Bev Hotchkiss

I love language and I believe our lives are the stories we collect. I love working with non-native English language speakers as they always bring joy and a fresh way of approaching the language. I find I am learning as my students are learning. I'm a firm believer that giving is receiving and to help others as they gain confidence and a new skill is beyond rewarding.

I once had the opportunity to spend three consecutive years travelling before returning to university. It was during my travels when I met people from all around the world that I knew I wanted to stay connected to this global community. My love for writing and language felt like the best way to stay connected. That's when I decided I wanted to be an English teacher.

From my experience, the most common reasons for wanting to learn English are career opportunities, improve academic studies, and to learn about another culture.

We all have different aptitudes for learning a language. In university, Spanish was my second language, and I struggled with learning the language. I think the best thing we can do when learning a language is to not be afraid to make mistakes. I always think about when we first learn to speak, we have no shame in babbling sounds. Babbling sounds is part of learning a language. Playing is part of learning a language. It is important to have self-acceptance through the process of language acquisition.

Canadian English is very similar to American and British English. The major difference between American English and Canadian English is spelling. We like to add a 'U' to our words. For example, neighbour vs neighbor. We also add extra Ls, for example, traveller vs traveler.

The difference between British English and Canadian English is usually word choice. For example, streetcar vs. tram or trolly.

It is very easy for a native English speaker to teach in American, Canadian, or British English.

The hardest part of teaching English is convincing my students that their language skills are better than they think :)

A good English student is someone with a vision and the flexibility and understanding to know that language learning is like a circle and not a straight line. Language learning builds off of repetition. It's like drawing a circle, then a bigger circle, and a bigger circle, filling each circle with words.

When we are struggling we sometimes need to take a break, or we need to change our approach. A good idea is to listen to popular music, watch a movie, or read a children's book instead of sticking to grammar or academic language textbooks.