Our English teacher – Lisa Gillespie
Miss Lisa grew up in Perth, a small town in Ontario, Canada. Growing up she followed her three older sisters and joined the local swim team. Her dream was to be able to swim through university and this came true when she received a full athletic scholarship to University of Nevada, in the United States of America. In 2012 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education concentrating in general sciences. Not long after did she decide to travel to London, England to pursue a career in teaching and has gained experience working at the Primary level, teaching the UK curriculum. She believes in motivating her students to achieve their best in and out of the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys leading a balanced lifestyle which includes family, friends, fitness and of course swimming too!
Our English teacher – Daniel Russell
Mr Daniel was born and raised in San Diego, California where he studied history and German. Coming from a long line of teachers including his grandfather, mother, uncles, aunts, cousins, and brothers his passion for education runs deep in the family. He obtained a master's degree in teaching from the Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid where he also taught English at a Spanish secondary school. His love of traveling and learning languages has also taken him to Austria where he taught English for two years. In his free time he enjoys being active outdoors participating in a multitude of sports including hiking, surfing, soccer and long distance running.
Our English teacher – Rachel McKinnon
Miss Rachel is from Aberdeen, Scotland, but grew up in Cairo, Egypt, where she enjoyed horse riding around the Giza pyramids. In 2014 she completed her undergraduate degree, in English and Scottish literature, at the University of Aberdeen. After having worked as a youth worker, and teaching assistant, she cultivated a passion for teaching which led to her gaining a TEFL qualification in Aberdeen, and a PGCE ( Post graduate Certificate in Education ) from the University of Brighton. In her free time Miss Rachel loves playing board games such as Scrabble and she is fond of using educational games in her lessons! Her hobbies also include longboarding, travelling and spoken word poetry.
Our English teacher – Kayla Robinson
Miss Kayla is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she received her bachelors in Secondary Social Studies Education with a minor in Educational Psychology. She also completed her CELTA certification in Athens, Greece, teaching English as a second language to adults. Before joining ESB, Ms. Kayla spent two years teaching secondary English Literature, Grammar, and World History at an International school in Shanghai, China. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys travel and exercise and recently became a certified fitness instructor for TRX training and boot camp. When she isn’t running around or teaching she usually has her nose buried in a book and is always more than happy to recommend some of her favourites, but be prepared for dystopian novels or historical texts! She also enjoys music and theatre, which she eagerly includes in her classroom activities.
Our English Teacher - Marcel Fanara
Miss Marcel is from Brookeville, Maryland. Growing up, she watched closely as her mother taught English to international students and learned in turn about many new places and cultures. She studied History, Literature, and Writing at both Franklin University in Switzerland and Swansea University in Wales. Wishing to share her passion for the English language with others, she obtained a CELTA in Edinburgh and has since taught English as a second language to international students and immigrants in the USA, as well as to Chinese high school students and Hungarian primary school students. Throughout all the twists and turns, love of travel and engaging with people of all descriptions is what really drives her adventures.
Our English Teacher - Stu Smith
Mr Stu grew up in Manchester, England, and completed his BA (HONS) degree in Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the Manchester Metropolitan University in 2006. His early teaching career centred around coaching Drama, English plus classes, and leading an Alternative Curriculum Project. Mr Stu then moved into other areas such as Pastoral Care and Case Managing young offenders. He has now worked in a variety of schools for over a decade. Furthermore, Mr Stu has always maintained a keen interest in the Social Care sector and, in 2012, became an accredited provider of level 4 Triple P from the University of Queensland. He later completed two TEFL courses with UK-TEFL.
Viewpoints
Samu started attending ESB 6 months ago. He was a complete beginner at the time. Now he speaks in sentences and has a vocabulary of several hundred words. In six months he’s made incredible progress, while also having fun and making new friends.
Orsolya (mother of Samu)
“Our daughter was a little shy when joining ESB, having had very basic English – but she liked the classes from the first moment. After 5 months she is making steady progress and starts to be able to express herself. ESB seems to create good motivation for them and the various activities built around the themes covered keep the children’s interest.”
Anita (mother of Kata)
