An interview with Tanya from Lingo Den, check out her lessons and courses here
Abigail Fulbrook: Hi and welcome back to the Elevate blog. I’m here with Tanya today. Hi Tanya.
Tanya J.: Hello. Hello everyone.
Abigail Fulbrook: Where are you in the world?
Tanya J.: I’m sure maybe most of you don’t know, but maybe you know it. I I’m currently based in North Macedonia. Macedonia. So, I’m in the Balkans in Europe. It’s a lovely place currently it’s very very hot even though September has started but it’s okay. I love it. It’s a small country with hospitable people. So yeah.
Abigail Fulbrook: Oh, great. Is that your country of origin?
Tanya J.: it is. Yes. I was born here, it’s interesting about me and even some of my former students and current students know that I’m a person with international roots. So, I have some Greek origin. but most of my family from my mom’s side, they’re all scattered around the world. So, I have relatives in China. I’ve got relatives in Germany. my brother is in Sweden. I’ve got relatives in the USA. I’ve got relatives in Australia. So, I’m international.
Abigail Fulbrook: and you’re an English teacher.
Tanya J.: Yes. I’m an English language teacher. I teach English as a second and foreign language. quite recently maybe like four or five years ago I would say so not quite recently I also started teaching presentation skills, public speaking skills and creative writing but my main focus is English language teaching.
Abigail Fulbrook: And is there a particular type of student or skill that you like to teach especially
Tanya J.: as far as students concerned like I’m open to every age group. So age, every students level. So because over the years I’ve got 17 years of teaching experience. I have taught students of different backgrounds. So my very first experience was in kindergarten. So I had those tiny humans. I was teaching English as a second language because the the kindergarten was international. I also have experience in primary school secondary school and I right now I also have this role at university. So I teach post-graduate students as well. So I teach syllabus design and advanced pedagogy. So that’s that’s my how to say that’s a role that I quite enjoy doing. But it’s only upon demand. I like like I said all type all age groups. So young learners, teens, adults because I can easily adapt to all these age differences. my approach is eclectic. I always try to cater for these differences in interest, needs, aims and outcomes. what else I can say? yeah, maybe I can say that because the other question was like what what particular skill? I love reading. I love reading books a lot. I I like the power of words. So that’s another maybe interesting point because I love exploring the change of the words throughout history. So I always try to help students build up their vocabulary skills because I know it can be a kind of a weakness for them. especially when they don’t practice the language on daily basis and usually they they lack words I would say all vocabulary. So maybe reading skills and vocabulary skills like my favorite ones, but I also like to work on the rest of the skills and soft skills.
Abigail Fulbrook: I see. Vocabulary is really interesting, isn’t it? There’s so many words in English and phrases, idioms
Tanya J.: when I was a teacher in school for me the greatest challenge was how to come up with technique that could be suitable for students to memorize vocabulary. As a matter of fact, even my master’s thesis was vocabulary instruction in schools and I was exploring different types of techniques because we we all know as teachers that there is no one-size-fits-all method or technique or activity and that’s the challenging part because what works with one student doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to work with all the rest of the students. for example and that’s what I come to the stage you know like oh let’s try with this or let’s try with that and given the fact that right now we have a transformation in education so we have this digital pedagogy we have this digitalized education and we need to use the benefits of this whole advancement of technology to use different apps to to use different platforms forms softwares you know just to make learning more I would say successful and to be able to realize and achieve our outcomes. So both teachers and students outcomes.
Abigail Fulbrook: it’s really interesting the the difference between learning as a child. I feel children generally have great memory. They can remember words quite easily. But when you’re an adult, when you get older and your memory is not quite the same, oh, it’s so much
Tanya J.: it’s true. It’s true. Yeah. Well, I think because I’ve noticed that like I said when students come to me they always say well you know I understand almost everything when someone else speaks you know or I can read but when when it comes to production you know when I when it comes to reading or even writing I get stuck you know I can’t think of the right word or sometimes some of the words seem repetitive in spoken or in written language and they say well Tanya is there anything maybe how we can boost my vocabulary skill you know so it it’s not something that you know happens immediately so students need to understand that as well so it’s like a gradual process because vocabulary is something sensitive it’s not like you say it today and then boom you memorize it takes a lot of practice and usage so that’s another thing that I do with my students So after two or three lessons of vocabulary acquisition then we go with recycling. So we go back to the words that we did over the last weeks and we try to use in different context maybe like a combination of something traditional but something modern. So I don’t always provide just definitions or I don’t just don’t always provide visuals because some kids like for example visualization of the word but I try to use more like a combo. So if let’s say we explain the word through different techniques maybe the recycling will be through digital help with a digital technique or maybe an app for example or reading a text. So it’s something that will help learners to memorize but also try to use that word if not on daily basis but maybe every other day or every week or even every month so that it can you know get to the long-term memory.
Abigail Fulbrook: Right. Yes, exactly. Okay. Speaking of memory, do you have any memorable moments or stories from your students?
Tanya J.: I was preparing for the questions you know the whole interview the first thing that came to my mind was a student this situation well this event I will quote because it was event in their school happened two years ago.the student was from Israel and speaking of his level he was like a pre-intermed immediate but a promising student who was aiming to advance you he was preparing for a spelling context. it was I think on national level and he asked me like can we just from you know for the next several lessons? Can we skip your you know topics and your study plan and focus on this contest because he really wanted to participate and I was like sure why not let’s let’s you know let’s do it together. So we we practiced a lot. So we practiced even advanced words which to be honest I wasn’t sure if they going to get because he shared with me the national syllabi but he said that you know there might be some words other than this. So we practiced almost everything that we could come across. the the contest went pretty well and I was surprised when his dad it was late in the night sent me an email that he scored 100 on the spelling contest. I have to be honest first that at first when he came to me I was kind of doubtful like I didn’t say this directly to him because I didn’t want to discourage him. Like I said,he was a promising student and he he worked very hard in any aspect. But for this contest, we never actually did such thing. So we never had spelling practice with my lesson. So he had this regular English classes at school, but never spelling focused. But I think it was his determination and this work with me and his wish that I want to do I want to do it. I want to do it. That led to this 100 score and I even published that I published that on my Facebook because I was so proud of him of course with the parents permission and he was beyond happy. I can say that and I still remember that you know that that that moment.
I have another one but it it’s not regarding some exams but it’s regarding an adult student and I still have this woman I would say because she’s like a power like a wonder woman to me. she’s from Poland and she works in a private clinic and she I think her parents immigrated from Belarus you know I think in the period of the Soviet Union fall or something like that. So she’s been living in Poland for about 30 years if I’m not mistaken. But her language English language skills were rather limited. She didn’t study English in the Soviet Soviet Union and she attended schools and she came to me I mean she found me through one platform and we’ve been together for seven years now and she started an absolute beginner and she said,”Okay, Tanya, despite my age, I want to improve my English language skills because who knows, maybe I’m going to go, you know, going to go somewhere abroad, find some opportunity abroad.” And we worked, we worked, we’re still working, but from an absolute beginner now, she’s an upper intermediate. I don’t need to use Google Translate anymore. when she doesn’t understand me, she will say,”Oh, you used this word. Can you please go back to the sentence and tell me what this word was?” You know, and like I said,it’s not maybe exam moment, but it’s a moment because she’s so happy now. And she’s not in Poland, she’s in Israel. She’s working in a private clinic and I think she’s a registered nurse. So these skills helped her because she this is I think international private clinic it’s American partnership or something like that which helped her pass the initial interview. So again another proud moment for me.
Abigail Fulbrook: That’s so awesome to have that that see that progression when students stay with you for a long time and you can see the progress
Tanya J.: Yeah. You know I tell students when they first come to me on the trial session I can see their expectations because we also have expectations for everything. It’s not only for a course for a language course but it’s for everything that the magic of knowledge doesn’t happen overnight. So you have to give the time time. That’s how they how people say give the time time you know give yourself moments lessons months weeks to progress to see yourself progress whether alongside with me or outside our lessons because I like to give students assignments but not the traditional homework. Usually, it’s like a link to a video or it’s like a real oh, watch this real. It’s about some food, international food in China, for example, because they’re going to pick up some words from that real, you know, or they’re going to pick up some words from a video. Sometimes I share it’s an article because it’s a it’s graded. I think it was englishnews.com site. I think that was the domain that never mind. But they transform the the real news from the newspapers abroad so that they can bring to closer you know the meaning of the news itself to the students. The students cannot understand but also you know improve the reading vocabulary even grammar skills. So that type of assignment. So yeah I mean everything is doable everything is achievable but with patience and step by step so of course dedication is also important let’s not forget that but it takes a little bit time and persistence with the lessons.
Abigail Fulbrook: Yeah, it’s the hardest bit as well, isn’t it? having the patience and the persistence to to keep keep going.
Tanya J.: Exactly. Especially with the absolute beginners because I know the frustration. I also speak Italian and Spanish. Spanish a little bit Italian maybe on B1 B2 level. and it’s it’s become rusty because I haven’t used it for quite a long time. But I know the frustration because I can understand when Italian people speak. I have Italian sister-in-law and when I want to say something to her like oh wait how was this? So yeah, I think continuous usage of the language because that nowadays wehave so many advantages of for the language especially our access to information when I was maybe a teenager or even younger was quite limited. We only had the library and the TV. So no phones, no computers, nothing. But look at us now. Right now we have all the open sources. So why not use them?
Abigail Fulbrook: I think I can see why, but tell us why are you a teacher? Why do you keep teaching?
Tanya J.: Oh, there were so many moments throughout my 17 year career when I wanted to get to give up like it wasn’t the kids it wasn’t the job sometimes some outside factor you know like a red tape bureaucracy and things like that but there was one moment they kept that kept me going the desire to pass on knowledge I’ve always imagined myself helping someone when it comes to studying. And I think that the main reason why I’ve always looked at myself like that was my primary school teacher. I admired my my primary school teacher she taught me from the first to fourth grade. She was kind, nice, strict at the same time, but she was a great educator, she always u knew how to maybe pass on all that knowledge from the books in in the best way maybe creative way. She was rather resourceful woman. So I’m talking about back in the early 90s. So you know teachers only had some props to use at school and the textbook yet I think she was ahead of time. She always wanted us to have fun but not in a funny way you know to have fun meaning to intrigue us you know to make us curious and that’s what I right now want to pass to pass on my learners so at the moment that learning is easy it’s not difficult everything is everything can be actually solved be it a language or any other subject but speaking of a language like I said earlier with patience with dedication because I consider myself quite dedicated person so I when I take a student I dedicate to that student because I want to get the best out of that student I I think I didn’t mention that in my profile but I go by the motive that every student is unique And every student comes to my classroom with unique ideas, unique needs, unique interest, unique opinions. So I can’t use the same method for each student. It’s simply impossible. Maybe there are some, you know, repetitions when it comes to techniques, but I I’m absolutely different for every student. And maybe that’s the best thing about teaching from my perspective.
Abigail Fulbrook: I see. Great. It’s really good to speak to you today. Thank you very much.
Tanya J.: Nice. Thank you. Thank you.
Get in contact with Tanya here
