Let’s begin the journey!

Again, I welcome you to EliTesl where we are all committed to making you the outstanding ESL instructor you are capable of becoming. My ESL instructor journey began over 30 years ago when I went to Bucaramanga, Colombia to teach all levels/ages at a bi-national center (loosely connected to the U.S. embassy). During my three years there, I also taught some ESP classes at three universities. From there, I went to Saudi Arabia, where I taught and supervised instructors for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces for five years. I eventually ended up at the premier ELT center in the U.S., DLIELC (Defense Language Institute English Language Center) in San Antonio, TX. I held a number of positions, both instructional and supervisory, over the 26 and a half years there. It might surprise you to learn that I wasn’t a great instructor for a number of years. Perhaps you’ve become a member because you were willing and able to look at yourself objectively and realize that you too can benefit from more training and guidance. There’s a story I tell that goes like this: A supervisor is talking to one of his instructors about the need to improve his performance. The instructor haughtily (arrogantly) says to him, “I have 20 years of experience,” and the supervisor answers, “No, you have one year of experience repeated 19 more times.” My “experience” didn’t improve until I read Penny Ur’s “A Course in English Language Teaching” and “Principles of Language Learning and Teaching” by H. Douglas Brown as well as observing many classes of outstanding instructors in action. In the near future I will be posting a series of videos that cover the material in these texts and other beneficial topics so that you can use what you’ve learned from the training in your classroom. I’m honored that you’ve chosen me to be your guide on your journey to the highest level of ESL instruction.

Nate Wolfson

M.A. Linguistics U. of Wisconsin

B.A. Spanish U. Of Miami