Scroll down for the English version.
Sem Angležinja, mati dveh sinov. V Sloveniji živim že več kot 10 let. Všeč mi je živeti tukaj – dežela je lepa, mirno je in ljudje so prijazni. Slovenci so odprti in odkriti ljudje; prijateljstva, ki se sklenejo, so resnično trdna in trajna, kar me vedno znova gane.
Kar nekaj let sem delala na naravoslovnem področju ‒ v kontroli mikrobiološke kakovosti (farmacevtska in prehrambena industrija) ali v laboratorijih za raziskave in razvoj (R & R) v prehrambeni industriji v velikih ameriških podjetjih, kjer je bil poudarek na delu v različnih timih in doseganju ciljev. Pomembne so bile dobre pisne in ustne komunikacijske spretnosti, saj so bili pomemben del dnevnih delovnih opravil ciljno usmerjeni timski sestanki, urjenje drugih, podajanje predstavitev, pisanje presoj/ocen in poročil.
Med šolanjem in nasploh v moji poklicni karieri sem si pridobila več različnih stopenj kvalifikacij, pa tudi nacionalni certifikat za laboratorijsko medicino in univerzitetno izobrazbo iz družboslovja in psihologije. Nato sem se izpopolnjevala še na področju poučevanja angleščine kot tujega jezika – najprej splošna kvalifikacija, nato še nadaljevalni (višji nivo) tečaj poučevanja poslovne angleščine.
Po nekaj letih življenja v Sloveniji sem se opogumila in postala podjetnica (s. p.) ‒ učiteljica angleščine kot tujega jezika. Na začetku me je bilo seveda strah, a kmalu sem spoznala, da je to zame najboljša poklicna odločitev do sedaj, saj me to delo neizmerno veseli in me tudi izpolnjuje. Ne da se opisati zadovoljstva, ki ga občutim, ko nekomu pomagam pri razumevanju neke slovnične kategorije, ki mu je delala težave. In tisti trenutki razodetja in veselja, ko študent s svojim »Ajaaaa!« pokaže, da se mu je posvetilo, kaj mu želim razložiti, povzdignejo tudi mene, da sem še kar nekaj časa prijetno vznesena. Razumem, da je nekatere ljudi strah učenja tujega jezika, zato si tudi nadvse prizadevam, da bi bilo mojim učencem prijetno in da bi čutili mojo podporo v tem procesu. Prizadevam si, da bi moji učenci/študentje po nekem obdobju ne samo znali več, pač pa da bi se tudi počutili bolj samozavestno. Učenje angleščine je stalen in dolgoročen projekt, v katerem vam ponujam pomoč in podporo na različnih nivojih učenja tujega jezika.
Mnogo učencev pride k meni po pomoč, da bi si v šoli izboljšali oceno pri angleščini, toda večina staršev se že zaveda, da se učenje jezika s tem ne zaključi. Menim, da sta ključnega pomena za učenje jezika branje in govorjenje (razpravljanje o prebranem). Ker spodbujam branje pri svojih otrocih, verjamem, da je za učenje jezika zelo koristno tudi branje mojih »angleških« učencev. Z branjem nezavedno »vsrkajo« jezik, se naučijo slovničnih pravil, besedišča, črkovanja in izgovorjave. Pogovor o zgodbi spodbuja naravni pogovor in pomaga graditi samozavest. Naj se torej učenje ne konča z dobro oceno!
Tudi odrasli pridejo k meni po pomoč – nekateri so začetniki, toda večina jih pride, da bi osvežili jezikovno znanje in spretnosti. Učenje je seveda odvisno od njihovih potreb, toda po navadi se osredotočimo na branje člankov in na razpravljanje, izmenjavo mnenj o tematiki.
Vsak učenec je drugačen, zato z njim izvajam tiste aktivnosti, ki jih potrebuje za izboljšanje svojega znanja. Tak način dela je tudi meni všeč, saj tako nobena ura ni uri enaka. Tako lahko ure angleščine izvajam tudi preko spleta (online) ali po telefonu. Vse, kar potrebujete, je dostop do telefona ali računalnika (interneta), da lahko tako istočasno beremo članke in se o njih pogovarjamo. Na ta način se da zelo uspešno delati in je primeren zlasti za tiste, ki ne živijo blizu oziroma nimajo časa, da bi prihajali k meni.
Nekateri ljudje me ne potrebujejo za učenje jezika, pač pa da jim pomagam pri predstavitvah v angleščini – npr. poročilo, predstavitev za službo, pomoč na spletni strani pri predstavitvi izdelkov širši javnosti. Tudi takim z veseljem pomagam!
Kot vidite – rada živim v Sloveniji in obožujem svoje delo. Želim si, da bi lahko pomagala čim več ljudem, jim nudila podporo pri učenju in samozavest, če jo potrebujejo. Kdo ve, mogoče se tudi midva srečava in vam/ti bom lahko pomagala. Se že veselim.
English version
An English mother of two children, I have lived in Slovenia for more than 10 years. I really like it here. The country is beautiful, it’s quiet and the people are friendly. I find Slovene people to be open and expressive and sometimes the quality of their friendship has literally brought me to tears.
I come from a science background. I spent many years working in either Microbiological Quality Control (Pharmaceutical and food industries) or Research and Development (food industry) laboratories. They were large American companies that placed a lot of emphasis on working in multiple teams and achieving targets. It was essential to have good written and verbal communication skills since focus driven team meetings, training others, giving presentations,writing reviews and reports were all part of the daily routine.
At school and through my career I obtained various qualifications, including 9 ‘o’ levels (ordinary), 3 ‘A’ levels (advanced), a Higher National Certificate in Medical Laboratory Science and an Open University Degree level in Social Science and Psychology. To this I added 2 qualifications in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, the first was an all round qualification and the second an advanced course in teaching Business English.
After living for some years in Slovenia, I decided to be brave and become a self employed Teacher of English as a Foreign Language. I was very scared at first but soon found it to be the most fulfilling career choice I have ever made. There is no way to fully describe the sense of joy and satisfaction I feel when I have helped someone to understand a grammatical issue they were having problems with. When a student has that moment of epiphany and says “Ajaaaa!” I exalt in their joy and the moment stays with me for a long time. I understand the fear that some people feel when learning a second language and I place utmost importance on making my students feel comfortable and supported. I want my students to leave me not just knowing more but feeling more confident.
Learning English is a continuous and long term project. I provide help and support for various stages of learning. Many students come to me for help with schoolwork in order to achieve better grades at school but as most parents know, learning should not stop there. I believe that reading and discussion is vital. Just as I read with my own children, I believe that reading with English students is enormously helpful to their learning. Without thinking about it they absorb the language, learning grammar rules, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. Discussion about the story encourages natural conversation and builds confidence. Don’t stop with getting the grade!
Adults also come to me for help. Some are beginners but most come because they want to refresh their language skills. Depending on their requirements, the focus is usually on reading articles and discussing subjects of direct relevance to them. Actually every student is unique. Each person comes with their own set of requirements and activities are based around giving them exactly what they need. I like this too, because it means that no lesson is the same. For these type of students English lessons can also be held online or on the phone. All that is needed is access to a phone and a computer so that we can chat and read articles simultaneously. It works very well, especially for those people who live further away or just don’t have the time to travel to see me.
Some people don’t actually want to improve their language skills, they just want help with something that needs to be presented in English, for example a report or presentation for work, or help on a website that advertises their product to a wider audience. I’m here for them too.
So you see, I love Slovenia and I love my work. I hope that I am able to help as many people as possible and bring a little support and confidence to where it’s needed. Who knows, maybe you and I will meet and I’ll be able to help you too. I hope so.
