It's our first newsletter of 2021, and it's going to be a bit longer than usual because we have lots to share! Six new teachers have come on board since the December post, and one teacher is leaving for new horizons. Plus, as always, we announce our Employee of the Month.
New teachers
- Michael is our first teacher from South Africa, where he has taught English literature, writing, grammar and speaking for many years. As a Master Teacher there, he has mentored other English teachers and led teacher training. In his spare time, Michael loves to travel, and to participate in theater productions.
- David is originally from the United States but has lived in Germany for the past 20 years, working as an interactive designer. He founded his own company and has been a creative consultant for some of the best digital and tech companies around the world. He has taught design to university students at major universities in the U.S. and Germany and looks forward to teaching business English.
- Flavio is Brazilian and has been teaching English to all ages for more than 22 years. With a degree in linguistics, he himself has studied the English language in depth and will bring tremendous knowledge to the TEF table. Flavio has lived in 24 cities around the world, so he brings lots of cultural experience, too.
- Maria is from Greece and lives in Athens. She's been teaching students of all ages for 26 years now, specializing in test preparation for all the major English language tests (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, etc.). In her non-teaching life, she has worked as a tour leader for major tour operators in Greece, focusing on Far East Asia and Latin America.
- Jen is British and has taught English in Tokyo and London, and now in Paris, France, where she makes her home. She speaks English, French, and Japanese, and has dual Japanese and Business university degrees. Jen has also worked in the business world as an accountant and project manager.
- Edward hails from Britain and has taught English for about 10 years. He lived in Spain for 5 years and still loves to visit. Traveling is one of his passions, along with music of all kinds. When not teaching, Edward can often be found either playing in or attending music concerts.
Farewell to Oisin
It's with saddened hearts that we say goodbye to Oisin. Since joining The English Farm a mere 14 months ago, he's developed a loyal student following and become a highly valued member of the team. He has shared his wealth of knowledge and experience with the rest of the staff, participated actively in staff meetings and Skype chats, and just been an all-around great dude. We'll miss you, Oisin! We wish you all the best in your new adventure.
Employee of the Month: Betty
Our Employee of the Month award for January goes to... Betty! Betty deserves to win this award every day—she contributes so much to The English Farm, from teaching students to mentoring other teachers to providing multiple resources, and she does it all with patience and a smile.
Betty has chosen to donate her award money to Caring Hands, an organization serving the needs of homeless people in the U.K. In Betty's words:
Volunteers at Caring Hands are helping homeless people access the resources they need to cope during the pandemic. Their work also benefits the overall health and wellbeing of the community and often goes unnoticed, so this is a great chance to say "thank you".
Thank you, Betty, for caring for the needs of students and staff here at TEF. You're the best!
Until next month,
Di