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About Me

SUMMARY OF MY PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Extensive training/teaching experience: cross-cultural training (AIESEC), EFL, IELTS, TOEFL, and Business Communication in different cultural environments: European, Asian & Middle Eastern.
• Trained in TESOL Teaching, Program Design and Management; Marketing Research Studies.
• Specialized in Educational Program Development, Brand Awareness, Marketing Campaigns, Sponsorship Activities, Media Relations.
• Proven ability in dealing with and teaching a multicultural client-base successfully;
• Proven ability to settle and work successfully within a culturally different environment carrying out tasks to their successful conclusion.

CAREER HISTORY:

08/2012 – Present * Global Education Graduate Assistant,
Center for Global Engagement, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH, USA
 Coordinating and assisting international students’ event planning
 Tutoring international students at PSU
 In charge of the World in the Classroom project;
 Assisting International Office coordinator

08/2011 – 06/2012 * English Teacher,
Royal Cats Canadian School, Hangzhou, China
 Prepared creative lessons plans using the Total Physical Response;
 Taught English to Chinese students between the ages of 3 and 12
 Observed, evaluated and graded students’ work
 Used interactive e-boards
 Trained the students for an English show

01/2011 – 06/2012 * Lead Business English and IELTS Professor,
School of Foreign Languages, China Jiliang University Hangzhou, China
 Taught Business English to International Economics & Trade majors;
 Taught Advanced Viewing, Listening and Speaking to English majors;
 Prepared Computer Science majors for the IELTS exam – the oral part;
 Evaluated and graded students’ presentations, quizzes, tests and final exams;
 Created relevant extracurricular activities for students (field trips; workshops; guest speakers)

09/2010 – 01/2011 * ESL Lead English Teacher,
Ivy Bilingual Schools, Ningbo, China
Taught kindergarden bilingual children

2009 - 2010 IELTS/ESL One-on-One Tutor,
Private Tutoring Business Oxford, UK
Prepared Arab and Chinese students for the IELTS examination.
Business English Instructor,
ELS Language Centers, [International Training Institute] Muscat, Oman

2002- 2004 Program Facilitator/Instructor: Communications, Marketing
Research, Business Strategy, EAP, ESL,
Fuyuan British Educational Center Shenzhen, CHINA

2001- 2002 ESL Program Coordinator and instructor
Tianmen Experimental School Tianmen, CHINA

1998-2001 Office Assistant; Marketing Coordinator and Sales Associate,
TOTAL QUALITY BEVERAGE of NEW HAMPSHIRE, Inc. Keene, NH, USA

EDUCATION; TRAINING
1994 – 1999
BS, Business Management,
KEENE STATE COLLEGE, Keene, NH, USA
08/2003
TESOL Teaching Certificate
TEFL International, Inc., Reene, France
03/2004
Project Design and Management Certificate,
AMERICAN PEACE CORPS Sovata, Romania
04/2005
ELT Conference Participation Certificate,
Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
03/2006
TESOL Conference Participation Certificate,
TESOL Arabia Association Dubai, UAE
2007 - 2008
On-line Internship in Journalism Manchester, USA

SKILLS:
 Program Design and Management skills
 Interpersonal skills; Developing people; Teambuilding spirit;
 Marketing, Advertising, Promotional and Sales skills; Customer Service
 Cross-cultural communication; a multicultural team player.
 Freelance translator and writer.
 Advanced Computer skills: MS 1995/97/98/00 Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MS Publisher, MS Photo Editor; Adobe Photo Shop, Internet Research, email.

Location:
Romania, Sibiu
Gender:
Female
Areas of expertise:
Teaching Language, Teaching Adults, teaching reading and writing skills, teaching cross cultural communication skills, Teaching Thinking Skill, Teaching the Whole Child vs. to the tests, Teaching for "learning", teaching and learning with technology, Neurodevelopmental Approaches to Teaching
I am:
Activist, Buddhist, Change Agent, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Global soul, Idea generator, Promoter, World traveler, Writer/Editor
Associations:
TESOL, AWID, Society for Advanced Management, TEDxPlymouthStateUniversity Club, President's Commission on Diversity at PSU
Languages:
English, Romanian, French, Spanish
Universities:
Keene State College, Keene, NH, Plymouth State University
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TEDCRED 500+ TEDx Organizer

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Exploring cultures, learning languages (bilingual: English/Romanian; Intermediate: Spanish, French, Italian); hobby-cat sailing, rock-climbing, hiking, activating my dynamic intelligence, poetry.

Talk to me about

Combining education, alternative teaching methodologies and integrating Buddhist principles of meditation in schools...

People don't know that I'm good at

Taking an abstract concept and putting it into practice for others to understand; also seeing the big picture of any situation and knowing how the parts work well together or how they COULD work well

My TED Story

I don't remember how I came across TED but I do remember that the first TED talk I've ever watched was that of Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity. I was hooked! :) From then on, it's history! :)

Part of the history is that I have attended two TEDx events one in the UK at Kent University (TEDxKent) and another one in Hangzhou China called TEDxYouth@WestLake. The latter one came as an opportunity while being part of a group of expats and Chinese alike who got together every other week and discussed TED talks in different cafes around the city. One day Imogen Heap comes by seeking us out for a project she had come to China for. She asked us for help in coming up with ideas. We created a think-tank evening of "ideas worth sharing" and great fun.

Comments

  • TEDCred score: +1300.00 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

  • A comment on Conversation: Real Freedom in Higher Education (Fueling Productivity with Passion & Greatness)

    Mar 15 2011: Dear Kyra, thank you for having started this dialogue. As an educator, I am always hoping to meet people like you for inspiration and to make me feel that I am not alone in places where my way may easily be the "way-out-there" type of way. I have recently joined JiLiang University in Xiasha, Higher Education Zone of Hangzhou, in China. I have also taught in the Middle East for four years. Here in China I teach Business English to International Trade and Marketing majors, Chinese students in third year of their studies who haven't had any work experience what-so-ever. In China, the culture of learning is very different than what you talk about - it's the old traditional spoon-fed education which kills creativity and makes the young minds dull and passive. I have decided to start a little project for and with my students called "International Business Society" in which students get a chance to participate in different events from being part of the organizing team to simply being an audience to the many events we want to put together including attending TEDx events in Hangzhou for learning new things and for networking. These kids crave for things that are different, cool and exciting, events that make them think and challenge them. The goal is to have the students experience practically what the business books teach them... While they DO it, the direct experience of the business "theory" expressed in English will become part of their lives.

  • A reply on Talk: Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!

    Sep 11 2010: I am in China and FACEBOOK IS BLOCKED here! How can we reach people living there (here for me) to join this "educational revolution"? There are many interested!! (it's a challenge - but we got to think creatively)

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