AMIDEAST/Oman welcomes American English Language Instructors
AMIDEAST/Oman announced the arrival in Muscat of four new full-time American instructors this month in time to launch its English Language Program for the Holy Month of Ramadan. All of the instructors are highly qualified Teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and have a rich variety of international experience.
Joining AMIDEAST as English Language Program Manager, Russell Barczyk lived most recently in Mexico, where he was an EL (English Language) Specialist for the U.S. Department of State and an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Instructor and Teacher Trainer for the National University of Mexico. He also had EL Specialist assignments in Chile, the Republic of Congo, Guyana, Jordan and Morocco, and was a Senior EL Fellow in Bahrain, Lebanon and Morocco. In Beirut and Rabat, he worked with AMIDEAST on the English ACCESS Micro-Scholarship Program. He has an M.A. in TESL and a B.A. in French from Kent State University, and has presented papers on instructional technology and other topics at conferences throughout the region. Russell and his wife are avid swimmers and campers and look forward to visiting the Sultanate’s many diverse regions.
David Miller-Siegel comes to AMIDEAST fresh from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he taught aviation-related English for two and a half years. Prior to that, he spent eight years in the UAE, first teaching English, Math, business and tourism at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and then teaching and developing curriculum for the English Language Center at the University of Sharjah. Two of the most enjoyable years of his career were when he taught ESP courses for business, engineering and science students at Sultan Qaboos University. He has directed programs in the UAE and Japan, where he worked for four years. Earlier in his career, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Sousse, Tunisia. David has an M.A. in ESL and Spanish and a B.A. in International Studies from the School for International Training in Vermont. In his free time, David enjoys swimming, cycling, reading and photography. His extensive travels have taken him to more than 100 countries.
Matthew Pizzorno most recently worked in San Marcos, California as an instructor of vocational ESL at Palomar College and of EAP (English for Academic Purposes) at California State University (CSU). From 2004-2006, he was an EL Fellow training teachers at two universities in Semarang, Indonesia. Prior to that, he spent two years in Istanbul, Turkey at Universal Academy and English Time Schools. Mathew also has experience teaching American Language and Culture at CSU and has extensive experience in CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and language testing. He has presented papers on a variety of topics at workshops in Indonesia and the U.S., and has an M.A. in TESOL from California State University - Los Angeles, a TEFL Certificate from American English Programs of New England, and a B.A. in History from Wittenberg University. To top it off, Matthew is a classically trained musician and plays the guitar and ukulele. He’s also a dedicated surfer in his free time.
Christiana Duke makes her debut on the Muscat scene after completing two years of service with AMIDEAST in Tunisia. During her tenure there, she taught English in a U.S. Government-sponsored youth program, as well as at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Tunisian Civil Aviation Authority, in addition to her regular adult classes. From 2004-2005, she worked at the Summit Academy in Doha, Qatar where she taught English, history and geography to middle school students. In addition, Christiana brings to AMIDEAST a wealth of business experience gained in countries as diverse as the UAE, Qatar, Germany and the USA. Her qualifications include a TEFL Certificate from Via Lingua in Greece and a B.A. in International Business from the American University of Paris, France. Christiana, who is already fluent in four languages, hopes to work on her fifth, Arabic, during her stay in the Sultanate.
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