Peter Almeda from the USA

Hello! My name is Peter Almeda. I'm originally from Boston, in the USA, where I earned a degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts. I also hold a CELTA certification from the University of Cambridge. In 2014 I arrived in China to pursue a teaching career. It has been a wonderful experience.

I initially spent two years in Chenzhou, a small city in Hunan Province. I grew immensely fond of the lush green countryside and fiery cuisine of my new home, but the allure of China's capital proved too strong, and so I moved to Beijing in 2016 to accept a position with Beijing Polytechnic College.

My time at BPC has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life. I have endeavored to provide our students with a solid foundation in the English language, and I personally take great pride in the accomplishments and hard work of the International English Department: I've truly been privileged to work with so many highly talented educators, and it's been a joy to witness the achievements of our students.

In my free time I enjoy listening to music, watching basketball, exploring Asia, and (of course!) studying Chinese.

I look forward to continuing to serve our students, their families, and the wider BPC community in the days ahead.

SIMI from the UK

I started teaching English at Beijing Polytechnic College in April 2019. During my time here, I have had the joy of teaching wonderfully diverse students, all ranges of academic ability, from junior high to adult classes.

MY GOAL is to create lessons that will enrich the English classroom experience for students. I support methodology that allows for student autonomy, CONFIDENCE in communication, and one that encourages a KEEN INTEREST in language that students can develop further, later on in their lives. I am committed to the individual educational needs of my students, and to providing a safe and encouraging space, without judgement, for all. I am also a lifelong student myself, and I continue to study in my free time.

I am from the United Kingdom, I graduated from The University of Warwick, where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. In 2008, I completed a TEFL course and thereafter I received my Cambridge CELTA qualification from International House London.

Through my work, I have taught in a few different countries around the world, in Europe and Asia. I have taught students from Brazil, France, Saudi Arabia, to Singapore, Russia and Japan. I have taken INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS around the UK, showing them the CULTURE and encouraging NATURAL LANGUAGE use in ‘REAL LIFE’ settings. I have prepared students in different countries for national SPEAKING COMPETITIONS, as well as being a contest judge myself.

At BPC, I was on the team that prepared our college students for the FLTRP cup in December 2019. Our incredible student finished in first place in the ‘all China’ level. The students’ efforts and achievements during our in-house competitions have impressed me greatly.

"So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall." – Roald Dahl

To be honest, although I come from family of BOOKWORMS, my love for reading only came LATER ON IN LIFE. One day, I picked up ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by ‘Lucy Maud Montgomery, and I didn’t put it down until the early hours of the next morning. I had fallen in love.

I identified with the main character Anne immediately, an imaginative, dramatic and sensitive young girl, also very talkative, especially when it came to her fantasies and dreams. I saw my younger self in her, and she became a kindred spirit. Seeing the world through her eyes was a joy!

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin.

Have you ever wondered who you are? Have you ever wondered who you would like to be? Perhaps, like me, you have waited for the voices of others to tell you the answer. Well, I think we already know the answer, somewhere deep inside of us. We know what we love, what we are passionate about, we know what feels right. What we should know is that once we begin to believe in ourselves, we will be able to hear the answers loud and clear. Once you do that, the sky is the limit! You can achieve anything.

Trust yourself.

…and if you won’t take my word for it, read this short and sweet book. – ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach.

(If you would like to try the English version – I’ll lend you my copy, I warn you – it’s a little tattered, I’ve read it more than once!)

Books are very powerful, you know this, your teachers tell you all the time, right?! What you may NOT know, is that a single book can change your whole life overnight. Just like milestones, a degree certificate, a driver’s licence, you name it! A book can have a profound effect on your journey in this world. Most people I know can name the book that changed their lives. Perhaps you haven’t found yours yet… in the meantime I’d like to share mine with you - ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho.

I am a huge fan of AUDIOBOOKS too, so if you prefer listening, or you find it difficult to sit and focus on page after page of a book, just find an APP and download some great audio books. –Enjoy

What can I say about life during the pandemic?

Well, it has been extremely challenging to say the least. Coronavirus wreaked havoc on the whole world, and trying to adjust to a ‘new normal’ has been a bitter pill to swallow for all of us. Wearing masks, social distancing and other huge day-to-day changes have transformed life as we know it. Not being allowed to travel, closing down businesses, and making drastic changes to our everyday lives are among the many hurdles that we have all faced this year. Most significantly, we have had to face death, many lives have been lost during this time, and we continue to lose people even now, our thoughts and prayers are with them as we try to weather the storm. Yet, we have faced all of this together, and our shared experience has only proved that the world is a small place, and we are closer and more connected than we think. We must not lose sight of that.

Though the upheaval caused by the virus has left a bitter taste in our mouths, there has been a silver lining for some. People have been endeavouring to try new things, things they have always wanted to do, but inevitably left on the backburner. People are spending more quality time with their families, actually having deep and meaningful conversations. I, personally, have been enjoying my audiobooks, cooking new things, learning new things, and just thinking about my goals. I think a lot of us have discovered a lot about ourselves over the last eight months. Time has been stolen from so many, yes, yet it has been gifted to many too, people have appreciated this time and have used it to grow – I hope you have done the same.

Well done for getting through it! Very soon we will go back to greeting friends with kisses on the cheek, and chatting to strangers we sit next to on the bus. As a world, I believe we will persevere! Together.