My interests are spending time with my 14-year-old son, who's been volunteering in the children's classes here in Pawtucket; gardening; and reading -- lately I've been reading a lot of George Orwell.  I also play various musical instruments, none very well. 

How and why did you begin teaching ESOL?  What do you like about your job and what don't you like?

I started as a volunteer at the International Institute and trained there with Janet Isserlis. At that time, the Cambodian and Hmong refugees were arriving in Providence and there were a lot of resources available.  I love to teach because of the students and because I feel like I'm still learning.  Here at RIFLI, I really enjoy having children in the program and collaborating with the children's teacher.  And I like being part of a very vital community in Pawtucket. Also, I haven't traveled much, and I feel that getting to know my students over the years has really taught me about the world. 

How has your past experience teaching helped you in this program? 

Working in a lot of different settings has taught me that flexibility is key in teaching (and probably most other things).  It's also given me a basis for comparing different classroom models and trying to figure out which ones work better than others.

What are the biggest challenges that you face and do you have any recommended solutions?

I feel the challenge here is to optimize the 4 hours per week that we spend with the students.  For me, restructuring the classes into broad levels this summer helped, and I really appreciated having the opportunity to do this. ◊