The English teachers
STEVEN BIBELHEIMER has a master’s degree and a PhD in Germanic Languages and Literature from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. He comes from Tacoma, Washington, and has lived in Denmark for many years where he has played a lot of fastpitch softball in his spare time. Steven teaches both English and German at Studieskolen. He is often the one you will meet if you take a course in English conversation or written English or if you take some one-to-one lessons to prepare for a TOEFL test.
Steven recommends:
English in Denmark: Read The Copenhagen Post with Danish news in English. It also has very useful advertisements and information about various activities. You can get the paper for free at, for instance, universities, the airport, the city hall or Studieskolen. “You can do so much to improve your English outside of the classroom, for instance, by reading The Copenhagen Post, watching TV and using the internet”.
Places to visit in the USA: Go to Washington, Steven’s home state. It is an impressive place where you can climb mountains, fish in the sea, walk in the big woods and visit Mount Rainier National Park, a giant tourist attraction with the second highest mountain in the USA. Or visit one of the many museums in Washington, for instance, La May in Tacoma where you can see a great collection of vintage cars.
CLAIRE CLAUSEN studied English and Education at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand before being headhunted to the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation where she trained and worked as a news journalist and radio and TV presenter. She also worked as a professional actress in New Zealand and London. During two years’ leave of absence Claire travelled to the UK, and a short spell in Denmark sealed her fate when she married a Dane.
Initially Claire worked for Barclays Bank’s Representative Office in Copenhagen and later became Head of Press and Information at the British Embassy. For Danmarks Radio, she edited and read The News in English on morning radio. More recently Claire worked for three years as Diplomatic and Community correspondent for The Copenhagen Post and began to teach English to corporate and private clients at the universities. In 2009 Claire became a qualified Cambridge ESOL speaking examiner, and in 2011 she started working at Studieskolen teaching conversation classes. She likes her students to relax, laugh and enjoy themselves so that they dare to breach the ‘shyness barrier’ we all run into when starting a new language.
Claire recommends:
Places to visit in New Zealand: New Zealand is far away, but if you get that far, don’t miss Hawkes Bay (Napier – the Art Deco city of the southern hemisphere, and Hastings – the fruit and wine centre of the province) and the glorious wine and farming countryside inland. Lake Taupo at the heart of the North Island is also a ‘must see’.
MAVIS GRAHAM is a CELTA qualified teacher. She has Jamaican roots but was born and raised in England and moved to Denmark in 2003. Mavis has a bubbly personality and believes that lessons should be “fun, funny and informative!”
Mavis recommends:
Places to visit in England: The Cotswolds, Devon and Cornwall – for a beautiful coastline, countryside, villages and many other attractions.
Food: Go to a tea room in a village, in any tourist area, and have scones with clotted cream and jam. Yummy! Fish and chips (with salt and vinegar), from a good fish 'n' chips shop, is a 'must try' and can be bought almost anywhere in England. Enjoy!
Places to visit in the USA: Go to Washington, Steven’s home state. It is an impressive place where you can climb mountains, fish in the sea, walk in the big woods and visit Mount Rainier National Park, a giant tourist attraction with the second highest mountain in the USA. Or visit one of the many museums in Washington, for instance, La May in Tacoma where you can see a great collection of vintage cars.
ANDREW MADSEN has bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and English from Concordia University and has many years of experience working in cross-cultural environments having worked in the Arctic and Africa with small local communities on a wide range of training and educational programs and on issues of land use planning and land rights. He comes from Montreal, Canada, worked in the Canadian Arctic for several years and in Africa for three years and then moved to Denmark where he now teaches English and works as a communications consultant in Copenhagen. One of the things that Andrew likes the most about teaching is working with people from a range of backgrounds and experiences. He is the one you will meet at Studieskolen if you take a course or some one-to-one lessons to prepare for an IELTS test.
Andrew recommends:
To-do in Canada: Go for a road trip. Rent a car and just start driving, buy a good tent and camping equipment and you will have a great time. Note: not recommended in winter unless you have taken a winter survival course.
RENÉE RUTGRINK has a bachelor’s degree in law and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from University of Western Australia. She comes from Perth in Australia and moved to Denmark in 2006. She loves films, has worked for the film company Zentropa and still produces films in her spare time. The thing Renée most loves about teaching at Studieskolen is having students of all different ages and backgrounds. “There is room for everyone here!”
Renée recommends:
To-Do Down-Under: Go bush! Wherever you are in Australia, venture into the outback and see the varied landscape that Australia is famous for – from rocks and cliffs, to desert plains, to lush tropical rainforest. Head to a local pub for a 'Sunday Session'. Savour the bars and restaurants of inner city Melbourne. Cruise Sydney harbour stopping along the many small coves for a swim or a picnic. Hit the beautiful beaches of Western Australia – snorkel off the coral reefs and visit the 'quokkas' at Rottnest and the dolphins at Bunbury or Monkey Mia.
KIMBERLY SALLINGBOE holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Rice University and has worked in teaching, marketing and corporate communications since 1999. She comes from Houston, Texas, moved to Denmark in 2004 and now lives in Copenhagen with her Danish husband. Kimberly loves reading, cooking, art, music and dancing. She is also quite the film trivia buff, so if you are interested in talking about movies, have a chat with Kimberly.
Kimberly recommends:
Food: A place and culture must be experienced through eating. So, when you head to the southern part of the States, you must try Cajun food, preferably in Texas (Galveston or Houston) or Louisiana (where it was born). Order a seafood gumbo, fried catfish and hush puppies and dirty rice with andouille sausage. And finish it off with a slice of sweet potato, pecan, key lime or lemon meringue pie.
CAROLE PATRICIA SOUTHAM is a qualified secondary school and kindergarten teacher and has a Diploma in Business English from Copenhagen Business School. She comes from London and moved to Denmark in 1977, where she has gained extensive experience in teaching English to adults. Carole loves to teach and use her great sense of humour in class. "It is important that we laugh WITH each other and not AT each other. My students should not be afraid of making mistakes!”
Carole recommends:
Places to visit in England: Go to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and take the Be inspired audio tour in English. Feast your eyes on great art and go to one of the numerous events, if you have the time to broaden your mind.
Food: Try a good British curry at one of the many curry houses in London. Hot and spicy British curry goes down well in the British climate.
Literature: Read Watching the English by Kate Fox and learn the hidden rules of English behaviour.
TV programmes: Improve your comprehension of English spoken at speed by watching the British version of The Weakest Link.
SUSAN STAVENHAGEN
has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from Columbia University in International Public Affairs with a specialisation in Journalism. She worked for many years as a consultant in Washington, DC focusing on campaigns and media. Additionally, Susan has taught private ESL classes and spent four years teaching Communication and Public Relations for the University of Dayton. She has also lived and worked in Miami, Florida; Seattle, Washington; Santa Ana, Costa Rica; Paris, France; London, England and now Copenhagen, Denmark. Susan moved to Copenhagen in 2009 with her family and began teaching for Studieskolen in September, 2010. She teaches courses in Negotiations and Presentations, Business English, Conversational English and Written English.
Susan recommends:
Learning English is easy if you practice. Just like a sport, you need lots of repetition to improve. I like to look at the International Herald Tribune online. It is free for a limited time so take advantage of that. I also found some Danish news in English. Check out the Politiken site "newsinenglish". If you want to get offline and outside, there are lots of groups to join such as LINK or the expat group in Copenhagen. These both have sub-groups which meet regularly. If you attend a gathering or join one of the groups, you will be surprised how easy it is to get involved and you will have lots of opportunities to practice English. We tend to be friendly and kind to those making the effort with English – often because we are impressed by people making the effort in a second language!
AURICIA TAMA-SWEET has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Teaching. She lived in various states in America before deciding to blend her passion for travel and learning by teaching overseas. Auricia has taught in China, Guatemala, and Denmark. Having studied foreign languages herself, she knows how important it is to create a relaxing and supportive learning environment where each student can have fun and succeed!
Auricia recommends:
Places to visit in Oregon: If you find yourself in America, make your way to southern Oregon and the wonderful town of Ashland. Nestled in the valley of Mt. Ashland and about a one and a half hour’s drive from the Pacific Coast, it is an ideal setting for a variety of outdoor recreation activities like fishing, hiking, camping, river rafting, and wine tasting.
Culture in Oregon: See a play at the world renowned Shakespeare Festival or eat a picnic while watching live music at the Britt Festival in nearby Jacksonville.
Food and drink in Oregon: There are an abundance of farmer's markets and restaurants that use local produce in their menus. Try the Standing Stone Brewery for fantastic local brews and stone baked pizza. If you are a cheese lover, head to Central Point and the Award Winning Rogue Creamery. Vineyards sprinkle the whole region, so make a day of it and do a wine tasting tour - a great way to experience the beauty of the valley.
Literature: Everything Barbara Kingsolver has ever written, especially her book Small Wonder: Essays. Another way to find interesting and relevant English reading is to browse the New York Times International, which you can access through the internet for free. Nicholas Kristoff has an excellent blog that often reflects on contemporary issues in insightful and amusing ways.
STEVEN TRIER-TETT studied English and Drama at Lancaster University and has a master’s degree in Literary Studies, specialising in modern British political drama, from the University of the West of England. He also has a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults from St. Giles International School of English in Brighton. Steven grew up in Portsmouth on the south coast of England, where he has a past as a singer and lyricist in several local indie bands and was involved in various theatre projects as an amateur actor. A love of music, film and all things cultural still characterises his interests today. Steven has lived in Denmark since 1997, has taught English since 1998 and has taught at Studieskolen since 2000. He is married to a Dane and has two sons.
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