TESOL Student Finds Support, Encouragement, and Guidance at St. John’s
A busy working professional and mother of four, Ji Eun Yi sought an online program to pursue advanced Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certification. “I found no better program than St. John’s,” she stressed.
“While some might worry that online courses lack the quality of in-person classes, the St. John’s TESOL program exceeded all expectations. The high standards of the curriculum, combined with the professors’ attentive guidance and constructive feedback, made me feel genuinely respected and valued as a student.”
Ms. Yi is part of the TESOL Dean’s Scholarship program offered by The School of Education. “Many learners I work with are English New Language (ENL) students,” she explained. “Through the TESOL Advanced Certificate program at St. John’s, I explored diverse teaching methods tailored to meet their needs.”
Ms. Yi, a native of South Korea, teaches world language at a local public high school and Korean language and culture to students at a Saturday Korean school, and provides Korean language instruction at the Queens Public Library.
She observed, “While some might worry that online courses lack the quality of in-person classes, the St. John’s TESOL program exceeded all expectations. The high standards of the curriculum, combined with the professors’ attentive guidance and constructive feedback, made me feel genuinely respected and valued as a student.”
Ms. Yi appreciated that St. John’s is a Catholic and Vincentian institution focused on principles of service. “What impressed me most was the genuine care and feedback professors give students. When I began my studies, the professors provided support to help me prepare for real-world school settings.”
Calling her time at St. John’s “transformative,” Ms. Yi stressed the TESOL program “has equipped me with diverse teaching strategies and a deeper understanding of how to support ENL students effectively. The rigorous curriculum enhanced my ability to address the unique needs of multilingual learners.”
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