Hello. My name is Serzan. I am from New York City. I am an
architect, a project manager and an intern coordinator with almost 20 years of
experience working with international and interdepartmental teams. My
bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees have given me the skills and
knowledge necessary to manage complicated tasks. In addition to this, I’ve gathered invaluable
people skills ranging from tutoring young English students to helping to guide
a young recent graduate intern who is searching to find their role in the
workforce. I have been teaching English as a private tutor for over 20 years
and have finally decided that I would like to take on my teaching as a
professional.
I grew up in a family surrounded by children of different ages. Once I was old enough, I was provided the responsibility of caring for the children in my family, ranging from young infants to toddler to teens. I babysat for my family and our family friends numerous times. Learning to take care of infants, children and young adults at early stages of my life taught me how different it is to take care of each age group. This experience has been very valuable to me from the beginning of my adult life.
During my university years and after graduation, I
continued to be actively involved in working with children and young adults. I
was an English tutor to several age groups of children and each tutoring
experience taught me something new. Learning how to deal with children
depending on how old they are, their interest ranges, attention spans, whether
they had extroverted or introverted personalities helped me become a better
tutor and a better adult in dealing with children and young adults no matter
how different each individual is.
Since I love children and teaching, being part of a
child’s early learning process would be immensely satisfying work for me. I
possess the qualities and life experiences to guide and support young people
and make a difference in their lives. I
am patient, kind and caring person. I am
committed to communicating my ideas clearly to young people in hopes of truly
assisting them with their struggles, be them academic or personal. Every child and young person is unique and
I recognize the value in finding the teaching methodologies that best
accommodates each learning style.
In the past, I provided English tutoring to 6 to 9
year-old children as well as 10 to 17 year-old young adults. These experiences
made me realize that working with children is very different from working with
young adults. Each age group has its unique requirements and a teacher needs to
stay adaptive to different needs of different aged students. Patience is one of
the most important virtues to have while dealing with different age groups.
Children process differently than young adults. More frequent explanation is
needed for children and helping them to remain focused is a crucial part of my
teaching style. This requires a great deal of patience which I have gained
through these prior experiences.
Patience also means neither children nor young adults need to know
you’re frustrated or exhausted. I believe a good educator should let the child
or young adult know when they misbehave however it is not an acceptable as a
teacher to express the frustration or exhaustion toward the student(s).
I am very involved in the arts. I studied architecture
and have been practicing as an architect since receiving my degree. I have also
been involved in the art world for as long as I can remember as my mother is a
painter and a sculptor. I feel so lucky to have grown up in an environment
where art and artistic talents were appreciated. It gives such a pleasure for
me to share my joy and enthusiasm to encourage children to perform and/or
create art. I also like to be involved in children’s projects where students
either go to art museums or watch artists perform or paint/sculpt for
themselves. In my opinion, exposing children to artistic practices in the early
stages of life helps to foster creativity and open mindedness even if their
chosen careers take them in another direction.
I have a playful sense of humor. I believe these
qualities help me understand and communicate well with children and young
adults. Being serious but playful is very important in my opinion as it will
help to provide a safe and structured, yet also relaxed environment for each
child. Not every child is the same; some may be very outgoing and others may be
shy and introverted. It is very crucial and important to treat them all fairly
in an inclusive environment.
I sincerely believe the Auxiliares de Conversación
program gave me the opportunity to get the experience in the education field
that I am interested in. Living in New York City for almost 20 years has given
me an opportunity to live and work in a diverse and multicultural environment.
I am truly excited to be a part of the educational system in Madrid and have a
positive contribution on young learners. Being a language assistant in the city
of Madrid has been a great starting experience in the I seek. Having traveled widely
and having lived independently, I believe I am also bringing a unique set of
experiences to potential students both in Madrid and the future students I’d
like to teach.