Tag: Teacher

ECLA Teacher Feature: Claudia Aragon!

Category: ECLA Teachers / Tags: , , , , , ,

I was born 110 miles outside of Los Angeles in an almost country/almost desert city called Bakersfield. However, I was quick to leave it to start up a life in Los Angeles via UCLA. After graduating in 2009 with a BA in Psychology, I chose to celebrate with a two-month long vacation to Italy, one that ultimately ended up lasting two years. In my time there, I explored the Amalfi coast, a coastline that I had been traveling to and loving since I was a child, improved upon my Italian, and dabbled in teaching English to Italians.   Now back in LA, to which I have become practically a native, I am also back studying at UCLA, however business this time.  Alongside, I am fortunate to be here at EC teaching English to International students.   EC’s methodology is distinct from other competing schools. Here, the students are taught more than just the knowledge of grammar structures and vocabulary but also, American humor, colloquial expressions that cannot necessarily be translated, and the means by which to navigate across linguistic boundaries. The result is that EC students do not graduate simply feeling more confident in their English abilities; they graduate feeling more fluent in American culture. And in my opinion, what more could ESL students want from a traveling experience abroad in Los Angeles?

Teacher Feature: Christine Chang

Category: EC Los Angeles / Tags: , , , ,

ECLA is delighted to welcome Teacher and Junior Program Coordinator, Christine Chang, to the team. Learn more about Christine by reading her introduction below. “I knew the first day of kindergarten that I would become a teacher one day! Of course, I’ve come a long way since kindergarten and am excited to be at EC Los Angeles! In high school, I volunteered at a local elementary school and met a first grade girl who had recently immigrated from Iran. She spoke no English at all, and I worked with her for the year so that she could become integrated into her class. It was an experience that showed me that I had talent and passion for teaching English. Since then, I’ve geared my life towards improving as a teacher by going to university, travelling and working with different types of students. I especially enjoy teaching ESL because I see how students from different countries and cultures not only get to learn a language but also learn about each other. I came to EC Los Angeles with teaching experience, but I’ve learned so much about teaching from EC’s method. I’m excited to be developing as a teacher so that I can tailor each of my lessons to my students and their specific needs. I want to be the teacher that students remember as the one who cared about them and their learning and as the teacher who helped them markedly improve their English. I know that the EC method is the best way to ensure that I will be the teacher that I want to be!”