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English Language and Culture
Our Instructors
Our instructors make exceptional achievement possible.
Suzan Altintas
Suzan has been teaching English as a second language since 2002. She started teaching in the English Language and Culture Program (ELC) in 2006. Her passion for teaching stems from the desire to help others as much as she can.
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Suzan holds two degrees from the University of British Columbia: a Bachelor of Arts with a major in French, and a Bachelor of Education specializing in English and French as second languages. She also completed a master's degree in education at Simon Fraser University.
Suzan has experience teaching adults children of all ages in both Canada and Turkey. Suzan enjoys teaching at ELC and always looks forward to meeting new students and learning about their cultures.
Jeff Behrner
Jeff has over 10 years of teaching experience. After working as a high school and elementary school teacher, he spent two years teaching English in Japan. Through this experience, he realized that working with foreign students is the type of teaching he enjoys the most.
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Jeff recently completed his master's degree in education. He is a firm believer in lifelong learning, and he is committed to meeting the needs of each of his students.
Lisa Chiu
Lisa completed her master's degree in TESL at SFU and has taught English for several years in Vancouver, Japan, and China. She likes ELC not only because it helps students improve their English, but also because it raises students' awareness and deepens their understanding of the issues that affect the world around them.
Richard Haines
Richard completed a Bachelor of Arts with honours in history and English in Ottawa at Carleton University, then went on to graduate from Algonquin College with a TESOL diploma. Afterward, he taught overseas in central Europe and Asia.
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Richard's love of travel and immersion in foreign cultures has contributed to his understanding of students' concerns about learning and coping in a foreign culture. Recently, he completed a Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University and tries to never forget that learning is a reciprocal process.
Tim Hull
Tim began his teaching career with ELC in 2004 and has developed courses in news media analysis, business, and composition. He's a graduate of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and he completed additional teacher training in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2001.
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Tim has worked in a variety of occupations, including communications consulting, fishing guidance, writing, and sales and administration. He has traveled extensively through Asia and Australia and loves to meet people from around the world who share his passion for language, culture, sports, travel, and adventure.
Kima Jones
Kima prides herself on the contributions her work in English language learning has made to the lives of others. The highlight of her career is the three years she spent working in Korea on a national teacher-training campaign designed to increase the level of English taught in primary schools.
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Kima has a Bachelor of Arts, a TESOL diploma, and a master's degree in educational management.
Alma Krilic
Alma says she truly enjoys working at ELC for several reasons: "I get to work with motivated and intelligent students, I have wonderful and supportive colleagues, and I love teaching foreign languages," she says.
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"I have been working as a language instructor at ELC since January 2004. I have a master's degree in Second Language Education from SFU, a TESOL diploma from VCC, and the Provincial Instructor Diploma from VCC. I am fluent in three languages: Serbian, English and German. I studied German language and literature in Belgrade, Serbia, and I am a German language teacher at Westside German School, where I teach young students aged nine to 11. Other than working, I also enjoy running, kayaking, cycling, reading, eating good food, and hanging out with friends and family."
Beth Maschmann
Beth's interest in understanding culture and how our culture and history shape us led her to complete a degree in international studies. Subsequent travel and work abroad piqued her interest in how to meet the challenges of not only surviving, but also communicating meaningfully in other cultural and linguistic environments.
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After a return to Vancouver to complete her TESL training, Beth had the opportunity to teach abroad in a variety of public and private institutions. ELC offers what Beth believes is essential to success in a second language: the chance to explore meaning within a cultural context in a student-centred environment. She always looks forward to meeting new students and to the process of learning from each other.
Irene Ouimet
Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Irene is a bilingual Canadian. She moved to Vancouver in 1995 to go to SFU and completed a major in linguistics. She enjoys working at ELC because of its holistic approach to teaching. She says that teaching is definitely more fulfilling and personally satisfying than anything she has ever done before, and she is learning so much from her students.
Veronica Vukusic
Upon completing her undergraduate degree in art history at the University of British Columbia in 1998, Veronica began her career in teaching English as a second language. She has taught IELTS preparation, oral communication, listening comprehension, film, popular culture, and art to students of various ages, levels, and origins.
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Veronica joined ELC in 2000. As an instructor, she says she is dedicated to teaching with enthusiasm and cultural sensitivity while fostering a positive environment so students of all levels can find their voices in English.
Terri Wershler
Terri has taught at ELC since 2001. She specializes in teaching oral skills and literature. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, has travelled extensively to many parts of the world, and has studied language abroad. She says she looks forward to helping you become an effective communicator in English.
Scott Yano
