Sheila Mayne and Susan Caesar celebrate 15 years at the ELP

Sheila Mayne and Susan Caesar celebrate 15 years at the ELP

For almost 15 years, Language Specialists Sheila Mayne and Susan Caesar have been teaching at the ELP. They have had countless experiences and interacted with students from all over the world. As Susan says, "The ELP is a microcosm of life." She has been able to share many life experiences with her colleagues, but it is the students that keep them both here. Each class and each student is unique, so teaching, they say, always stays interesting and they truly love their students. Read on to learn more about these two incredible instructors.

Both Sheila and Susan arrived at the ELP in search of full-time jobs in a competitive field, but once at the ELP they never wanted to leave. When asked about their time at the ELP, Susan and Sheila both highlighted their experiences with their colleagues who are incredibly talented, professionally active in the field of ESL, and from whom they learn so much. Even more important, they state, are the students. Their time at the ELP has also seen many changes in the student population as major world events, such as crises and economic circumstances, have impacted the students arriving at the ELP.

Outside of teaching at the ELP, both enjoy engaging students in conversations. Susan loves to talk to students about traveling, New York and stage plays, while Sheila loves talking about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and gardening.

With years of experience, both had wise words for prospective students. Sheila reminds prospective students that the fastest way to learn English is immersion. Dedicating themselves to learning a language that is not their own required students to be out of their comfort zone, but it pays off. Susan echoes that, referencing research that says while learning English, "the percentage of your native language you use is the percentage your English progress slows down."