"I'm half French/half Irish, I look Spanish and I sound American." This is how our English and French teacher, Kevin Michael Cabrera describes himself. It’s a cultural delight for our students from the moment he enters the classroom! Mr Kevin, as he is affectionately known to his students, likes to joke that when he is teaching English, he is from Ireland but when he teaches French, he is from France. It’s this type of commitment, creativity and energy that makes his classes engaging and exciting.
Mr Kevin graduated from France with a Bachelor's Degree and a TEFL certificate. He then earned a diploma from Harvard Business School. Since 2009, he has been teaching around the world and has worked in schools and language centres, teaching everything from Phonics to business English, interview preparation and adult conversational classes. We have been lucky enough to have him on our faculty for almost two years now.
Most teachers pursue a career in education because they are following a passion. This can certainly be said of Mr Kevin. “I enjoy learning as much as I enjoy teaching and I want to share that with my students” he says. With his impressive qualifications and unique teaching style, any school would have grabbed at the opportunity to have Mr Kevin on their team. We asked why he chose ME Education and this was his answer. “I am given a lot of freedom as far as my class material and how I implement my learning plan. I also have support from the team if I need it and my time and hard work is recognised and respected. There are also opportunities to branch out and be involved in different curriculums, student demographics and complementary aspects of the business.” We work hard to make our school a stimulating and exciting place for our students as well as our teachers and Mr Kevin’s feedback ensures us that we are on the right track.
Teaching two languages is impressive and Mr Kevin loves the challenges it brings. He is a linguist at heart and wants his students to appreciate languages and their quirks as much as he does. He describes his teaching style as 'closer to mentoring and explaining concepts as part of an overall curriculum.' He believes that the student needs to be informed of the "why" behind the method being used. The mood in his class is always active and aware, communicative and focused. Mr Kevin works to foster an environment where mistakes are a part of the learning process. An average day in his classroom includes discussion and conversation, focus and hard work, and a few jokes along the way.
For his younger students, Mr Kevin wants them to enjoy learning and foster their curiosity. He also wants them to succeed in whatever exam/school interview they are preparing for, with flying colours. For his older students, he wants them to appreciate and utilise the idiosyncrasies of their target language in order to reach their goals – be they personal or professional.
When it comes to learning and exams, Mr Kevin offers this advice. "For learning, I would recommend trying to understand a subject inside-out. Approach it with the angle of needing to present it to an uninformed audience. For exam prep, I believe that situational training is the way to go. Practice in the same conditions you will have for your exam, come prepared and write a plan for your written compositions. Above all, don’t forget to manage your time!"
Robert Sternberg, an American psychologist and psychometrician, is quoted as saying, "there is no recipe that makes a great teacher, that’s what is unique about them."
Mr Kevin is one of those unique and wonderful teachers that make up part of our world-class faculty and we are proud and grateful to have him on the team.
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"I would like to thank ME and Mr Kevin a lot for their professional help in the past two years. They have provided me unconditional support on my French and helped me not only to achieve the great grades on paper, but more importantly also shaped me into a better and more knowledgeable person in general."
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