Welcome to our
English Language Institute faculty section. On the next few pages,
you can meet some of our instructors. 
I am Gail Kellersberger, the Director of the ELI. I have a highly
experienced group of instructors to help you learn English quickly and
well. They are also the type of people that you can have fun with
and talk to when you need someone to help you with special situations.
Let me introduce myself to you first. I am a writer, an artist,
a teacher and an administrator. I have worked at the ELI for many
years, as an instructor and in administrative positions. I care
very deeply about the quality of our our ELI program, and I am committed
to making each student's experience with us the very best possible one.
You can come to see me any time--my door is always open! |
Gail Kellersberger |
Lynn Bunker |
Hi! I'm Lynn
Bunker, the Lab Coordinator at the ELI. I am really a farmboy from
a wheat farm in Kansas, but I've lived in big cities and have been a teacher
most of my life.  I
like my work because I get to meet people from all over the world.
Students have a lot of fun in my class. Recently, students have been working
on a newspaper, and they have enjoyed taking photos, interviewing people,
and writing headlines. I like all areas of teaching English, but
I consider writing, grammar, and pronunciation to be my specialties. Traveling,
rock music, and the Internet are my hobbies. I got the "travel bug"
after living in Greece for two and a half years. I've also
visited other places in Europe, Egypt, and many countries in Latin America.
I speak Spanish, and a little Greek and Arabic. |
Hi! My name
is Michelle Estep. I'm a native Texan and have lived in Houston most of
my life. 
I
have been a teacher for several years. The
first part of my career I spent working
in Riga, Latvia. After working as an adjunct for a while, I became full
time a couple of years ago. I really love my work. I especially like teaching
grammar, listening/speaking and writing. I try to give my students the
confidence to go out and speak English every day. Other than work, I spend
most of my time remodeling my house and playing with my dog and three
cats. |
Michelle Estep |
| |
Anne-Marie Valdivia |
Hi. My
name is Anne-Marie Valdivia, and I've been teaching for over 25 years.
I've been at ELI since January of 2002.
I was born in
Egypt and grew up moving all
around the world so I know how it is
to adapt to a new country with a new language. I love my job, especially
watching new students struggle in Level 1 and have wonderful conversations
in English when they reach Level 7. I especially like the atmosphere at
UHD. All our students are happy to be here. They find an environment that
nutures them, motivates them and above all does everything to make them
succeed in learning English. I hope you will come and join us. |
Hi! I'm Rachel
Cherian. I've been teaching here at the ELI since January of 1988.
Growing up in Singapore has provided me with the social and cultural skills
needed to understand and interact effectively with the ethnically diverse
student population at ELI. I believe that learning a language is faster
when one is experiencing it, and I try to bring it into my classroom.
When the students leave, they leave well prepared to apply what was learned
to real life. This is the ultimate test and reward for my teaching.
I hope you'll give me the opportunity to help you learn English, too. |
Rachel Cherian |
Margaret Bullen |
Hi! My
name is Margaret. I have been teaching English for many years.
 I
first started teaching in Central California and Seattle.
Later I moved to Texas to get my Master's degree and have taught in Austin
as well as here at ELI. I've had the opportunity to travel to many
places including Africa and Latin America. I really enjoy working
with people from all over the world and feel I can learn as much from
my students as they learn from me. I look forward to meeting you! |
My name is Valdemar
Phoenix. Because I have an unusual name, many students think that
I come from a foreign country. 
However, I was born in Albany, New York, in the Northeastern part of the
USA. I have been teaching at the English Language Institute since
1987. I have always been interested in different cultures and languages.
That's why I got my BA degree in Anthropology and my MS degree in Teaching
English as a Second Language. I also studied a great deal of science
in the university, so I enjoy teaching English for Science and Technology.
This is especially helpful for students who need to take the TOEFL and
for students who want to study in an American university. I have
been to Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Spain, and I speak Spanish and some
Japanese. |
Valdemar Phoenix |
Marilyn Litke |
I am Marilyn Litke.
For over 25 years I've been teaching English to those new to the United
States. I love what I do.
I help students communicate better and I get to learn about other people
and their countries. I've taught English to adults and I've trained
teachers in English-teaching. I've been teaching at the University
of Houston-Downtown for almost eight years and it's been an exciting time.
Working with young people at the college level is quite a challenge.
The exchanges we have are very stimulating. I am never bored and
I don't think my students are either. I follow one important formula:
work hard, the students work hard, we laugh and we learn. |