Meet Our Staff: Sonja Osborn

For the month of April, we are very excited to introduce one of our TESOL Core Certificate program instructors, Sonja Osborn. Enjoy learning a little bit more about Sonja through the questions and answers below:

1. What type of work did you do before coming to Promise?

As a teenager I did a little telemarketing and a lot of food service. In community college, I was the assistant to the theatre director and played in the family band. During my time at the university, I continued playing in the family band and worked leading study groups for difficult classes. After graduating, I moved to Korea and taught English classes. That is where I hooked up with Promise.

2. What is your education background?

I have a BA in Philosophy and a BA in Education with 4-8 Grade Math/Science teacher certification.

3. How did you learn about Promise?

As I was searching for a third teaching position in Korea, I saw a post on Facebook from a friend who shared about a teaching opportunity with Promise.

4. What drew you to apply/begin working for Promise?

I looked into Promise because the location of the school was in an absolutely gorgeous little town close to my sister. After researching the position, I was very intrigued by the online aspect - the ability to reach students in areas that wouldn’t otherwise have a native speaker with whom to interact. Then, I began to interact with many of the team members and totally fell in love with the whole organization.

5. What is your role with the TESOL program?

I am in instructor for the TESOL program. Up to this point, I have mainly been involved in preparing teacher materials for other instructors and helping to adapt the student materials to fit our program.

6. In addition to your role with our TESOL program, what else do you do for Promise?

I am a teacher for the Cyber School branch of Promise. Beyond that, I collaborate with the team for ideas and projects to help achieve our goals.

7. Where do you live?

Recently, I’m all over the place. I just moved from Korea to Texas for a short time, and then to Arizona. Currently, I am preparing to move to Borneo. I lived in Texas for 25 years, so that is where I typically say that I am from.

8. What do you like to do for fun? Hobbies? Activities?

I love love love to learn new things: physical activities, languages, and music, in particular. Currently, I’m working on learning some modern songs in tribal dialects from the villages in Borneo. I’m also working a lot on learning to play a sport called Sepak Takraw that originates in Asia. I habitually do professional development and self-assessment to continue to grow as a teacher. Other than that, I enjoy writing songs on guitar, practicing yoga, bicycling, reading/listening to audiobooks and podcasts, journaling, photography, traveling with my dogs and loved ones, playing music with my loved ones, and occasionally getting hooked on a great TV show with my friends or family.

9. Favorite Inspirational Quote?

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action,and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate YOU. Keep the channel open.” - Martha Graham

Thank you so much Sonja for sharing! Our TESOL students are blessed to have you as an instructor!