After working as an advisor and mentor in higher education for a number of years, Madelyn Cardenas decided it was time to pursue her true passion: teaching English.

“Many times throughout my life I contemplated the possibility of teaching English as a second or other language,” said Madelyn. “My heart has always been with serving others, in particular teaching and mentoring.”

After making this decision, Madelyn got her master’s degree and graduate-level TESOL certification. To gain teaching experience, she volunteered as a teacher assistant and offered tutoring services.

In January 2022, she officially became a teacher.

Madelyn Cardenas is pictured here.

Madelyn currently works at the Adult Learning Center which is offered through the Virginia Beach City Public Schools district in Virginia. She teaches adults at the beginner level.

“I feel truly fortunate to be part of the Adult Learning Center,” said Madelyn. “The staff are exceptional. The teachers have been key role models and their passion for teaching is contagious.”

For Madelyn, a typical day of teaching starts at 8:30 am. She teaches two classes a day.

In between classes, she plans upcoming lessons, answers emails, and attends meetings when required.

Madelyn and a few students from her afternoon class are pictured here.

How Madelyn uses Ellii in the classroom

Madelyn usually starts each class with a warm-up activity that relates to the lesson material. This is often a worksheet from an Ellii lesson.

She presents the lesson topic while encouraging student participation. Students then work on an activity in pairs or in groups. This can be a worksheet or a related game. If there’s new vocabulary to learn, Madelyn uses Ellii flashcards.

Finally, they work through an Ellii lesson. This can be done individually or as a group. If there’s a related grammar target in the lesson, Madelyn will show a video from Ellii's YouTube channel that explains the grammar target in question.

One of her favorite Ellii resources to break out in class is our Prepositions of Place: In & On resource from our Grammar & Usage section.

“The images are fun and simple to explain and understand for my level of students,” Madelyn said. “They enjoyed the images and the activities.”

Check out Madelyn's text response below to learn more about why she loves Ellii and how she uses it with her students.

Want the chance to be featured in our Teacher Feature series? Visit our 20th Anniversary Giveaway blog post to tell us why you love Ellii and how you use it in your classroom.