Uliana started her career as a teacher 10 years ago, and with a Master’s degree in Education, she knew that she wanted to continue her career when she decided to move to Canada. Back in Ukraine, she was an English teacher for adults, and this is what motivated her to look for English schools in Edmonton after her arrival. Lucky for us, she found CCI-LEX and started to volunteer as a teacher in our LEX Program in July 2024.
The first couple of days Uliana came to CCI-LEX, she observed classes and took notes about the school; “the first thing that caught my eye was the friendly atmosphere among the staff, and among the students”, she says. Being an experienced teacher, it did not take very long for Uliana to move from a volunteer position to a permanent teaching position at CCI-LEX.
Nowadays she teaches the Low-Beginner and Beginner classes for Refugee Claimants four evenings a week. In her classes she brings a friendly atmosphere and an understanding attitude that makes her students feel welcome. Uliana has noted that beginner students make significant progress through the course, “It is very rewarding when you’ve been trying hard, and you see students enjoy and understand [English], when you see that spark in their eyes because they are eager to study, and they are interested and engaged in the process!”
And if you are wondering how fun it has been for Uliana to join CCI-LEX, let’s remember February 3rd. It was the first time Uliana celebrated her birthday at CCI-LEX, and she was surprised by a cake in the middle of her class, and she got to celebrate with her students, “It was really unexpected, very pleasant. I would say it is one of the most memorable moments in here”, she says between laughs.
Although her class is full of different languages and cultures, Uliana always tries to connect with her students. For her, teaching and working with people is something that she loves, and that is why her advice for new volunteers at CCI-LEX is to also love what they do and to simply enjoy the process of leading English classes for newcomers.