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| TESL Trainers' Introductions
Welcome to TFLI’s TESL Certificate Program! We have an incredible group of teacher-trainers lined up for you. Each trainer brings his or her unique perspective to this course. All of your trainers graduated at the top of their class in TESL and have demonstrated extraordinary skills in teaching English as a Second Language. Each one is a specialist in various components taught in this course, and each will be working with you and your class to ensure that this will be TFLI’s best TESL course yet.
Angie Harris: angie@tfli.org
Staff, ESL/TESL Director What I love about the TESL Course is watching how quickly people develop their teaching skills. Anything new is a challenge, but with practice, teaching is rewarding and fun. That is why I have been involved in ESL for so many years -- each day presents a new and exciting experience or opportunity. After grad uating from college, I fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining the United States Peace Corps. In Papua New Guinea (South Pacific) I taught English to high school students for two years. After serving as a volunteer, I was not ready to return to the U.S., and it was through Peace Corps that I found out about the abundant opportunities to teach ESL in Asia and make a decent living.
After teaching in PNG, I headed to South Korea to teach ESL at a women’s university, various language institutes, and businesses. During my last position in Korea, I was given the responsibility of designing the first ESL program at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul in which I subsequently became the Head Instructor. It was in Korea that I got my first taste of program design and development. I stayed in Korea for 3 ½ years.
From Korea I went to Kathmandu, Nepal, where I served as the head ESL instructor at the American Language Center (USIS). Due to political unrest, however, the 30-year-old school was closed after I had taught there for only one year. It came as such a disappointment to the students and staff that I helped to re-open and privatize the school. I became the Assistant Director and continued to teach ESL in Nepal.
Upon returning to the U.S. at the end of 1999, I discovered the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. TFLI gave me the opportunity to create and direct our ESL/TESL Department, which was greatly needed in the southeastern USA. The TESL staff and I have coordinated and supervised all of the teacher certificate programs from 2000 until now, and our department is delighted to begin the next one with all of you. Some advice for success is: sustain your passion for learning and keep a good sense of humor. I wish you all the best of luck, and I will do everything to help you succeed in this course.
Thuy Nguyen: thuy@tfli.org
Staff, TESL Trainer, ESL Instructor, ESL Assistant Director As refugees from post-war Vietnam, my family came to America so that I could be educated in a world of freedom. My family’s dream came true, and I was the first  in my family to go to college. My most memorable experience from college is teaching English for the Migrant Support Program in college and teaching at the Institut de Touraine in Tours, France for 6 months. At the time, I did not know that teaching was my true calling.
In 2002, I graduated from Emory & Henry College with a B.A. in French Literature and a B.A. in International Relations. I am currently pursuing a Masters in ESL at the University of Memphis. While immersing myself in the corporate world of Dell computers, I realized I wanted something more fulfilling. Then a teaching bug bit me. My overwhelming desire to teach guided me to TFLI.
When I first embarked on the TESL certification program, I thought it was just another classroom. I quickly found it to be a world full of stories, methods, creativity, and personal interactions that would redefine the way I learned and the way I taught. I never learned any true English from my ESL class as a child. I have learned from TESL the most indispensable art of teaching. As an ESL instructor for five years now, I have found so many opportunities in teaching and in learning.
As we all gather in our classroom--the window of opportunity, we will question every aspect of teaching. So I leave you with my favorite quote: “What keeps you going isn’t some fine destination but just the road you’re on, and the fact that you know how to drive.” TESL will be your GPS.
Jane Bentz: jane@tfli.org Staff, TESL Registrar, ESL Departmental Assistant, ESL Instructor  Jane was born and raised in Michigan, where she received a Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. After careers in the financial products and healthcare industries, she began volunteering at TFLI. After several months as a volunteer, Jane enrolled in and successfully completed the TESL course. This led to her present position. She facilitates many of the behind-the-scenes activities of the department, as well as manages the enrollment and practice teaching components of the TESL course. Jane's goal is to make the deparment run smoothy and to create an environment for success for all students.
I am pleased and amazed at how I've embraced the teaching/training profession. Years ago when friends had talked about their purpose in life, I'd always felt unsure of what mine might be. It's now completely clear to me that being a teacher is my path.
My corporate experience spanned two decades, but it wasn't until I worked as a training specialist with Hewlett Packard that things began to fall into place. I left corporate in 1995 to flex my personal value of independence by working as a freelance trainer. I've delivered personal growth, customer service, and leadership programs throughout the U.S. and Mexico. I now specialize in delivering business writing workshops through my company, Write On Time, Inc. I have a B. A. in English Literature from Fisk University and an M.S. in Organization Development from Case-Western Reserve University.
In January of 2003 I was feeling restless and unchallenged. I saw an article in the Tennessean about TFLI needing volunteers to work in the office. I immediately sent off an e-mail and was volunteering there in only a few days. One day, Angie passed me in the hall and asked what I did for a living. After hearing my response, she suggested that I participate in the TESL certification program. There it was. The new challenge I was looking for. After completing the program in May 2003, I was not only trained to teach ESL students, but the program made me a better business writing instructor in my own workshops.
As an ESL instructor I've taught classes and done private tutoring through TFLI, ProLingua, Nashville State Community College, and Accent Language Services (Delaware based). However, even within the ESL framework, I consider myself a writing specialist whose purpose is to help my students become fluent in what is often the last communication skill that they master. I hope to one day teach ESL classes in a foreign country. I've done very little international traveling, but I feel that my ESL training will be the vehicle for an international experience some day.
The TESL program is a wonderful opportunity to learn many different skills. Please know that I am present and available to help you succeed in this program. But most of all, get ready to fully experience this most excellent adventure called TESL. TESL Observer, ITS Director  In 1989, I traveled to Jamaica on my first visit outside the U.S. I lived with a family for the summer, shopped at the open air market and made a lifelong friend. Followed by a high school graduation trip to Italy and Greece, I continued to see the infinite possibilities that the world holds for all of us. Language and culture both became focal points of study during college. As a student, I worked as a resident assistant and found that I thoroughly enjoyed planning activities that centered around health, wellness and appreciation of cultures. I traveled with a friend to India during the holidays for a wedding and through Europe the summer after graduation. In 1994, I received my BA in Anthropology from the University of TN, Knoxville and was busy that year applying with Peace Corps to become a volunteer. I received my nomination as a health educator in water and sanitation for Peace Corps in 1995 and had the experience of a lifetime in Cape Verde, West Africa.
I was raised in Nashville and found TFLI in 1997. Currently I am the Director of Interpretation Services at TFLI by day and TESL observer by night. I taught ESL through Metro’s Adult Education program during the 2006-2007 school year in my South Nashville neighborhood. I have always had an interest in teaching. My work and travel abroad inspired me to check into career options that may eventually lead me abroad again. TFLI’s TESL program proved to be the perfect fit. I postponed TESL until after I finished my Master’s in Public Administration from Tennessee State University. I finally received my TESL certification from TFLI in 2006. My classmates are currently working in Korea, Kenya and Japan! My advice to new teachers: never be afraid to laugh at yourself…especially in front of your students.
Aaron Lovett: aaron@tfli.org
TESL Trainer, ESL Instructor, Cultural Awareness & Diversity Coordinator Greetings! My name is Aaron Lovett. I am an ESL teacher and a TEFL/TESL trainer and will be working with you throughout your training at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. I encourage you to approach me with any questions or comments about the course. We are all eager to assist you in reaching your potential as ESL/EFL teachers. Before teaching ESL I taught various other subjects, including English (for native speakers) and  mathematics. I also have extensive training in public speaking. While these experiences are not specifically related to teaching in the ESL classroom, they have helped me to develop effective teaching methods. In April 2000, I earned my TESL Certification at Winfield College, a school in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Since then, I have been teaching ESL at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute in Nashville. I regularly teach classes from the “Intro” level to advanced, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TSE (Test of Spoken English) preparation classes, and accent-reduction classes. Currently, I also teach ESL to postdoctoral students for TFLI at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). I have been privileged to be included in the development and instruction of the TESL Certification program, and sincerely look forward to assisting you in your development as an ESL teacher.
Helia Rethmann: helia@tfli.org
TESL & Professional Development Trainer, German & ESL Instructor
I grew up in Germany, where I studied Journalism and Cultural Anthropology and Communications. After several wild career changes I ended up an under-employed actress in New York, where I started teaching German in 1992, only because I was tired of waitressing.  I taught at BERLITZ for a year, and then went into business as a private tutor, which was more fun and more profitable. Basically self-trained (except for the Berlitz Method which I found too rigid and not very effective), my teaching style evolved on a basis of ‘trial and error’.
I started working for TFLI in 1997 and I have taught German (and later ESL) ever since. It was not until I took the TESL course in 2001, however, that I wholeheartedly started to enjoy teaching. The TESL training replaced my ‘pick-and-choose’ approaches with a solid foundation to foster learning success. I have since developed several Professional Development Courses for ESL and foreign language teachers based on the principles of TESL.
Janet Rose: janet@tfli.org
 TESL Observer, ESL Instructor I hail from a family of teachers beginning with my great-grandfather, who was a teacher in Germany in the late 1800's. As a child my mother told me fascinating stories about my grandmother's emigration to the US to "seek her fortune." I secretly wanted to emulate my grandmother's experiences.
While seeking out my own fortune I have worn many hats. I have a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management from Michigan State University, a bachelors degree in computer science from the University of Michigan, and a masters degree in business administration from Central Michigan University. I've worked for the State of Michigan, Chrysler and General Motors.
After my second child I took a part-time teaching position at the University of Michigan and Baker College so I could be home with my boys.
I moved to Tennessee in 1992 and continued teaching at Columbia State Community College. On a chance meeting in 2005 I met Jane Benz from TFLI, who told me about the ESL program. I earned my certificate in 2006 and started teaching immediately. It's been so rewarding. I look forward to each class as it brings new insights into different cultures and their people. I’m  a Pacific Northwesterner, Oregonian by birth, with high school days in Idaho. Add a few crazy years in Los Angeles, mix in with a wild road trip through Europe and Africa, including a Saharan route to Niger and Togo and bake it Tennessee style. I was a Nashville local for 20 years before leaving town to live in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was a glorious six months with a view of the ocean. Somehow, friends of the South were here to greet me when I arrived back in town. With a dozen years of corporate training experience, a Master’s in Human Resource Development from Vanderbilt, a couple of years back and forth to the Middle East and a TESL certificate, I was ready for ESL. I have a few non-paying renters who come and go as they please. Jerry, the dog and Sergeant Puff Daddy the bird are part-time roomies. They welcome any and all to my funky condo.
TESL Observer, Japanese & ESL Instructor After 17 years of an ordinary life in crowded urban city in Japan, I came to the United States, looking for an adventure. I eventually settled in Nashville. Surrounded by the sound of slot machines, however, I also lived in Reno, Nevada for a few years. There I had horse in the desert and tumble weeds in my backyard. 
I started teaching Japanese when I was in college. I took the TESL class in 2007, mainly to improve my teaching skills for Japanese classes. Although the TESL class is geared towards ESL instruction, the fundamental theory of language teaching applies to any language. The methods I have learned in the TESL course have been well-received by my students. Currently, I teach at TFLI and Belmont University, and I give Japanese culture and business ethics seminars for corporate clients such as Nissan and Caterpillar Financial.
I spend my free time ballroom dancing and playing video games. At home, I am always entertained by a parrot, many finches, two dogs, a fish and a German husband (order does not reflect my preference). I look forward to meeting you and working with you in the TESL Course.
Sandra Stout esl@tfli.org TESL Observer, ESL Instructor  I have always been passionate about traveling and teaching. I grew up in Canada where I majored in languages. At age 21 I moved to the States, worked for the airlines for 10 years, taught at a travel-agent school and have been a travel consultant since then. I enjoy the adventure of experiencing foreign cultures, and have visited all 7 continents.
Several years ago I was a mentor to a newly arrived Sudanese family. To help them to better assimilate, I tutored the family in English (since my Arabic was, and still is, limited to about 2 words). I really enjoyed this special time but wished that I had had some teaching guidelines to follow. When I was discussing my dilemma with a friend, she recommended taking the TESL course at TFLI, so I joined the very next class. That was in 2006, and since then I have been enjoying my second career as an ESL teacher with the Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC). I never knew I could be so creative! The possibilities for teaching ESL are endless. Both locally and internationally, I have personally witnessed the demand for ESL teachers. Everybody wants to learn English!
Nancy Thompson esl@tfli.org TESL Observer, ESL Instructor I have taken a circuitous career path that has finally led me to a combination of teaching ESL and art. I have a BA in Education and English, as well as an Associates degree in Information Technology. Computers were the bread-and-butter of my first career. Little did I know while working for an international corporation overseas, that I was receiving an early introduction into teaching ESL.  I’ve traveled extensively in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and have interfaced with coworkers from every corner of the world. Since adding TESL certification to my credentials, I again have had the pleasure of working with people from various cultures from around the globe. As a professional artist, I am a member of the Tennessee Art League, the Nashville Artist’s Guild and Oil Painters of America. I also teach art classes in the Nashville area. I have a genuine interest in helping people make positive changes in their lives. Teaching has taken me down a path that has allowed my interest in Art and languages to become my avocation as well as my vocation. I am honored to be a part of the TFLI organization and I am very grateful, every day, for the inspiration I receive from my students. | |
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