Gramercy

Today I am happy to introduce you to a former colleague and friend of mine, Karin Bates. She is a veteran ESL teacher with 30 years of experience teaching English to speakers of other languages. In this episode, we have a lively discussion about everything from what marginalized means in the ESL field and how it affects teaching to healing our past trauma and how it could possibly save the world. You will also learn about the highs and lows that come with the profession.

Show Notes

Not only has Karin taught English as a Second Language in elementary, middle and high school, as well as university settings, she has also taught and lived in several countries throughout the world. I am thankful I got to know Karin during the last 3 years while teaching at The Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado.

Obviously, Karin has a huge, tender heart towards the people to whom she devotes her life. She is constantly wanting to adapt and adjust her lessons to the needs of her current students. She stays abreast of on-going social and political climates in order to stay sensitive to what may be happening in her students' native countries as well as how the laws of our country affect them. As you just heard, teaching is more than just grammar...it is about embracing and empowering the whole person. When a student feels valued, heard, and respected, the learning flows naturally. Karin actively works at enabling these deeper connections with  her students. The word that comes to mind when I think of Karin is the word: awareness. Ekhart Tolle, a teacher of awareness, has the most simple yet relevant quote that strikes me as the way Karin lives her life: "Awareness is the greatest agent for change."

Karin's Quote: "No matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai

All about the TESOL certification process: https://www.tesol.org/

What is Gramercy?

Stories from those who live and work on the margins of society.