My Profile

     Teaching is my calling. In addition to teaching English as a second language, I've taught for several years at the college and university level, mostly in the Los Angeles, California area, but also in South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, with a focus on literature, public speaking, reading, and essay writing for students of all levels. I taught for six years at each of the following places: the University of Southern California, Los Angeles City College, and Long Beach City College. At U.S.C., where I got my Master's degree in English, I won the top award in the Freshman Writing Program, one which only three out of 130 teachers receive each year.

    Also at that time -- the early 1990's -- I began doing freelance writing, and had several of my essays and poems published in places like the Los Angeles Times, the International Herald-Tribune, the L.A. Weekly, and the L.A. Reader. I love to write essays on all kinds of subjects, especially American and modern East Asian history and culture. As a writing teacher, I have always approached my classes as a writer, much like a music teacher who is also a musician.

    Over the past few years, I have been working on developing a very useful and fun program for teaching the real sound of American speech to non-natives. I have a written and recorded a program which I hope to eventually develop into a handy book. I emphasize what few teachers I have met focus on: bringing my foreign students inside the circle of American culture by teaching them, in depth, how Americans really use English, in contrast to what so many textbooks stress, which tends to be not so useful for actual conversation.

    I have always tried to be what my very best teachers were for me -- so caring, hard-working, passionate. I average one hour per essay when I evaluate student writing at home. I give my all. Over the past several years, I have worked at various E.S.L. schools in the South Bay of L.A., such as G.E.O.S., Hummingbird, Language Systems International, and a Korean after-school school, where I taught writing to middle and high school students. I have also done a lot of private tutoring, and have concentrated on that for the last year. My experience is wide-ranging, and I so enjoy helping people to develop in all kinds of ways. 
    I appreciate your considering me for this position.