as online. Fatima became a teacher because she’s always loved English, literature and reading and she wants to share that passion with others. “It is important for kids to learn English because it is the language through which every facet of life opens up for people around the globe. English is the gateway to success and progress in this modern-day world.”

Kefah Abukhdeir is American, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s in English from AlQuds University in Jerusalem and a master’s degree from Brenau University in Organizational Leadership. As a teacher, she’s worked in both the U.S. and Jerusalem, teaching all levels and within a variety of ESP specialties. Kefah became a teacher because she loves empowering her students and seeing them achieve their goals.

Tijarah ”TJaye” Alford is an American, born in Boston, Massachusetts and has also lived in New York and Florida. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Johnson C. Smith University and holds a master’s degree in English Writing. Tijarah became a teacher because she believes that today’s youth is our future. She’s taught English in middle schools and high schools in the U.S. She works as a private English tutor in the U.S. and recently became an online ESL teacher. “I believe that learning English is important from a global standpoint. Learning English will enable the child to connect culturally and become effective with communication in global academic settings. Learning other languages can bridge cultural gaps and bring people closer together.”

Jean De Masi is an American teacher from Texas. She’s been a teacher for 16 years and has taught at private, charter, and public schools. Jean holds a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Grand Canyon University and earned her bachelor’s degree from Sul Ross State University. She’s a bilingual certified teacher who has taught ESL online for over two years.“I wanted to teach English to children because I believe it is an important language of the world. I believe it will open many doors for students who speak more than one language. It is also very rewarding to help children develop such crucial skills.”

Jose Jaime Martinez is a Canadian who currently lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico in the U.S. and holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of California. Jose loves teaching because he enjoys seeing ideas take root in his students’ minds. “Nowadays, the English language has reached most parts of the world, so I think having pupils who can interact with people around the world can open doors.”

Aurelia McNeil is originally from Michigan, USA. Now a resident of Kentucky, Aurelia has more than 30 years of experience as a professional tutor, 20 years of experience as a certified language teacher, and more than 15 years of experience as a university instructor. She teaches all aspects of the English language, including reading, writing, listening comprehension, speaking skills, pronunciation, accent reduction, grammar, and vocabulary. Aurelia holds both a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and French from Oakland University as well as a master’s degree in language education and English as a Second Language from Wayne State University. “Children who learn English as a pre-teen or earlier have an opportunity to learn the language without having an accent. They can develop not only native fluency, but native pronunciation as well. So, the earlier children learn English, the better.”

Half Japanese and half American, Terumi Crystal Sakai was born and raised in Japan where she attended an International School. She’s been teaching English since she was a young teenager, but recently earned her CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Currently, she’s working in Italy as a teacher, and she’s taught in Germany, South Africa, Japan, and England as well. Her proudest moment as a teacher is seeing her students achieve the learning goals they’ve set for themselves. “Learning is always important and the younger you are the better. With English being the international language, it will set up the kids to have more opportunities in their current lives and in their future. Learning a second language helps the mind expand and might even open their world a bit more.”

Geovani Jarrett, affectionately called “Teacher Geo” by his students, lives in Ontario, Canada. He holds a bachelor’s in education, a teaching diploma, and a TEFL certificate along with a certificate in Literacy Intervention. He’s taught in the traditional classroom for more than 10 years, working in Jamaica and for online schools in the U.S., Canada, and China, teaching students across the globe. “As an elementary school teacher, I taught many subjects, but teaching English came naturally to me because it’s my native language. Furthermore, English is a universal language so I think teaching English is a good way that I can help people across the globe.”