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A New Adventure in Teaching

Weekly Topic: When and why did you decide to become a teacher?

Ron Kelly

Hello to all students (and fellow teachers)! I hope 2026 is treating everyone kindly. I’m still new to Cafetalk and the exciting world of teaching English, but it's an adventure I'm truly excited to pursue.

For more than 30 years, I worked primarily in the U.S. magazine publishing industry, where I started off as a fact-checker, then worked my way up to writer, editor, and managing editor. It was a fun and fulfilling career that sent me to Hawaii three times (in a span of just 18 months!), took me to Florida to interview Tom Hanks on the set of his then-current project, and allowed me to work the red carpet of a major Nashville country music awards show, interviewing all the talented artists as they worked their way into the auditorium.

The print/magazine world has changed a lot since I started in it, however, and opportunities are tough to find. These days, I mostly freelance for a few outlets, which itself is a competitive task and challenge. That's why I pursued and obtained my TEFL teaching certificate in 2025, as I wanted another language-based career path for the present and coming years. I love writing and editing, and I love having warm, engaging conversations with people I meet, so Cafetalk seemed like a great fit. Though I'm based in the U.S. now and focused on online teaching opportunities at the present, I do have dual citizenship with Malta, so I hope to someday base myself in Europe and possibly pursue an in-person position at a TEFL school. I love to travel, and I've always yearned to live internationally, so I'm excited to see where my online teaching takes me.

Let me know if any of my courses are of interest to you, and/or if you simply want to chat to improve your English speaking, listening, writing, or comprehension skills. I promise our chats will be fun, and I think you'll learn a lot as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope to meet some of you soon! Until then, here's a photo of me visiting Malta last autumn. I return there mentally every chance I get!


 

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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