Guest article from teacher Elizabeth from 51Talk

My name is Mary Davisson. My teacher’s name at 51Talk is Miss Davisson (Elizabeth). I have been teaching and training for over 30+ years.

However, in 2017, little did I know my life was about to take a shift that I never saw coming my way, and it would be one of the surprises and grand opportunities of a lifetime. While perusing my emails one day, a particular correspondence from a specific recruiter caught my attention. I hesitantly opened the email to see what it was concerning. To my astonishment, it was a request to become a part of a full-time online English teaching community at 51Talk. At first, I thought it was a “gimmick,” but I decided to respond to see where this was going to lead me. Here again, much to my wonder, a Chinese recruiter replied back to me about teaching English classes online. I thought, “Huh, this can’t be real.” So, after thinking for a split second, I said, “Okay, sure.”

The recruiter sent me the essentials that I needed to prepare and pass the upcoming interviews. I did them in about a week or two and the rest, as they say, is history. I was hired immediately, and I’ve been here ever since.

I have been the in the corporate marketplace for 30+ years, and I had never considered teaching online-never had I ever seen myself doing what I’m doing now.

My training and teaching background encompasses after-school programs, church’s institutes, women’s focus studies, women’s empowerment groups, conferences, workshops, seminars, and teaching STEM to kids in an after-school boys and girls club, located in Baltimore.

Clearly, I thought to myself, “I am not in my comfort zone.” Although our primary responsibility is to teach English, we get to utilize all sorts of pioneering strategies and cutting-edge methods to reinforce the lessons, to make them even more lively, rewarding, satisfying, empowering and engaging for our students. There is not a class that has ended, whereby, I can hardly wait to see my student(s) again for their next lesson.

In ending, this opportunity to has given me the chance to meet some phenomenal teachers, educators, tutors, business people, education pioneers, and more. So, it’s not just the super teaching experience. One will meet grand people from all walks of life, from a variety of cultures, a pool of nationalities and more.

The teachers not only have a lead person who hears the heart of the teachers and the company, but he interacts with us well.

His name is Isaac Jay.

And if that wasn’t enough, we have coaches, and now TES (Teachers English Specialists) to assist us in having an enjoyable teaching experience. The parents and students have a dynamic learning experience at 51Talk, as well.

Yes, here I am, at 51Talk having a great time teaching English to the children’s American Academy GC Groups, selected to be a GC Sub when needed, and I get to teach 1-on-1 English classes to children, middle-schoolers, and college students too. Each person I have met has illustrated a strong desire and drive to learn and advance their English speaking abilities. I am elated, yet I consider it a privilege to assist my students on their entire journey, not only in learning to speak the English language.

I’m honored to be a part of a community of people whose heartbeat is to empower the students to grasp, comprehend, and master the English language through lessons at 51Talk.