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, TEFL Director
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
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.
Amalia Sarafim
Amalia Serafim became a TEFL trainer at BAE in the spring of 2010. She is, in fact, a graduate of the BAE TEFL program in the fall of 2008, where she grew to love teaching and became determined to find a second career in this field. A fluent speaker of Greek and English, her academic background is in international relations with a joint degree in International Relations and International Economics from Tufts University in 2000. She did her graduate work at the Georgetown University Law Center, earning her law degree in International Public Interest Law in 2004. Following her graduation, she worked for the City of Boston Elderly Commission, founding a Food Stamp program for low-income elderly, with an emphasis on non-English speaking seniors. More recently, she worked with refugees and asylees, from around the world, at Boston’s Jewish Vocational Service, helping them attain public benefits and employment. Currently, Amalia teaches ESOL classes at both Kaplan Aspect Harvard Square and BAE.
