Profile

Allison is the Executive Director of TESL Ontario, and has been supporting the TESL community for more than 15 years through her role within the organization. She is passionate about engaging with TESL Ontario members and volunteers and working with the community for the betterment of the TESL profession. She has focused her career in not-for-profit management for the past 20 years, building diverse, member-centric, supportive professional communities.

Hi! I’m Andrew Shedden. 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! I've been teaching EAP for over 10 years now... I love the focus on academic writing and English, 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 IT into my program and classes.

Bei Zhang is the TESL Ontario Blog Manager and is enthusiastic about contributing to the team by sharing her ideas and experiences. She currently teaches ESL and LINC at the Thames Valley District School Board. Bei earned her Master’s degree in Education Studies from Western University in 2018, with a focus on applied linguistics and teacher education. In 2024, she published research on ESL language teachers' self-beliefs in pronunciation instruction in the Journal of Second Language Pronunciation. She is eager to bring her insights into teaching ESL across diverse educational systems to the TESL Ontario Blog, aiming to benefit both the blog and its readers.

Beth Beardall enjoys being a part of the TESL Ontario Blog Administrator Team. This opportunity brings together 3 of her 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. Beth has been doing all three both on a volunteer basis and professionally for 20 years.

Hi, my name is Cecilia. I love taking part in good brain awakening discussions. Blogging, I find, lends itself for that. I also believe in sharing my skills through scholarly practice, which is why I write regularly and have presented at several conferences, including TESL Ontario, TESL Toronto, CALL, and at Seneca College. My M.A. in applied linguistics along with my skills and experience have led me to my current position at Centennial College, where I teach English and ESL in the School of English and Liberal Studies. I'm truly passionate about what I do: teaching, writing, creative expression, and helping my students (both L1 and L2) gain agency and take control of their own learning. Thank you for your readership and I look forward to reading and answering your comments. You can find me on Twitter @capontedehanna