Raymond Ferguson - Associate Principal

 

Hello everyone!

My name is Raymond Ferguson. I am originally from the North of Ireland. For the past 13 years I’ve been living and teaching in the beautiful city of Guangzhou. During my time here, I have worked as an English teacher in a broad range of educational institutions such as universities, kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools. Before coming to Guangzhou, I also taught English at a secondary school in Hungary, and later at a financial company in Germany. I am currently in my seventh year of work in Clifford Secondary English Program, where before becoming Associate Principal of the English Language Program this year, I taught on the Chinese American High School Program and also in grades 7, 8 and 9 secondary English program.

 

Ted Anderson

 

 

I am Ted Anderson and I am from Toronto, Canada. I have a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, a Master’s degree from Ritsumeikan in Kyoto as well as a teaching certificate from the American Board and a CELTA ESL certificate from Cambridge.  I have taught middle school English in Japan for one year, AP History and Economics at Guangzhou Number Six School for five years and I have been working at Clifford since March of 2020.  I currently teach grade 7 and grade 10 on our English Language Program.

 

I look forward to another year at this excellent institution.

 

David May

My name is David May, and I am originally from Canada. I completed my undergraduate studies in Canada before later coming to Asia to teach and study. Since arriving in China in 2015, I have enjoyed teaching Social Studies and ELA for programs in Shangahi, Tianjin, and Guangzhou. I began teaching English in the Bilingual Secondary section at Clifford in 2021.

 

Adam Kaynak

 

Hello, my name is Adam Kaynak. I am from England, London. I have a bachelor of arts in English Language and Literature, pedagogical formation certificate and master’s degree in OHS. I have been teaching English for 5 years, and this is my third year teaching in China. I began teaching at Clifford school in 2020 and I teach grades 7 and 9.

 

I am looking forward to having a great new semester.

Alicia Maldonado

Hi! My name is Alicia Maldonado, and I’m from the US. I graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BA in English with an English teaching certificate for grades 8-12. I started my teaching career in 2010 and have taught in the US and China. I started teaching at Clifford in 2018, and I have taught English for grades 7-9.


My focus is to help all my students improve their English skills so that they can better understand and communicate in English and be successful in their future English goals. 

 

Steve Lum

 

My name is Steven Lum and I come from Carlsbad, California. I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in education. I have been teaching for more than 20 years, starting in Japan, then to Thailand, and finally China. I started working in Clifford in 2021 where I currently instruct grades 7 and 9.

 

My hope is to create an environment of learning, support, and creativity where students can reach their full potential in their academics and personal growth.

 

 

Tashiel Hargovan

My name is Tashiel Hargovan, and I am originally from South Africa. I have a Master's degree in Business, a Bachelor's degree in Financial Management, a PGCE, a TEFL C, and I am Celta Certified. I have11 years experience teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea and China.  I came to Clifford in 2021 to teach English in the Bilingual Secondary English language Program to grade 8 and 9 students.

 

My classroom quote comes from Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

 

Jeff Walker

 

Hi, I am Mr. Walker, and I am from Houston, Texas. I have lived in China with my beautiful wife, son and newborn daughter for about five years now. This is my fourth year teaching in Clifford Secondary Bilingual! Two years before this, I was teaching at Clifford Bilingual Elementary. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and a teaching certificate in grades 6-12 for Business Education. I also have a Teaching English as a Second Language certificate. Before moving to China, I was teaching high school and coaching football and baseball in Houston, Texas. I love teaching older students, because you can teach them more than just academic studies but also how to be a good person to others.

 

This will be a great year, and I can’t wait to see their progress throughout the year as students and young adults. 

 

 

Yvette Stolk

 

My name is Yvette Stolk. I am originally from Alberta, Canada. After working 29 years in administration, I went back to school in 2013, and I obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree. I began a career in teaching in 2013 in Sri Lanka. I then moved on to the UAE, and eventually moved to China in 2019. I began teaching at Clifford in 2020 where I am currently teaching grade 8 and 9. I believe in creating a positive learning environment where students learn together and from each other and are not afraid to make mistakes.

 

 

My passion for teaching continues to grow as I watch students change and develop throughout the course of the year. It is a sheer delight when a student realizes what they CAN do. 

 Michael Harrison

 

•    Hello, my name is Michael Harrison. I am from Manchester, England.  I first started teaching in 1999 in Budapest, Hungary. I lived there along with my wife for more than 15 years. I have a Bachelor of Education in English.  I am now teaching Grade 7 at Clifford School, and excited for the year ahead. I want my students to understand that to learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.

 

 Joanna Zhou

 

•   Hi! My name is Joanna Xia Zhou. I am so excited coming back to Clifford to teach again! I taught here 15 years ago from Grade 7 to Grade 12, then I moved to the United States and got my Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (teach English to speakers of other languages) certificate in Georgia State University. I am a certified educator in Georgia and I have taught private college and public schools in the US before I came back to China. I am teaching 7th grade and 11th grade this year. I look forward to getting to know my students and help them to fall in love with English language learning!