Jerry
Hello!
My name is Jerry Sullivan. I was born in the US and grew up in various places in Southeast Asia and West Africa, my father being an American diplomat. I live in New Zealand. I speak several varieties of English, some Indonesian as well as bits and pieces of other languages. I hope to teach myself te reo Maaori and to read Chinese in the near future. For many years I taught Anthropology, first in Aotearoa New Zealand and especially in the United States. So I am familiar with many ways of being human, with the prevalence of English as a second or third or forth language in the world today as well as some of the particular difficulties speakers of one language can have while learning another language. I look forward to getting to know you.
My parents were both born in China. Part of an American diplomatic family, I grew up in Malaya (before it became Malaysia), Nigeria, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sierra Leone. I have also lived in the UK and now in Aotearoa New Zealand. While I was going to college and in graduate school I worked in a number of bookstores. I, therefore, have a long time interest in world history, literature, culture and religion as well as environmental issues. I have taught Anthropology in Colleges and Universities. I am also interested in music from around the world; I listen a lot. I am working on two books, one a discussion of the thought of a man called Gregory Bateson and the other a novel about, among other things, various modes and styles of memory.
About
Student Preferences
Languages
Industry familiarity
Interests
Specialties
Teaching Style
Teaching a language is in some ways quite different from teaching other sorts of subject matter such as, in my case, Anthropology. For teaching languages I prefer to emphasize a combination of conversation and reading. So the very first thing I would want to do is to learn more about what interests you. This way I can find appropriate readings for us to discuss as we get to know each other and as you improve your English. I can also help you learn to write better English, though this would likely come later in your study.