John holds a B.A. in Spanish from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently pursuing a MAT-TESOL degree in the USC Rossier School of Education. John spent the last year teaching Spanish to undergraduate students at California State University, Long Beach as a Teaching Associate in the Spanish MA program.
John learned early on that creating active, original, and varied experiences for his students aids their learning process. In this vein, John also privately tutors ESL and Spanish. He has also volunteered his Spanish to English interpretation skills in healthcare settings where he gained experience working with adult second language learners. Gaining insight into the struggles and challenges English language learners face in the United States served as a catalyst to further inspire John to facilitate these English language learners’ experiences.
As an English teacher, John strives to create an environment where students can feel empowered and comfortable using English inside and outside the classroom. His primary goal is to help international students’ voices be heard, providing them with life-long tools and strategies to succeed in their language learning endeavors.