I always knew I wanted to teach, the same way birds know they need to fly south for the winter or apples know they must fall down from the tree and not upwards.

Actually, I can’t say I “knew”. This desire to teach was in my subconscious, but it had to be awakened, brought to the fore-front of my brain, and this obviously happened upon meeting my English language teachers in high school. I had the great fortune of working with true professionals, whose extensive knowledge, passion and patience not only commanded my respect but also stimulated that latent wish of becoming a teacher myself. Socrates said that we don’t actually learn new things, we just manage to remember what we always knew. The time to remember my own calling came then.

I chose to study advertising in England, as I was attracted to the idea of honing my creativity and using it to its full potential. After this short detour, I decided to return to my true passion, English, because in my mind, what with me having been influenced by the exemplary people who taught me in high school, only English could go hand in hand with teaching in order to produce fantastic results.

I completed the CELTA course offered by Cambridge University and after I received my certificate, which is considered to be the international standard, I was ready to begin my adventure. Obviously, later I took the next step in this direction and completed all three DELTA modules (at a MA level), out of the desire to ensure I was offering my pupils the best possible learning experience.

I started teaching in 2015, straight after I finished the CELTA. This allowed me to quickly start practising all the techniques I had learned on the course. I have worked with many pupils, from primary to high school, and I guided them with great pleasure both in general English classes as well as in Cambridge exam preparation ones (pre-A1 to C1).

At Avenor I have taught at both Primary and Secondary level and have had the immense pleasure of taking on the responsibility of being the form tutor. I am involved in teaching at the High School level, as part of the Learning Outside the Classroom team. 

I’ve always been interested in continuous professional development (CDP), which is why apart from participating in numerous conferences and workshops organised by a variety of institutions, I also took part in creating in-house training sessions about the use of AI and gamification in the classroom. In 2018 I was one of the key speakers at the Fischer International conference, my presentation also being on the topic of CPD.

That same year, spurred on by my wish to help other teachers as best as possible, I became a CELTA trainer (again, because I was inspired by the two tutors who so thoroughly guided me back in 2015).

I believe that, beyond perfecting one’s own skills, it is important to help as many teachers as one can to reach their true potential so that they can, in turn, inspire and guide their learners successfully.

As teachers, our role is to offer our pupils not only knowledge, but also skills that can help them navigate an ever-changing world. We have a duty to help them acquire a certain outlook and attitude towards life that can allow them to become well-rounded, accomplished individuals.

Beyond my fascination for English and the written word, I nurture a great passion for literature, philosophy and… cooking, because we need to pay equal attention to the mind and to the body, in order to lead a balanced life. Actually, I find I’m drawn towards all aspects of life, such that I can’t say no to reading a scientific article, a fashion magazine, a history book, or the BBC sports page to keep up to date with the Champions League results. We must try out all the foods on offer at the banquet of life – to limit oneself is to be deprived of the pleasure of meeting many other possible selves.

I firmly believe that at Avenor my passion for teaching complements the strong desire pupils have to gain knowledge, to discover new things about English and to learn about themselves, too. Here, I have had the opportunity to grow and develop in a multitude of ways alongside the wonderful team at Avenor and am proud to be part of this community.