Heather Ann Tzanninis

I was fortunate enough to be at Maximo Nivel (MN) in Cusco, Peru last September when Tom Kearin offered his meticulously planned and frankly riveting class in teaching business English. Like my fellow TBEers I had earned my TEFL certification at MN and thus had had ample opportunity to observe Tom, who taught our week-long, full-day class while serving as Maximo Nivel’s General Manager, in action as he donned and exchanged his teaching and managing “hats” with no discernable difficulty. This I would attribute to Tom’s warm, engaging, outer-directed personality and formidable teaching talent. He is a bright, sharp, and engaging instructor who combines the skill set and discipline required for effective TEFL-TESOL teaching with terrific humor and generosity of spirit. I was particularly struck by Tom’s adherence to the careful pacing of his course even as MN administrative matters pressed. Known and liked by everyone at MN, when not in the classroom he seemed to be everywhere else at once. I credit Tom with having virtually saved the grammar paper I wrote as a TEFL student from a bloated lack of focus with some advice he called over his shoulder as he hurried from one MN obligation to another. My fondest ESL-related hope is to continue to benefit from Tom’s talent and example. He is a wonderful instructor and an extremely organized and effective administrator.