About Us

The TESL Ontario Blog Project was created because of the TESL Ontario members’ strong community engagement. In 2013, members made it known that they wished to have a forum to share resources and learn from others’ experiences. Since 2014, we’ve been making it happen.

Our Vision

• To provide resources for TESL Ontario members by TESL Ontario members
• To share experiences and educational tips
• To open up dialogue and enhance learning for both students and educators

Who We Are

The blog is administered by Beth Beardall, Elyse Borgdoff, Jessica Freitag, Claire Green, Gordon Hatt, Sarah Martinez, Andrew Shedden, and Sharon White, and contains posts from a diverse group of Guest Bloggers, who post regularly throughout their one-year publishing terms, and Occasional Bloggers (Guest Contributors).

Hello TESL ON members. My name is Beth Beardall and I am the Blog Manager for  Guest Bloggers. I really enjoy being a part of the TESL Ontario Blog Administrator Team. This opportunity brings together 3 of my passions: collaborating with and learning  from others, teaching and tutoring ESL and getting to know people from around the world, and, of course, copy editing and proofreading. I’ve been doing all three both on a volunteer basis and professionally for 20 years.	Beth Beardall
Greetings! I’m Jessica and I’m the Blog Manager for Occasional Bloggers. My interest in the English language brought me to TESL, and the warm learners and colleagues in this field have kept me in it for well over a decade, where I now focus at the college level. I am happy to be part of the TESL Ontario Blog community and always learning from a variety of people sharing unique and interesting topics and ideas.	Jessica Freitag
Claire Green	Hello! My name is Claire and I am the Blog Administrator for Guest Bloggers. I grew up in Toronto, but have been spreading my roots in Ottawa for the past few years. I started my career as an ESL teacher last summer and am passionate about the variety of challenges and opportunities this field provides.
	Hi, Sharon White here. I’m a Blog Administrator for Occasional Bloggers. At work I’m the Team Leader for an Enhanced Language Training program. For the past 11 years it has been my privilege to help internationally trained professionals find their niche in Ontario. P.S. I’m quite bad at taking selfies.
Elyse Borgdorff	Hello! My name is Elyse and I am one of the Guest Blog Administrators. I love the proof-reading and editing stage of writing, so this role is definitely well-suited for me! My love for TESL began at Brock University where I completed my B.A. in Applied Linguistics (TESL). This degree gave me many wonderful opportunities to work with international student programs in Niagara and volunteer as an ESL instructor in China. I look forward to one day having an ESL teaching profession of my own, but currently I enjoy teaching French as a second language at my former high school. I live in Hamilton, Ontario, and am a member of the TESL Hamilton-Wentworth chapter affiliate.

	Hi! My name is Sarah and I’m a Guest Blog Administrator. I am currently completing a B.A. in Communication Studies, and I am a freelance eLearning developer. I earned my TESL Certification two years ago. While studying Spanish I discovered a passion for language and teaching, and have since been volunteering my time to help newcomers to Canada learn English. I am fascinated with how the human mind can go from studying a language to becoming fluent, and discovering the best channels to help others make this transition with confidence.
	Hi! I’m Andrew Shedden. and I’m the IT Administrator & Social Media Lead for the TESL Ontario Blog. Like most people, I fell into ESL by accident. I was preparing to apply for my Master’s in history and decided I wanted to teach in Japan beforehand as a vacation. I got a CELTA degree so I would know what this teaching thing is all about, but one thing led to another and although I never actually made it to Japan as a teacher (or applied for a Master’s program), I’ve been teaching ESL ever since! For the past 10 years, I’ve been teaching EAP at various schools around Ontario. I love the focus on academic writing and reading, since I can vicariously go back to university through my students. (I do miss it!)  My other professional love is computers. I’ve been obsessed with them since I was 3, and I’m always trying to learn more about how to incorporate them into my classes.
	Blog Engagement Administrator: My name is Gordon Hatt. My background is in Art History. I worked in the field of public art for 35 years as a curator, visual arts essayist, and arts administrator before getting my TESL certification. I live in Kitchener where I currently teach English as a volunteer with the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, Reception House and with private students.

This blog is a project of TESL Ontario.