tahn

I am a fun, loving and charismatic individual. I have a passion for teaching as well as learning new things. I am in love with history and find much interest in learning about new cultures and their languages. I am a university graduate with majors in English, History and Sociology and I am currently completing my 300hr TEFL Diploma. I am a huge peoples person and love interacting with students. I believe that students are the future and that they should be taught by those that indulge in the joys of teaching. I consider myself to be extremely organised and rather observational. I am a problem solver and take initiative. I believe that any and all tasks should be done to the best of ones ability, thus, instilling that notion into my every day life.

I feel that I am a passionately realistic educator who strives to see not only the world, but the classroom through glasses tinted in optimism and compassion.

I have 10+ years of experience in several different industries that have benefitted me with many desirable skills. In addition, I have one year of experience in Chinese classrooms Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to children at the primary, middle school, high school and university levels. I am currently finishing a two-year term with Chungdahm Institute at a branch in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

It is very important to me that each student in my classroom is reached – no matter their English proficiency. Children have great value in this world and are worth the investment we should choose to make in them. Children can come from the most ornate and wealthy homes or they can come hungry and from nothing. No child chooses their starting point or their economic situation. With this consideration, I feel it is a tremendous exercise of skill and compassion when a teacher can consistently connect and effectively educate the most-advanced student in class, the least-advanced student and every student in-between. This is a skill I have been successful with as well as completely humbled by. Thankfully, I can look in the mirror more days than not and say that this is a skill I am consistently flexing and succeeding with. As with any skill or strength, it is important to always try to improve it any way possible too. And, I work to achieve constant improvement in this endeavor. 

During my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to study abroad twice in South Korea. In turn, this has developed my personality and identity greatly to become a charismatic and inter-personally skilled individual. I always strive to push myself out with my comfort zone and this has enabled me to mould and adapt to new surroundings and possess cultural sensitivity. On top of this, I speak intermediate Korean as I undertook Korean classes during my exchange.

During my study abroad at the University of Seoul, I worked part-time as an English Teacher to university students weekly. My strengths lied within my organisation skills and attention to detail as I created my own lesson plans and materials each week for a class size of 10+ Korean students. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching conversational English and adapting my teaching style to Korean culture which stresses the importance of collectivism. Therefore, I encouraged everyone to work in pairs and groups to create discussions and boost their confidence.

I have gained my 120-Hour TEFL Certificate which included online courses and an in-person teaching component.

My personality radiates approachability, friendliness and warmth – which I believe is extremely important within the classroom and working with children.

Because I grew up in Seattle, Washington, I speak English at a native level. I have experience teaching at Huntington Learning Center in Bothell, Washington.

I am a detail-oriented problem solver! I also enjoy working in teams, but am also generally self-sufficient.