ELI Newsletter, Volume 6

September 3, 2025
|
by Patrick Dannenhoffer
ELI-NEWS-HEADER

It is never too late!

We are now at the end of the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate program in the ELI. Fourteen students graduated from the in-person and the online TESOL Certificate program this summer. They aim to teach English in the adult context, for example, at WCC’s English Language Institute, at other community colleges, private language schools both in the US and abroad, and in volunteer positions. The TESOL students came from many walks of life, with varied experiences; some had taught before the program, while others had not. Some came straight out of their undergraduate programs, while others were heading towards retirement.

One of our summer grads, Niru Dave, I know that he does not mind admitting, was 72 years young. His childhood dream was to become a teacher, but his parents and wife thought he would be better suited to a career in engineering. He did indeed have a very successful career in engineering, but throughout his work life, he held on to his dream of one day teaching. That day came when he started the TESOL program this summer. He was one of the most dedicated and hardworking students there has ever been in the program.

Some of the TESOL Summer graduates

From top right to left: Ryan Stewart, Sean Quigley who will teach at WCC this fall, Lesley Painter – TESOL Instructor, Niru Dave
From bottom right to left: Barbara Kopeloff Fall 2024 TESOL grad who came to visit, Jenny Roxas, Varitorn Sirriaitaittakul, and Camila Salazar.

TESOL-Niru-Dave

Niru now plans on volunteering at WCC. He is a testament to the adage that it is never too late.

ELI Webinar

The ELI ran another webinar on July 12th by Jason R Levine on using music in the classroom. Over 130 people signed up for the webinar. You can watch the webinar here. Jason, who is based in Paris, showed us how music can motivate students by making learning fun and memorable.

JET Program

Another TESOL success story; Hugh Talmage, a fall 2024 TESOL graduate has been accepted into the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program (JET program). He is thrilled as are we for this exciting next step in his career.