About me

Hello! My name is Meher Shaik. I am from India, and I have been living in Canada since 1980. I am proficient in Hindi, Urdu, and Telugu. I am an ESL teacher with a TESL certificate from the University of Toronto, a TESL Ontario Language Instructor certificate, and 14 years of teaching experience. I have taught ESL classes of Toronto school boards (TDSB and TCDSB) and the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. My areas of teaching are test preparation (e. g., TOEFL) and academic English. I have also worked as an examiner for the writing and speaking sections of proficiency tests.

I am interested in teaching English speaking skills to people from the Indian subcontinent. My familiarity with the Indian languages and culture complements my TESL qualifications and experience. Together, these have been important in understanding the effect of Indian languages on English speech. Moreover, my familiarity with Indian culture and traditions has helped me to understand the ways in which Indians interact with other speakers of English. With this insight, I believe I am well-suited to assess your skills and suggest ways to improve your spoken English.

My philosophy is that any language should be spoken with the sounds that are accepted in that language. English is no exception. It is therefore imperative that speakers of English adopt pronunciation of sounds, stress patterns, rhythms, and intonations that are the norm for English. In today’s world, English is one of the most commonly used languages in academia and business. In order to succeed in the 21st century, it is important to be fluent in English and speak it correctly.