tahn

I am a college graduate from the United States of America with a passion for teaching. I
graduated with a B.S in Biological Sciences and a 3.4/4.0 GPA from UCI. I have a certificate
in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and have experience tutoring children of
different ages. I am a hardworking honors student with well developed communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills from years of rigorous courses and volunteer work.

I have an outgoing personality and I believe myself to be quite empathetic, so I am easily relatable to a diverse group of people and easily adaptable. In addition to that I love working with young people and I have been fortunate enough in my 5 years of working, I've worked as a facilitator/coach and a mentor from children as young as 6 years to adults who are 25 years – so, I work well with children and my colleagues as well. My educational background and career has harnessed my interpersonal skills, as I am also quite analytical, and work well within a team.

I have extensive sport's coaching experience which I believe is similar and relevant to ESL teaching. I have worked for 3 years as a sport's coach, working with children (ages 7-13), teenagers (14-18) and adults. This experience taught me how to manage both large and small groups of students. Working with children in particular has been extremely valuable as I learned to manage children who at times were loud and lacked concentration during lessons. My experience with adults was also rewarding as I learned that keeping adults focused on their motivation for learning was the easiest way to keep them engaged in a lesson. I have also recently completed a 1 month part-time English-assistant teaching role at a nearby school, and hold a separate 20 hour English teaching practicum.

Sport's coaching requires a great deal of attention to detail, as it requires one to analyze where a student is struggling and come up with a technical solution. I believe one of my primary skills is having a strong attention to detail, as I am an analytical thinker. I also come from a country with a rich cultural diversity, where one constantly has to move between different cultures. I believe this lived experience makes me a suitable candidate for this opportunity as learning to understand a new culture is something I am very familiar with.

I am energetic, fun, enjoy reading and love immersing myself in different cuisines.

I first noticed a need for EFL teaching during my time at University. International students often needed grammatical aid which prompted me to take on private tutoring. From this experience, teaching EFL stood out as the perfect chance to share the knowledge I possess with others as well as broaden my own educational experience. Making a difference in others lives by nurturing and expanding their abilities is a very fulfilling journey to partake in, for both myself and the students. While students will be introduced to a new skill, the classroom environment will also allow for me to develop strong foundational skills in communication and presenting.

Other than the private tutoring experience during my time at University, I have also completed a TEFL course to build a stronger foundation for myself as a teacher. I was able to gain a lot of insight during the course and gain valuable skills in areas such as classroom management, teaching various ages, varied teaching methods etc. As a naturally creative individual, I believe I possess skills which would make my lessons very interactive and engaging. This would be especially important when teaching younger children which happens my preferred teaching age (kindy-elementary). I am very well skilled in digital technology, which I would like to use in creating fun and interactive activities during English Class.

Working in different schools has allowed me to gain the skills, knowledge and determination of a teacher. As a trainee teacher I have developed professionally in my role by gaining a deeper understanding of the classroom structure, how to run a class and the different strategies that can be used in order to engage pupils. Through observing expert colleagues, I have discovered different strategies that can be implemented in the classroom; this has enhanced my own skills and strategies. I have high expectations of all pupils to enhance their learning journey, encouraging pupils to be resilient and reflective learners. In order to work with young pupils, patience, resilience, clear communication skills and good behaviour management are important factors. Working with children can be challenging at time, however their achievements are rewarding. Building a rapport with children is vital, having effective communication and creating a bond with children allows you to gain an understanding of their needs and their personalities.
The ever changing dynamics of a classroom require quick thinking and swift adaptations which are part and parcel of a teacher’s toolkit. I believe I stay calm under pressured conditions and am able to constantly adjust to new changes. Similarly, the school environment can alter very quickly; members of staff taken ill, unprecedented weather and outbreaks of illnesses. In these situations I like to act fast, create contingency and mitigation plan(s) and work collegiately with my colleagues to provide suggestions to help plans get underway without causing too much disruption to an already altered schedule.