Joining A-KEEP’s Mission

I have introduced myself as “an ESL teacher” for a number of years now. With a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [TESOL], and nearly 10 years of experience teaching (and sometimes administrating) in various educational settings, I have found a lot of joy in interacting with internationals from nearly every continent.  But how did that lead to working with A-KEEP?   

  My husband and I first became acquainted with A-KEEP in 2019.  They provided Korean Introduction classes to the students of LEAD Academy, one of whom was our son.  This acquaintance grew in 2021 when our family hosted one of the interns from a group of Korean education university interns.  (A partnership between the Korean Ministry of Education and Alabama State Department of Education through A-KEEP afforded the interns a month in Montgomery observing and learning about American elementary and secondary education.)  Through involvement in those and other A-KEEP activities, I finally met the Executive Director, Meesoon Han.  This introduction led to multiple conversations, one of which recently prompted Mrs. Han to invite me to join A-KEEP in their mission of providing multilingual, multicultural diversity education in Alabama.  The more I learn about A-KEEP, the more I realize the unlimited potential of this organization.  I am now thrilled to be using my gifts and experience in cross-cultural communication, second language curriculum development, teaching, and teacher mentorship.  I enjoy working with the great team at A-KEEP and look forward to assisting in the continued growth of this unique organization. 

By Sharon Hobbie