About Me

That wine glass may or may not be lemonade. We'll just say it is.

Hey ya!

I'm Robbie. ¡Mucha Gusto! ¡Ola! Prazer em conhecê-lo. Rất vui được gặp bạn ở đây. ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก yindī thī̀ dị̂ rū̂cạk. Grazie per averci visitato.

Sorry if I left any languages out. But I don't think many people would read through that if I had added any more foreign phrases.:)

 Anyway, here is a bit about me: (Time to act professionally. But if you aren't bothered by the details, you can skip down to the short version below.)

As an ESL teacher, I have looked around for materials to support the vocabulary and grammar I use to teach students of all ages. I have been in a classroom for over 15 years, and when I have not found the resources I’ve needed, I have spent hours of my own free time to create them. Therefore, starting Creative ESL for Teaching ESL resources seemed like the best next step.  This company provides fellow teachers (regardless of their level of experience) to save time and pain of making activities that will motivate students to enjoy and improve their English level.

 What makes me good at knowing what resources are helpful to TEFL teachers?

It is simply down to my experience. After receiving a degree in English Literature and in Africana Studies at San Diego State University, I worked in Spain, Latvia, and Costa Rica as an ESL teacher.

Soon after returning to the States, I started to work as a behavioral assistant in Napa Valley. There I was in charge of helping educate teens who had mental handicaps that made it almost impossible to be in mainstream education without an aide helping them learn and deal with personal traumas their individual conditions caused in everyday adolescent environments. Most were diagnosed with some sort of autism, making social interaction and learning a real feat at times. Through that experience, I had my first feel of how every student learns differently, and as such, has a different way to improve their knowledge.

Later, I taught English literature and reading in a middle school in El Cerrito, California. Here, I further developed my knowledge in diverse teaching by having an array of students from poor to fairly well-off economical family homes. In such, I had the opportunity to observe as well as train students with low reading levels, advance reading levels, emotional instability, unmotivated and motivated attitudes, all this including ESL learners.

Unfortunately, the stress of such diverse learners in overcrowded classrooms (I’m talking 38 to 42 students, 5 days a week.), I took my baby girl and my husband to Spain to begin again as an ESL teacher. Now, I live in the south of Spain with two bilingual children and a lot to share from my years of learning what works and doesn’t work in a classroom.

I hope you find these resources and my blogs as useful as I have.

---SHORT VERSION---

I've been an attentive and adaptable teacher for over 15 years. I have experience in teaching as an ESL teacher as well as has worked as an English Literature and Language teacher at a middle school in El Cerrito, California.

I work as an ESL teacher in Andalucia, Spain. I love it because its a cheaper, simpler way of life. Neighborhoods are safe and there is always a reason to celebrate something. And a big plus is that my two small children get to grow up bilingual while I struggle through my own personal language learning. 

Yes, shocking! I have a terrible level of Spanish. I know I'm such a hypocritic to be pushing for excellence in my ESL students when I'm struggling to speak at an A2 level. I feel the shaking of the heads and I am not going to justify it. There is no real excuse. Pero a poco a poco. So, I  hang on to that small ounce of encouragement and overly blow up the fact that I can write and read at a B1 level. (That must count!)

Private Shame: I work on this site late at night as such I have been know to make silly writing mistakes. Ahhh! The shame! But I try to fix the mistakes when I can. And NEVER will this weakness affect the products I manufacture. I create teaching material during normal working hours. 

Psst, but if you notice a mistake, tell me right away so I can fix it. ;)

And if you like to know about some more FREE opportunities, sign up for my FREE newsletters and get weekly updates by email about:  

• find out which new worksheets, lesson plans, craft sheets, flashcards, games, tips and so on have been added 
• 
  
• ESL teaching tips and ideas about teens and kids.  
• 
  
• materials and resources  
• 
  
• promotions and offers on resource books 
• 
  
• (address to mailing list coming soon)
•