Edward grew up on the West Coast of North America but travelled Europe extensively from an early age. He therefore enrolled in the Central and Eastern European Studies Center at Portland State University and studied the history, geography, literature, art, and political affairs of the countries that make up this region as well as German language. He first worked as a civil servant but then, after a trip to Asia in 1980, requalified as an English teacher and moved to this part of the world. He has taught English and History at GSIS, FIS, and Yew Cheung as well as being a private tutor. He has also worked as an editor at the SCMP. He brings a wealth of knowledge from his teaching and writing work alongside his life experiences.

 

On becoming a teacher:

I am passionate about teaching and building confidence in non-native speakers, and in helping students reach their goals in English.  Learning should be challenging and fun and provide the student something to look forward to with anticipation in each lesson.  It is the teacher’s job to make each lesson interesting and stimulating, and to that end, I endeavour to provide a wide range of different activities and learning skills suitable for the level and abilities of the students. 

Having had the experience of learning a foreign language myself, and the opportunity of living in other cultures, I can appreciate the challenges and difficulties that language students face.  My goal is to work with each student and help him/her reach his/her target, and even exceed the target.

My fascination with and appreciation of other cultures has given me a greater understanding of history and a chance to share these experiences with young learners.  Teaching Years 7 and 8 history provided me the opportunity to use examples from my own travels to enrich my lessons.

 

Other interests that reflect on my personality as a teacher:

I love traveling.  It is the passion of my life.  Meeting new people, experiencing other ways of life…..this is what brings me the greatest pleasure and enjoyment and fills me with more to share with my students.

I also love photography and spend much of my spare time working on and enjoying this hobby.  Swimming, reading, watching films, and studying art are also interests of mine.

 

People I find admirable and inspirational:

When I was in high school, I had an English teacher who taught a course about Shakespeare’s plays.  It was a difficult class, and the teacher was very strict, but we all learned a lot, and I developed an interest in Shakespearean theatre after that. 

In university, I had a professor who taught Russian history.  He was Russian himself, and he made each character in history come alive, as if they were each acquaintances of his.  He was dramatic, enthusiastic, and sometimes funny, but never boring.

I most admire and respect Angela Merkel.  She is very well-educated, experienced a difficult life growing up, worked hard, and rose to become the most influential woman in the world today.  Merkel has had a very challenging job leading the strongest and most important country in Europe for nearly twenty years.  She governs with intelligence and integrity and has set an example of how a good leader should perform. 

 

Top tip to younger self:

Always strive to leave the world a better place than when you arrived in it.  Do your best to be genuine and treat others with the same respect that everyone deserves.  And never forget to have a sense of humor.

I love the moments when a student has achieved success in something he or she has been struggling with for a long time.  Seeing a student reach a goal, no matter how small it might be, brings great satisfaction.  Also, I have always enjoyed when students I have taught in previous years come back to tell me how much they appreciated or enjoyed my lessons and how much they learned and remembered what I had taught them.