Elvie

Elvie Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Elvie, could you give us a short self-introduction?

A. Hi everyone, this is Elvie at your service. I live on the small island of Lapu-Lapu, near Cebu city in The Philippines. Cebu city is a very progressive place. The most common jobs here are in the call centers and in manufacturing. Our city is surrounded by nice beaches and resorts. You can do different outdoor activities here like scuba diving, snorkeling, mountain climbing, jet skiing, surfing, zipline and even swimming together with friendly sharks. I love going on adventures, don’t you?

Q. I heard you lived in Yamanashi-ken, Japan. Do you have any interesting story which you can share with us in there?

A. Three years ago I got a chance to work in a manufacturing company in Yamanashi, Japan. I found it very interesting because I learned a lot about advanced technology and it added to my knowledge as well. I had the best experience ever in my life in Japan. I loved the culture, the perfect atmosphere, magnificent foods and generous people. I always loved to go to karaoke bars with my Japanese friends, in fact I was able to learn some Japanese songs.

Q. According to your profile, you said you specialize in teaching children and beginners. What do you focus on for them?

A. When I was in Japan I used to accept tutorials for kids during my free time. Many of the mothers told me that I have great charisma with the kids. I have a lot of patience and I know how to make them feel comfortable. Sometimes I just play with them before we start our class so that they don’t get bored. I already know what their favorite types of lessons are. You can see more of the techniques that I use if you sign up my lesson.

Q. Your lesson, “Describe a Picture” sounds interesting! How do you teach by using pictures?

A. For me this is one of the best ways to practice with students because they can create their own stories using their imagination. They learn how to identify adjectives, verbs, directions, prepositions and verb tenses. For example, I might ask, “What do you think they were doing before this?” (past progressive tense) or “What will happen next?” (future tense). I give the students freedom to send me their favorite pictures so that they will get inspired to describe the picture and it will become more familiar with them. This is the perfect way to build a good relationship with my students because there is no pressure and we laugh a lot.

Q. I also noticed that you have a very unique lesson “Girl Talk! No Boys Allowed!” Can you tell me more about it?

A. Oh yeah! I created this lesson for girls only. I know many women always love to talk about different things like their beauty regimen, fashion, how to be good looking and fashionable and even how to be a great Mom. I am a mother of two boys so it’s fun to share ideas for disciplining our children. My students in this lesson love talking about their relationship with their kids and it helps when I tell them that I am in the same boat as a mother.

Q. Finally, is there anything you would like to share with our students?

A. Just be determined to study English and try to watch English movies, read books and magazines. When I studied Nihongo before I used to read the dictionary everyday and memorized at least 5 words a day. In order for me to memorize the new words I tried to apply them to my conversations with my Nihonjin colleagues the next day. Sometimes I heard new vocabulary words from them and I wrote them in my small notebook then checked the meaning in the dictionary. You can also apply this method to learning English as well. Try to memorize at least 5 words a day then try to use them in your next class. Plus, you can also learn new vocabulary words during your conversations.

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Elvie

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