what's possible,

at cultural compass english

I’ve had students of all levels and cultures from across the globe. Working one-on-one with a fresh learner of a language seems daunting, especially if the learner is not fluent in your first language. But 98 percent of communication is body language; it is not oral communication. Trained teachers in ESL know how to use language teaching tools to convey the target language, and often, learners learn better when the teacher stays in the target language. This knowledge improves all learning, in addition to the Literary Arts. Trained teachers utilize pictures, word translations, body movements, reading materials, and phonics in various scenarios to teach the target language in context.

Personally, I have had some lessons where my student spoke zero English and only responded to me through a translator device. But by the end of six months, she was speaking fluently to me in English. She was an at-home nurse, a single mother of two daughters, a lovely woman.

I have also taught as a homeroom teacher in English, the full Montessori and EYSF curriculum, in addition to Phonics. This English is taught play play-based or through activities. My youngest class was Nursery, ages 2-3.

And then there is the wonderful world of English in literature and writing that begins through middle school, all the way through the beautiful architecture of the sentence to the complexity of citations, to the throwing of it all to the elastic structures of the creative wind & embracing the cellular vibrancy of voice and sound and image and idea in our bones. I have taught workshops to teens in a halfway house, young adults in Beijing, to groups of all ages along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. All Levels.

The reason I have been successful with this unraveling & delightful structure is because of how it personally connects to each person. Each individual uses this form as an extension of self. Expression, analysis, connection, creativity. The possibilities of this universal modality are giving. And when we are open to receive, we can experience the light of life. As an educator, it is my job to teach the person and see how they would like to use the English language. This is all done in terms of English as a tool to support each person’s individual culture and experience.

I intend to invite the person who needs English for international business with a cross-cultural focus, the high school student studying for exams, the adult who needs English for everyday, the middle schooler learning how to introduce a detail, and the creative writer yearning to blossom into new expressions of self and thought. Conversation is present and fun. This is what is meant by Cultural Compass English. I’m working one-on-one presently, and soon will be opening up some local and online writing workshops.

There is a way of thinking that is important to focus on here. The best teachers have taught in the biggest variety of place and culture with the most diverse experiences and backgrounds. Because they have been able to enjoy and be successful in every scenario. This is mastery on an intuitive human cellular level. Any age, any level, any learning preference & ability. All welcome.

I am also the founder and editor of womens quarterly conversation which is a literary journal that celebrates the diversity of women writers in the 21st century. These interviews cover anything and everything from technique to content to music. Paid subscribers also have access to their writing lessons that accompany each interview.

At the moment, my time is more limited because I am raising and teaching my six-month-old son, but I’m looking for a small handful of students to meet online or in person in the Lisbon area.

Visit culturalcompassenglish.org for more about offering possibilities, and feel free to set up your free intro to discuss your needs. It’s fun, helpful, easy-going, and no pressure.

Thank you for being here,

Jillian