James Klopp

Background

About James Klopp

After returning from teaching English to university students in Santiago, Chile, I joined Colorado State's Teaching English as a Foreign Language MA program in Fort Collins. I have had the honor of receiving the TESL/TEFL scholarship for my work as the Community Outreach Officer for our program's Graduate Student Association Committee and coordinated our program's fifth annual Literacy Night in north Fort Collins, an engaging and interactive program for low-income households in Fort Collins focused on literacy development. In addition to Literacy night, I helped our GSA committee plan and implement various fundraisers, securing the greatest amount of funds at our disposal since the initial inception of the committee. I spent my time in graduate school employed as a youth counselor in a juvenile residential treatment facility where I received intensive training in crisis deescalation, counseling techniques, and CPR/First Aid, CPI, and QMAP certifications. I also served as a Family Advocate through the Jacob Center, working with children and their families one-on-one to connect them with resources in the community and encourage their involvement in pro-social activities. I enjoyed both jobs very much and while it could be intense, it was incredibly rewarding. I found that much of my work in this field has related and applies to the theories and methods of education I studied, and vice versa. These experiences have added depth to my professional and personal skills. Upon graduation, I accepted a job offer in Guangzhou (Canton), China, seventy-five miles from Hong Kong, working as a Foreign Trainer for Disney English. I instruct two-to-twelve year-olds utilizing a variety of interactive techniques within the communicative approach to language teaching. It is a challenge and I love it! My long term goals are to gain expertise in teaching and work as a consultant or teacher trainer in curriculum design and teaching methodology before pursuing a doctoral degree. Specialties: QMAP certified, CPI certified, CPR/First Aid certified, English language teaching, curriculum design and implementation, bilingual (English & Spanish)