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Becky Tieman, Instructor
Becky received her B.S. in Education from the Concordia University, Seward, NE and her English Second language training from the North American Mission Board, SBC. She has teaching experience at many different age levels and in various areas including Biology, Earth Science, Gifted, and Special Education Classes. She moved to Cordova with her husband, Terry and three sons, Nick, Tim, & Ben in 1995. She appreciates being able to use her IEI experience in ESL classes at two local churches each week. She really enjoys meeting and working with the students from around the world in her Listening and Conversation Classes at The University of Memphis. |
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Clare Griggs, Instructor
Clare received her B.A. from Rhodes College with majors in Biology and Spanish. She received her M.A.T. at The University of Memphis and recently added on the endorsement for teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has taught for over 25 years in a variety of settings and has been an ESL instructor in the IEI program since 2005. She also tutors for the Collierville Literacy Council. She enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, and traveling. She loves working with IEI students and is interested in learning about different countries and cultures. |
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Daniel Harper, Instructor
Daniel has a B.A. in English from Rhodes College where he specialized in Creative Writing. His master's degree is from The University of Memphis in English Literature and ESL. Daniel taught at IEI from 1998 to 2000 and then taught middle school for 3 years in Lima, Peru before returning to IEI. He is happy to be working in IEI again where he has the opportunity to teach students from a variety of countries and cultures. |
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Gunta Jurbergs, Instructor
Born in Riga, Latvia; Latvian is my native language and English is my second language. I've taught several languages for over 25 years and have always been interested in second language acquisition. I have an M.Ed. and have been with IEI at The University of Memphis since 1992. When I came to the USA, most teachers did not have experience with teaching English as a second language, so I immediately became interested in finding the best methods for learning a second language quickly and easily. For me, it was simply a matter of being able to survive in this new country. In IEI, I am pleased to be able to share this knowledge and experience in second language acquisition with both students and teachers. |
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Lisa Goins, Director
Lisa is a native of Memphis and earned a BA degree in Elementary Education from Crichton College. She also studied at The University of Southern Mississippi, where she earned an MATL degree with an emphasis in ESL. Her travels have taken her many places around the world, but her longest time was spent to Tianjin, China, where she studied Mandarin Chinese at Tianjin University. Lisa began teaching in the IEI program in 1998, and she became the director of the program in 2004. Lisa enjoys gardening and taking walks with her Scottish Terrier, Boo. |
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Nina Clark, Instructor
Nina completed her M.A. in English with an ESL concentration in the summer of 2003 from The University of Memphis. This is a mid-life career change for her. She enjoyed a 21-year career as an R.N. before moving to Memphis with her husband in 1995. Two of those years were spent working in a mission hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay prior to marriage. She has been involved as a volunteer in church-based Conversational ESL programs since 1987, teaching, directing, and leading training workshops for other volunteers throughout the southeast. John Barrymore said, "You are not old until regrets take the place of dreams." She is living out her dream teaching ESL professionally. She and her husband have three "children" of the four-legged variety, Fancy, Andy and Excell. |
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Richelle Becker, Instructor
Richelle as a B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago and a Master's Degree in English from The University of Memphis. She is married and has four children. She has recently developed a new interest: interior decorating. She owns her own Harley Davidson motorcycle. |
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Suzanne Hughes, Instructor
Suzanne Hughes graduated from The University of Tennessee with a M.S. in education, specialization in reading. Her husband was born and raised in Memphis. She has four children, two in college and two who have just graduated. She has taught in the IEI program since 2002 and loves working with international students and being a part of their success in the United States. |
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Carol Olavessen, Instructor
Carol received her B.A. degree in Spanish from The University of Georgia and has taught Spanish in every level of education from elementary school to the university. However, while teaching ESL at a community college in North Carolina, she decided that she preferred teaching international students. She obtained a Master's in English from The University of Memphis and has been teaching at IEI since the fall of 1998. She feels that teaching ESL is the best job anywhere because her students are so highly motivated. |
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Shafiqa Fakir, Instructor
Shafiqa taught English for over seven years at the University of Aden (Yemen). Currently, she is a doctoral student in the English Department at the University of Memphis. She works as a Graduate Assistant at IEI where she also teaches Grammar and Listening / Speaking classes. She received her BA in Education from the University of Aden (Yemen) and MA in English Literature from the University of Northern Iowa (USA). Shafiqa eagerly looks forward to meeting and working with students from all over the world. |
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Marilyn Trimble, Instructor
Marilyn completed her Bachelor and Master Degrees in education from the University of Memphis. In 1993, she moved to Kuwait with her husband and 4 of her 5 children. She taught ESl at the university level for 8 years and did private tutoring for children and adults. She studied Arabic in many settings, which gave her a real empathy for learning a new language as an adult. On returning to the US in 2006 she began teaching at IEI. Marilyn has visited much of the Middle East and Europe and misses those cultural adventures, so IEI is the perfect place for her. |
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Terry Bernardini, Instructor
Terry graduated from this university with a Master of Arts in Teaching. She and her husband lived in Germany for three years which sparked her interest in teaching English to internationals. She loves her husband, their four children, writing, reading, and taking long walks. In addition to teaching in IEI, she volunteers as a tutor for at-risk children in the inner-city. |
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Cheri Chadwick, Admissions
Cheri Chadwick graduated from UT Martin with a degree in Business Administration - International Economics. Cheri loves to travel. She has traveled to Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Amsterdam, Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo. For two years, she volunteered in a church based ESL program. She began working at IEI in May 2007. Cheri says, "I enjoy working at The University of Memphis with our faculty and our international students! Come study with us!" |
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