Tag: international

Some Days

November 28, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Recently, I had the nice experience of helping a South Korean adult student study his English. I use a platform that allows me to help students through general conversations with whatever they would like to discuss or by using structured lessons.

I prefer logging in when I have extra time, I rarely have regularly scheduled students. I prefer not having a set schedule whereas I am able to engage with people who choose to call me when we both happen to be online. We make a good match, because they can look at my profile and/or intro video and decide if they would like to use their lesson time with me. I once volunteered teaching English as a second language for a couple years on a set schedule in DC, 6 months alongside other volunteer work in Peru and again when I explored church for a while. The online space has opened it up to me again.

The students are from a variety of countries with different goals for learning English, which could be professional, academic or as a hobby. I enjoy getting to meet them and even seeing that some of them select me again when we happen to be online at the same time again.

The online English tutoring platform is where I spend some of my spare time, only keeping a set schedule from time to time, when students especially request it. Now that I work as a full-time freelance translator following a long line of other work experience (most recently in non-profits), I like having this additional side space as it still speaks to my literary and language passions and sharing international experiences.

Life Curious

NOVEMBER 30, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
2019 DC Embassy Chef Challenge

Finally, I had the chance to get back to working on some of my additional interests, despite my good problems of having an abundance of freelance work and intermittent not so sleep-fulfilled nights.

When I first moved to the Washington, D.C area from the Midwest, I volunteered with learners of English as a Second Language.

Seems like a lifetime ago, but I also recall I was a part of the “Conversation Language Program” at Ohio State. I was fairly free with my schedule back in college (though it was filled with working, classes and hanging with friends). I worked through times of coping while at the same time enjoying myself in a lot of ways. Life never pretended to be just black and white. There were challenging times to mirror the mostly delightful ones. Overwhelmingly, I was free in the way I was willing to explore all my interests. Seeing all the opportunities available to me, I knew many of them would be international in scope and involve languages. Though not inclusive of all my passions, these interests would absolutely take up most of my intrigue.

Fast forward to now. Recently, as I started teaching on a virtual English learning platform and otherwise assisting language learners in various ways, memories of both college and my first couple of years in D.C. played on my mind. My interests were piqued by being able to now work with someone in a more tech-savvy way and the value the students and the company place on the program is refreshing. I am on the platform just a little here and there, as my schedule permits, I find it quite nice that diligent teachers can do well.. I hope to get amazingly organized. Someday. The old school part of me recalls just being impressed with downloadable lesson plans I could walk through with my co-teacher on-site, in a classroom.

Primarily being from a small city, I will always remember college as the global introduction I welcomed from the world. I was fortunate to be in a space early on including both domestic and international friends and acquaintances and finally fortunate to be traveling and sharing. I look forward to meeting more people when I continue and especially sharing our distinctions and how similar we all tend to be.