My Vision Statement

I was 9 or 10 when I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I asked my mother if I could have my "little school" and teach my sister and her friends, as they got ready to start school. My parents had emigrated from Portugal to Venezuela in late 1970. I was 6 and still remember my mother with me on my first day of school. She insisted, with the help of an interpreter, that teachers needed to help me learn but also punish me if it was necessary. At home, she reminded us how a parent's duty continued at school in the voice and actions of our teachers. School was not always easy or fascinating, and lacking proficiency in the language sometimes made it even worse, but my teachers were always there, encouraging or simply caring: they developed in me a love for the profession.

Having finished high school, I was convinced I would never make a living teaching. I went into Business School, became an International Trade specialist and worked for one year, but disliked the job immensely. One year later, there was a Spanish-teacher position available at the same Language Institute where I had taken some English courses. I applied, got the job, resigned my Trade specialist career and ended up with a check 1/4 of the amount I had been earning. That was 16 years ago and I have not regretted one minute of it.

I teach because I enjoy it -the long hours, the classroom management, the paperwork, the preparations, the corrections and grading. Yes, it is a lot but immeasurably rewarding when the face of an incredulous child shows discovery and learning; or, when years later, they still call me 'teacher', even better with a smile...

I started teaching English as a Foreign Language in 1986 -but did not earn a degree until 1995. Since I taught and studied English for the simple pleasure of doing it, I brought into the profession a fondness for the language and the culture that kept me immersed in reading and learning increasingly every day. Many years later, after completing my studies, I refined many elements that I had "discovered" in the teaching practice, and felt comfortable bringing into my classes phonetics, grammar, and some elements of linguistics. Later, I became a Spanish assistant in England and, in 1997, was hired to teach ESL (English as a Second Language) in North Carolina.

As a teacher I always set high standards in my teaching and expect commitment from my students. But just as I encourage high expectations, I try to always be available to facilitate their experiences. When I taught ESL in North Carolina, Gustavo, a 4th grader, told me in his still broken English: "Maestro, I want to learn Englis bery well and I can teacher Mexicans that live here". To ignite in a student's soul a passion for learning is my greatest goal in teaching.