About me – personal
I run CELT Athens, a Teacher Development centre based in the capital of Greece, and am Course Supervisor for all courses, including the Cambridge CELTA & Delta and a multitude of shorter and longer online courses & and workshops we run throughout the year.
I have written materials (Basic Grammar Workbooks 1, 2, & 3 published by English Schoolbook Publications), activity books for Cambridge Exams set texts, and numerous articles on Language, Foreign Language Teaching and Education. Apart from this blog, I maintain a number of other blogs as well, the Cambridge CELTA Blog, the Cambridge Delta Blog as well as help maintain and write for the ELTchat Blog and website
But teaching or teacher education were not what I set out to do.
I started out to be a musician and studied classical singing but at some point, like many of us, ‘fell into’ teaching. I have attended numerous workshops and teacher development courses but my main qualifications are the RSA Diploma in TEFLA (DTEFLA) and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Reading in the UK.
There is a lot more about me on my website if you want to find out my teaching experience and the sort of programmes I have run as a teacher educator. Come to think of it, there is a lot of me on that website anyway, whether it is my biography or not, my centre is my life’s work and I run it without compromises and with great pride. Possibly, this is why I shall never be rich – in terms of money that is… not otherwise.
I have taught and trained teachers for far too long to want to tell anyone any longer. But I still and always feel like a novice and consider myself to be a lifelong learner. This blog is about things that matter to me in foreign language teaching and teacher education but it’s also about my interest and excitement with new technologies. I see it very much as a learning tool but it has also turned out to be a great communication tool which has engaged me in dialogue with colleagues from all over the world. This is one aspect of blogging which I find absolutely priceless.
But life is also other stuff, so may be you might like to know that my hobbies include writing songs/music of which I have no digital samples to show here. I also love doing watercolours. I am rather erratic in both pursuits, a conscious decision. I have a tendency to spread myself rather thin, so there was a point in the past when I decided to dedicate myself more fully to teaching and teacher education.
But here is an example of a watercolour I did on the island of Serifos some years ago.
I am a city girl and live and work in the heart of Athens. I love the outdoors but for work I would not have it any other way. Here are some photos of my school and trainees.
Showing you some of my past! Love this collection of images from my previous location, at Adacemias street
So maybe these images give you some idea about me and how I live my professional life.
But despite my musical beginnings (and my musical family) or my interest in art, my main interest always remains teaching and helping teachers (experienced and new) reach their full potential.
My School website; click to browse our courses
I really admire your fabulous work!!!Thank you for helping me setting up a career in teaching and meeting lots of lovely people!!!CELTA is and always will be my “mental” home as far as teaching is concerned!!!Please do continue like this my dear!!!
Hello Yianni mou!
You have found your way to my blog! Delighted! Hope you liked your photo teaching in the little video I made!
Thank you for your kind words and your excitement about teaching – do stay connected and don’t, please don’t keep staying away from this focal point: Twitter.
I hope I will soon be in touch with you there!
Hi Marisa,
I really admired what u are doing in the field of education.Your biography is that of a self-made woman who made her way forward thanks to determination and self confidence.Your blog is also great.
I wish U more succeess.
Sincerely,
Hamdi
Dear Ms. Constantinides:
I enjoy reading your blog, and was wondering if you would like to do a link exchange. My book blog’s url is educationanddeconstruction.com. Every week, I make a nonfiction book recommendation in the topic areas of education, history, technology, biography and/or humor. I have already put up your link. Please reply if you would like to do a link exchange. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sally Friedman
Hi Marisa
I love your watercolour and am sure your music is wonderful too! On BBC Radio 4, there is the programme Desrt Island Discs. Do you know it? Guests talk about their lives, and imagine, if they were stranded on a desert island, what favourite songs they’d pick. They also get to pick one thing to have with them. Like you, I love both art and music, and I can’t decide which I’d go for, a piano or notebook. Fortunately I’m not stranded and can indulge in both, or spread myself thinly, as you say. What would you take?
David
Thanks for your kind comments about watercolour dabblings and vote of confidence about my music.
I would take the music if I had more time to dedicate to it, David.
hi marisaki you are the person that taught me so many things about teaching an d i never forget the good and hard times i passed as a new teacher [20 yrs passed-can you believe it]still i always keep the values and the motivation to find interesting teaching methods for my students and my son i liked so much the teaching experience that now i found free time i decided to go in for an MA TESOL [sky is the limit] much love [AN RSA GRIA]
Sky’s the limit, indeed, Maria!
Great to see you have found your way to this blog, the CELT alumini network and I hope this leads you to other great blogs and, eventually, who knows, may be even your own!
I think it would be a great tool for your reflections as an MA TESOL student.
Stay in touch!
Dear Madam:
I’ve just discovered your profile thru’ this blogsite. And i have to say you are really a resourceful person. My another hunch is you are also a good teacher trainer.
Well, i’m from Bangladesh, but now I’m teaching in Saudi Arabia. While browsing your profile, I’ve seen you’ve uploaded links to some of Henry Widdowson’s books. Unfortunately, the links are no more working. Would it be possible for you to send those books to my email? My email is: zasain51@yahoo.com.
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
I am sorry but I’m afraid I cannot do this – I did not download them because I already had them in my library
Marisa
I have shared your blog with my colleagues. Thank you for sharing
Thank you very much, Jo.
Marisa
Hiii Marisa, I simply love your blog. I’m an English Teacher in Brazil and I’m planning to do a MA in UK to teach international students, just like you, it’s a dream. I love English and England and also the mix of cultures we can find in a classroom with students from everywhere in the world. I have lived in Cambridge before and I’m passionate for that city.
You didn’t mention where you are from, but I know you teach in Greece right?!
Nice to know that you are a supervisor of a Translation course, as I have done a post graduation course in Translation, and I work with it as well.
Hope to meet you face to face one day!
You are doing a WONDERFUL job!
Lotsss of success for you!
CHEERSSS
XXX
Hi and thank you for your kind comments 🙂
I am from Greece and hope to meet you – hopefully in Brazil where I was recently for the BrazTESOL conference and loved it!
Marisa
Visit my blog! http://www.naiaranega.tumblr.com/
CHEERSSS
XXX