English with Jennifer

                                                                Bio

"I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. As the daughter of a Filipino immigrant and an American, I became aware of cultural differences at an early age. My maternal grandparents increased this awareness by sharing what they loved about the Polish, Serbian, and Hungarian cultures their own parents came from. My grandmother taught me to dance the polka before the first grade, and at the age of 10 my grandfather began to take me to weekly accordion lessons. (I don’t know why my brothers were spared. They would probably have been more successful accordion players!) I heard some Tagalog and Polish while growing up, but the words were dropped around my ears like a dry rain that never touches the ground. I absorbed almost nothing. Only as I approached adulthood did I realize the loss of that opportunity.

In junior high and high school I studied French, but I never even came close to being fluent. I could read, I could write, but I couldn’t understand spoken French or carry on a conversation. This experience was key in forming my desire to be a language instructor. When I arrived at the shocking discovery that six years of diligent study didn’t give me the skills to communicate easily in real life situations, I asked myself why. The answers to that question filled me with determination to become a better language learner and to help others in their own language studies.

I met with greater success learning Japanese and Russian in college, but it was Russian that I chose as my major and became fluent in. My graduate studies took me over to Moscow (I had visited Russia a few times prior to this), and it was there that I met my husband and made the transition from teaching Russian to teaching English as a foreign language.

After five years of living and working in Moscow, my husband and I moved to the United States and made Massachusetts our home. I taught private and group lessons at a language school in Boston, and when I took on administrative responsibilities, I began to learn in depth about curriculum design and assessment tools. It was a positive work experience full of creative opportunity. I got the chance to write a lot of materials for my own classes as well as for the school. I was also chosen to take over the teacher training program, which truly grounded me in theory and methodology. I should mention that a final bonus at that school was free Portuguese lessons for a few months!

Since the fall of 2005 I’ve been working from home. Thanks to the Internet, there are an increasing number of career opportunities for English language instructors. I’ve published books, done consulting work, recorded audio podcasts, and made a collection of instructional videos. I’m very excited about what the future holds. I hope to grow more as a teacher and expand my skills by providing different forms of online instruction."



Being an Online Teacher
"Embracing My Identity: The Independence and Dependence of Online Teaching

Identifying myself professionally sometimes mirrors my experience when I’m faced with forms asking for my ethnicity. Invariably I check off “other”. It seems to be the most convenient choice of words. There usually isn’t enough room to explain that I’m half Filipino, a quarter Polish, one-eighth Serbian, and one-eighth Hungarian. Why can’t I simply be “American”?

I also deliberate over the choice of labels when it comes to my professional life. I sometimes opt for the simplest title and call myself an English language teacher. Other times I’m more vague and claim to be an ESL specialist. I have to be careful not to be too general. For instance, if I tell people that I’m an independent contractor, they may begin to think I work in construction or home remodeling. When I’m given the chance to explain myself, I list my various roles: online teacher, materials writer, content creator, blogger, videomaker, and consultant. It’s the length of a mid-week grocery list. Do you understand my dilemma when I must type up a business card?

Almost as interesting as my job title is my school affiliation. That customary line is missing on my business card, and it can’t be supplied (unless you allow me to use YouTube U., as one colleague suggested I do). The absence of a school name after my own may cause confusion for some. They might wonder where I work and who exactly I work with. Do I work in the isolation of my home? Do I miss not having direct contact with others? Just how professionally active can one be as an independent contractor?

The truth is two-fold. I am both limited to and liberated by the Internet. I sometimes miss traditional teaching, but mostly I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore outside classroom walls. In some ways I’ve never fully left the classroom. Particularly in my roles as videomaker and blogger, I get to assist classroom teachers by providing materials and suggesting ideas. I’ve even been consulted to help develop lesson plans. Through correspondence, other teachers keep my sensitivity to classroom issues honed.

As for professional networking and support, I must say that I’ve never felt more a part of my field as I do at the present. Being an independent contractor allows me to choose who I collaborate with. This has led to an exciting mix of contacts. Different projects bring me into new circles, and through each one I grow in some way. I have more colleagues today than I ever did before I began working online. There’s no way I could have learned all that I have over the past few years without my interaction with other educators through e-mail, Skype calls, video conferences, and the like. I’m dependent on my colleagues for my independence.

 "But what about the students?" you may question. "Don’t you miss that kind of interaction?" The same is true. In some ways I miss having a group physically in front of me, but in other ways I feel I am more effective through my online teaching and support. Students know that I’m accessible online, and they seek my help. I feel privileged to have gained their confidence, and just as I need my colleagues now more than ever, I also need my online following of ELLs, from the readers to the viewers to the paying private students. For without one to teach how could I call myself a teacher? And that’s what I am."

http://www.englishwithjennifer.com/index.html


http://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferESL


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learn english grammar grammer lesson free online learning English as a second language ESL writing speaking listening ESOL TOEFL FCE CAE IELTS level exam test England American podcast videos vocabulary skill beginner basic English intermediate advanced upper-intermediate pronunciation learn english grammar grammer lesson free online learning English as a second language ESL writing speaking listening ESOL TOEFL FCE CAE IELTS level exam test England American podcast videos vocabulary skill beginner basic English intermediate advanced upper-intermediate pronunciation story business english