Marie

Marie Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Marie, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. I’m originally from the Philippines but I lived half of my life in Japan. I was an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan. I moved from one prefecture to another. First I was an ALT in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture. I moved to Hiroshima then to Okayama Prefecture. My students were handicapped kids, elementary, junior high school and senior high school students. I love my profession as an English teacher. I wanted to be a better teacher so I took my TEFL course at Gateway Language Village in Zhuhai China. After that, I became an English teacher. Gateway Language Village is one of the famous English schools in China. It is a total immersion school which means that students cannot speak Chinese while inside the building. This is a very good opportunity for them to speak English and they learn quickly. My students range from 18 to 60 years old. I have public speaking class, debate and workshop.

Q. According to your profile, you live in the U.S. Could you tell us about your city there?

A. I live in Maylene Alabama. It is a very small city. Alabama is the State where Civil Rights was fought for and won. This is where Martin Luther King was born. And we have good southern food here and lots of country music too.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. When I’m not teaching, I volunteer most of the time. I volunteer for New Beacon Hospice and I sit with Hospice patients. Last year me and my husband, started a ministry for the aging population called, The Eleventh Hour Ministry. We serve the aging population especially the poor, the widows and the sick. Every Sunday, we minister to the residents of Chandler nursing home. I believe this is my calling from God, “to be HIS servant”. It is a very humbling ministry.I also love to travel with my friends when I have the time.

Q. You have a lot of interesting lessons! Which lesson would you recommend for new students?

A. I need to evaluate the level of English of my new students. From there, I would know which lesson to recommend. My Impromptu Exercise lesson is good for intermediate level. It will help them think quickly in English. My focus here is to make them alert when somebody ask them a question in English and how are they going to respond quickly. It’s a good practice and fun too.

Q. Oh, you have an English lesson for kids, too. Could you please tell us about this lesson?

A. To be honest with you, teaching a child online is difficult. It’s different when you are face to face and you can show realias that they can hold. I usually have a stuffed toy when I have English lesson for kids so I can get the child’s attention. Same with the adults, I have to evaluate the level of English of the child. I had an English lesson for kids one time and my student just turned 4 years old. But he knows everything I asked and I was just amazed how smart that boy was. With my English lesson for kids, I usually start with the alphabets and the pronunciation. In Japan, there is no alphabet, so most of the time students have difficulty pronouncing the letters R, L and W.

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

A. Learning a new language takes a lot of patience but very rewarding. So, just keep on learning, be patient, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. It’s part of learning and part of growing. Last but not the least, believe in yourself. If others can do it, you can too.

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Marie

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