Trainers

Our TEFL trainers are highly qualified, with Master's degrees and several years of ESL teaching experience, including working overseas. They are dedicated trainers and implement innovative teaching strategies in their classroom.

Here is a brief biography of each of our instructors:

Agnieszka "Aggie" Goldsmith

Agnieszka "Aggie" Goldsmith is a Senior TEFL Trainer and Academic Coordinator at The Boston Academy of English. She has been teaching English since 1996, both in Europe and the United States. She holds undergraduate degrees in ESL and language teaching/learning from schools in Poland and the USA, as well as a Master's degree from Lesley University in the psychology of language and culture. Aggie has a great passion for teaching English and about English.
She believes nothing is impossible-- which she has been proving by teaching English, her second language, to students from all over the world. Her favorite people (next to her students and co-workers) are her two daughters and husband, Dennis whom she assists in teaching Tae Kwon Do in Cambridge, MA. where they currently reside. Although Aggie has known she wanted to be a teacher since she was five years old, she is honored and extremely excited to help those who decide a little later in life to make teaching their own calling.

Cora Higgins has been teaching ESL since receiving certification in 2000 and has enjoyed every day of it. She currently teaches ESL at BAE in addition to being a TEFL trainer and has also tutored in Italy, worked as a volunteer in Mexico and taught at Nihon University, Japan. Cora also enjoyed instructing for the engineering department of Posco Steel Corporation in South Korea via the Internet. Her private teaching experience in the U.S. includes Analysis Group, Citizens Bank, Harvard University, OK! Organics, Deloitte & Touche and UNAIDS. She wrote the ESL curriculum for the humanitarian organization SEDAC in Ixmiquilpan, Mexico and is currently participating in curriculum revision for the Boston Academy of English. She hopes to publish ‘the ultimate ESL activity book’ in the future. Despite all of this, Cora remembers being ‘absolutely terrified’ when she first started teaching, so she highly encourages anyone curious about teaching ESL to give it a try.

In her spare time, Miss Higgins practices tae-kwon do, belly dancing and occasionally trapeze.

Eric Shuel

Eric Shuel joined BAE as a TEFL trainer in 2004. Prior to that he had been conducting TEFL trainings for 6 years. Eric has been teaching ESL and training teachers since 1986, when he received his Master of Arts in Teaching (TESOL) from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Eric has taught English to all levels of students, from children to business people, from refugees to university students at local community colleges. He has taught ESL in Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Mexico, Indonesia and various states in the U.S. In addition, he has trained teachers at an ESL school in Malaysia, and at refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines. Also, Eric has been training volunteer ESL teachers at Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts for 15 years and most recently has been conducting trainings in assessing ESL learners to Massachusetts public schools teachers.Eric enjoys sharing his experiences with new teachers and assisting them in developing their own teaching style as they start their rewarding career as a teacher.

Pat Lilja

Pat joined the Boston Academy of English as a TEFL trainer in October 2007.  He  earned his TEFL Certificate in 2001 and  has provided quality ESOL instructional services to both children and adults since then. Prior to joining the Boston Academy of English, Pat taught at various language schools around the Boston area. His international teaching experience includes  three years spent teaching  both teenagers and adults in northern Japan.  Known for his creativity and enthusiasm, Pat directed a highly successful two-hour high school musical production.  Pat has also been selected twice to teach aboard the Peace Boat, a Japanese NGO cruise ship which embarks on global voyages.  Combined with other travels, Pat has visited six of the seven continents and almost 40 countries.  In 2007, Pat finished the coursework for his Master of Arts in Teaching from the School for International Training. He enjoys long distance biking, being out in nature, playing piano and performing card magic.

Amatulla Zakir

Amatulla graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Mumbai (India) and worked in journalism and public relations for corporations and local communities before extending her search for le mot juste to ESL. She completed her TEFL certificate in January 2005 and soon thereafter , due to her lesson planning skills , a leading UK language provider commissioned her to create English language learning software. During this project Amatulla directed ESL and software professionals over four different countries, tested lessons on ESL students in China and created varieties of materials for ESL teaching. Her work incorporated film and prose together with grammar stemming from her belief that when it comes to discourse - accuracy is important but style is everything. Amatulla has taught ESL in India, Pakistan and the United States. She currently teaches Business English and TEFL at the Boston Academy of English. When not in class, Amatulla can be found with her three year old drinking in musicals at the theatres down the street or bird watching near her home in Cambridge.