Shannon Zimmerman

Hello! I’m writing to you from a small mountainous city in Minas Gerais, Brazil. I’ve lived here since 2010 teaching English. learning Portuguese and raising my daughter Maya. It’s been a wild ride and I’m grateful for every moment because I have learned so much about life, love and languages. I arrived in Brazil as a blank slate – I didn’t know any Portuguese! As a teacher, this is so valuable because I understand profoundly the trials and tribulations of learning a language.

When I first arrived in Brazil, I taught at a language school for about a year but soon realized I liked teaching privately more. I’m a creative and working independently allowed me the freedom to explore that creativity. Each student or group of students is unique and I like the challenge of each class being different. It’s important to allow each student to explore the language learning process naturally and curiously.

My students have been all different ages and from all different backgrounds: Elementary school, high school, University, retired students, business students and travelers. I have taken groups of students on weekend long English retreats and hosted monthly meet ups. Right now, two teacher friends and I are getting ready to teach groups of children through art, music and dance. We’re so excited!

…and guess what!

I’m here on this blog because pretty soon I will be setting off on an even greater journey. I’m returning to the U.S. after six years! I want to continue teaching English and the best way to do that will be right here, on the internet! I can’t wait to see what new adventures await me here. Who will I meet? Who will I learn and grow with?

Lets find out…

xoxo

Shannon