Join the Executive – Deadline May 31, 2013 

Collaborate on meaningful projects with passionate professionals like you. Contribute to worthwhile initiatives. Join our Executive Board! We welcome applications from a wide range of teaching sectors:

• Settlement
• Private Language Schools
• Colleges/Universities
• Toronto School Boards
• OSLT
• Literacy
• Other?

To apply

 Click the icon to download the Expression of Interest [doc], fill it out and email it to Tyson Seburn, President, at info@tesltoronto.org.

Applications are accepted throughout the year, and successful applicants officially join the Executive at our Annual General Meeting. Apply by May 31, 2013 to join next year’s Board.

Please email us at info@tesltoronto.org if you have any questions.

 

The Executive Board

This volunteer board is made up of TESL Toronto members from diverse educational sectors with a wide range of skills and experience. Guided by TESL Toronto’s mandate,  the board serves its membership through various activities, including:

• organizing a local conference and special events throughout the year to provide members with excellent, affordable professional development opportunities, and
• keeping members informed of PD opportunities and relevant news and issues through our website, social media sites, and email bulletins.

Current Executive Board (2012-2013)

Tyson Seburn, President
“Knowledge is a social construct, never absolute; it must be continually questioned and challenged if it is to continue to be valid.” This quote has stuck and motivated Tyson to continue learning.  As Academic coordinator & Lead instructor of Written English Discourse in University of Toronto’s International Foundation Program as well as through his blog, 4C in ELT, he hopes to inspire students and colleagues to do the same.  He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Educational Technology and TESOL through the University of Manchester.

Joan Bartel, SIG Director
Joan considers herself lucky to have worked in both teaching and program administration in ESL: in an Adult Education program in Germany, at Harvard in the U.S. and in various positions in Toronto. She recently added a Career Counselling Certificate to her portfolio. In the OSLT (Occupation-specific Language Training) program at Humber College she has found a great place to use all of her educational background. A frequent presenter on soft skills, résumés and immigrants’ critical communication needs for employment, she recently self-published Office Soft Skills1 and 2 in response to those needs.

Carolyn Bergshoeff, Member at Large
Carolyn has experience in a variety of ELT settings – both in Canada and overseas. She runs a parallel career in Marketing and brings these skills to her role at TESL Toronto. Presently, Carolyn teaches in the LINC Home Study Distance Education program, and she runs Mellyn Education with co-founder Melissa Robinson. She believes in building relationships and connections in the ELT community and always has time for her fellow teachers. Her ELT bucket list includes hosting a webinar for equally passionate ELTs, continuing her education in TESL, writing a textbook, and sitting on the board of a prestigious association (check)!

Cheryl Fretz, Member at Large
Cheryl completed her B.A. at the University of Waterloo in 1994, and set off to Japan to teach English. Six years later, she came to Toronto to complete her M.A. in Second Language Education at OISE, and took a TESL training course at CCLCS.  Over the past 10 years, she has taught in private schools, colleges, universities, and LINC.  Cheryl’s interest in teacher training led her to her present position as TESL Co-ordinator at CCLCS.

Jennifer Freudenthal, Recording Secretary
While working on her Master of Education degree specializing in TESOL, Jennifer jumped right into the classroom and can still be found there today. Prior to working in Canada, this career path has given her the opportunity to teach ESL to both children and university students in New York State, as well as EFL in the Czech Republic. She was the Director of Academic Programs at a private language school in Toronto before moving into her present position as a secondary ESL, Core French and Cooperative Education teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Jennifer values connecting with and representing Toronto’s TESL community by volunteering on the TESL Toronto Executive Board.

Jennifer Harris, Membership Director
Jennifer works at University of Toronto’s Continuing Education Department, and has a wide range of experience in teaching, teacher training, curriculum development and administration. She also loves paddle sports and has competed on an international level in Australia, Europe, Malaysia and in the United States.

Christopher P. Madden, Member at Large
Christopher (MA-TESOL) has nine years of curriculum and syllabus design while teaching Elementary school, Junior High school and University students in Japan. He is a multiple presenter, both locally and nationally in Japan and Canada, and was the Plenary Speaker Liaison for the Japan Association of Language Teaching for three years. A published researcher, this summer saw Chris teaching at the University of Toronto in their international youth program, and is currently teaching at International Language Schools of Canada. He enjoys cycling, reading, cooking, and raising his two children with his Japanese wife.

Aga Palalas, Member at Large
Aga is a Mobile Learning Specialist at George Brown College. She has a comprehensive background in teaching ESL, curriculum development, language benchmarking, as well as design and development of Computer-Assisted Language Learning solutions. Aga has earned her doctorate in the area of mobile-assisted language teaching and learning. She has shared her knowledge of TESL and educational technologies through multiple articles and conference presentations.

Arlene Samlalsingh, Member at Large
Arlene spent many years working at IBM Canada Ltd. leading training sessions and discovering that she could deeply connect with people who were interested in the same subject matter. Enthusiastic about teaching and learning, Arlene has taught EAP, college-level Communications, Business English, OSLT for Accounting & Finance and socio-cultural skills in corporate environments. She completed an M. Ed., (Adult Education) degree at U of T. Kolb stuck with her: adults learn by experiencing, reflecting, theorizing and applying. She says the adult mind is like a fractal – ever blooming; we can never know its limits.

Ellen Servinis, Communications Director
Currently Lead Instructor of Academic Skills in University of Toronto’s International Foundation Program, Ellen has taught ESL and EAP in various cegeps, colleges and universities in Quebec and Ontario.

Karen Thomson, Past President & Affiliate Representative
Karen has taught English to international students and immigrants in a variety of community-based and university ESL settings over the years, and she even tried her hand at administration for awhile. She is currently an Instructor at University of Toronto’s English Language Program and indulges her passion for professional development by  volunteering on the TESL Toronto executive board and presenting at conferences around the province. When not in the classroom, Karen spends her time correcting her family’s grammar as well as pointing out spelling and punctuation mistakes on signs around Toronto.

Nao Yamamoto, Treasurer
Previously an international ESL student, Nao quickly transitioned to student counsellor and Marketing Manager before completing a post-graduate diploma in Strategic Relationship Marketing at George Brown College. Nao currently works as the Director of Marketing and Operational Manager in the ESL private sector at Cornerstone Academic College. His current area of interest is the conflict between quality education and commercial education.

Past presidents

Executive board terms run from September – June.  Years listed below represent the beginning of the term.

1976 – 1984	No data
1985	Elizabeth Taberk
1986	Bunny Hynes
1987	Janice Sellers
1988	Eileen Allen
1989	Phyllis Lamber/Lynne Earls
1990	Sheila Applebaum
1991	John Longfield
1992	Angie Wong
1993	Kathy Simo
1994	Cathy Haghighat
1995	Cathy Haghighat
1996	Andrea Strachan
1997	Andrea Strachan
1998	Bruce Russell
1999	Bruce Russell
2000	Cheryl Richman
2001	Cheryl Richman
2002	Cheryl Richman
2003	Sandra Clandfield
2004	Sandra Clandfield
2005	Antonella Valeo
2006	Antonella Valeo
2007	Karen Thomson
2008	Karen Thomson
2009	Karen Thomson
2010	Akua Joseph
2011	Akua Joseph
2012	Tyson Seburn