Our Team

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

My name is Damla Erkiner. Since September 2011, I have been working as the Head of the Foreign Languages Department at ISTEK Acıbadem High School. I graduated from Istanbul University with a B.A. degree in English Language & Literature. Since the beginning of this year, I have been studying in the Applied Linguistics and TESOL Master Program at University of Leicester, UK.

Previously, I worked as CAS (Creativity-Action-Service) Projects Coordinator in the IB (International Baccalaureate) DP (Diploma Program) at the Koc School where I also taught supportive English and translation courses. In addition, I have been teaching IELTS and TOEFL preparation courses for a long time. I am a certified translator as well as an IB examiner in English B Standard Level Paper 1.

To my understanding, learning is a life-long journey and as Albert Einstein once said: “The greatest insanity is to keep doing the same thing the same way and expect a different result“.  With this in mind, teachers are not really different from their students as they are also responsible for improving themselves in their field.

My team and I will be more than happy to answer your queries!

 

Hi everyone!

My name is Jale Özsezikli. I have been teaching for seven years. It’s my first year in İSTEK Acıbadem. I’m pretty enthusiastic and content to be a part of this family. I graduated from Marmara University ELT Department in2005. Inmy first year I was teaching to primary and nursery school students. Nevertheless, due to my personal choice in the following years I began to teach to high school students. I was the coordinator of a European Project called Comenius for two years and created various projects related to it. I consider a person who dares to teach must never cease to learn. Thus, I truly believe in self development and life long learning. That’s why I try to take courses and seminars all the time. Apart from English, I speak Spanish and a little bit of German. In my free time I love travelling, reading, scuba diving and Latin dancing.

Teaching is a passion for me and a classroom is the only place that I feel so glad and highly motivated. Students brighten my world!

 

Hello everyone!

My name is Lidija Krekman, and I am from Canada.  I have taught English in Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Croatia.  I have also worked in Human Resources, Training and Development.  I completed my B.A., majoring in English at University of Toronto, Canada, followed by an M.A. in Comparative Literature and Linguistics at University of Zagreb, Croatia,as well as a M.B.A. at Reading University, Henley Management College in the U.K..  This is my second year at Istek.  Last year was an amazing and successful year, and I look foreword to seeing my students and colleagues again this year.

Hello everyone,

My name is Oliver Hurtter and I am from the United Kingdom. However, I have been livıng and teaching for the past nine years in China and Hong Kong. I studied at the University of Hong Kong and received my B.E degree in Education. In addition, I did my TEFL certifıcate in London as well as some counseling courses at the London School of Counseling and Therapy. It’s my first year here in Istanbul and at İstek and I am very excited about it. I am looking forward to a new and enriching teaching experience in Turkey.

Hello everyone!

I’m İpek Tarman. I was born in Ankara, where I spent all my childhood. When I was a kid, I used to dream about two things: Living in İstanbul and being an English teacher. I should admit that I also dreamt about being a chocolate maker but then, I thought I would either get fired in no time because of eating most of the chocolate or end up as an overweight woman if I did that! So I decided to be reasonable and realize my main dreams. I moved to İstanbul, graduated from İstanbul University with a B.A degree in American Culture and Literature and then got an M.A. degree in Educational Administration from Yeditepe University. Finally all my dreams came true and I became an English teacher in this lovely city!

I’ve been working for İstek Schools for seven years and I’m as enthusiastic as I was on my first day of teaching. To me, the luckiest people are the ones who are doing the job they love and I’m so happy to be one of them…

“ Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”                                                                                                                            Confucius

Hi, everyone.  My name is Ginny Cotton.  Ginny is short for Virginia.  I am British and taught English Language, Literature and Drama to British students for nearly 30 years before taking and M.A in Linguistics and develpoing an interest in teaching English as a Foreign Language. I am also an examiner fo IB, Cambridge and AQA.  I have taught Chinese and German students for a few years in England but this is the first time I have lived and worked abroad which is very exciting for me.  I like living in Istanbu,l and at weekends and in holidays I try to see of much of Turkey as I can because I love travelling and visiting new places.  My Turkish is not very good but I can understand quite a bit now.  I have three daughters, Rachel (24),  Helen (21) and Lizzie (20.)   They are all at university.  Rachel is studying Law, Helen is studying Medicine and Lizzie is going to be a Physiotherapist for animals.  I live in Devon, in England, which is in the SouthWest of the country.  It has quite a mild climate but is wet.  The scenery is very beautiful there as there are not any large cities like Istanbul and one part of my house is a 16th century farmhouse.

Hi! My name’s Ben. I’m from America and I’ve been here for five years. My main teaching focus for the past few years has been with the prep level. I look forward to reading your comments and posts.

 

Hi everyone!

My name is Sevtap Ayal. I started smelling the chalk dust at a Private School at an early age, thirty- three years ago and since then I’ve never had a break, and I hopefully never will. I often think that teaching is not what I do- it is who I am. It has always been an essential part of my life. The students fuel my soul and guide me in this amazing journey of teaching.

‘If it is raining outside or in my heart a warm thought of it makes the sunshine start!’  This is the motto that I will pass on to my collegues.

Hi everyone. I am Tamer Çetintaş. I have been teaching since 1985 when I fırst started at Yükseliş College in Ankara. Then I went on teaching  at Seymen College between 1993 and 1999.After the  experience of these years  at schools, I decided to take up a new field at Dilko and FDD. I have to mention that I love this job as I have achieved everyhing by the help of it.Working successfully till my last breath is my  sole aim and dream that could only be shared by my students.

My name is Lisa Sadıkoğlu. I have been working at Istek Acıbadem for six years in the high school. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to teach all levels of instruction and to teach some very intelligent, creative and sweet young people. I have also been fortunate to have met some wonderful Turkish, as well as foreign colleagues, who I consider more than just people I work with – I truly consider many of them as my cherished friends. I have been a teacher for twenty-one years and this profession has inspired me on a regular basis and provided me with many challenges but also many joyful moments. I look forward to more years of teaching the youth of this country.

Hello everybody!

My name is Zeynep Kıvılcım and this is my first year at İstek Acıbadem High School. I graduated from İstanbul Kültür University with a B.A. degree in English Language and Literature. My teachers at Kültür College and Kabataş Erkek Anatolian High School were one of the great inspiration sources in my life that is why I decided to be the same source in other people’s lives. So I became a teacher. I am also an oral examiner of Cambridge ESOL exams (Starters, Movers, Flyers, KET, PET) and a certificated student coach. I worship the sea; I am an advanced scuba diver and a promising diving instructor. I adore basketball and theatre. I believe a world without literature, art, music and sports would not only be unbearable but also unimaginable. William Arthur Ward once said ‘The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.’ I aim to be in the last group. J Learning is fun-tastic! So I hope we all have a great academic year! “Decide, commit, succeed” – and have fun!!!

Hi Everyone ,

My name is Tuğçe Kartal Ay.Although this is my first year at İstek Acıbadem High School , i also met İstek Schools before as a student at Uluğbey High School. After graduating from Uluğbey , I completed my education at Uludag University English Teaching Departmant in 2004. I am very happy to be a part of this big family again but as a teacher this time ! I am looking forward to a new and efficient teaching year at İstek Acıbadem.

Hello,

I am Emine and I am the German teacher. I was born in Hamburg, Germany. That’s where I went to school. I came to Turkey for my university education and graduated from Selçuk University with a B.A. degree in German Language Teaching . For the past fifteen years I have been working as a foreign language teacher in private schools. I greatly enjoy the interaction with students and fellow colleagues. In addition to being open for educational development and flexible, I highly enjoy to enrich myself with updates and news in the field of education. In my opinion, being a teacher means ‘giving wings to my students’. I greatly enjoy the outdoors, like roller skating, diving  and going for long walks during the summer months.

Hello everyone,

I’m Nurgül Peker and since September, 2011 I’ve been working as a German teacher at Istek Acıbadem High School. I was born and grew up in Germany. Then I came to Turkey and graduated from Marmara University with a B.A. degree in German Language Teaching. Before I started working at Istek Acıbadem High School, I had worked in other well-known private schools. I’m very happy to be a member of Istek Family. I hope we all have a wonderful year.

 

Hello,

My name is Aycan Erdenir. I am a graduate of Österreichisches Sankt Georg Kolleg. I received  my BA degrees from Istanbul University in the  Faculty of Business Administration; the  Faculty of Education as well as the  German and English Languages’ Teaching Departments. During my former education I worked in some German and Austrian companies abroad as an exchange student. After that , I worked  in several multinational/national companies in Istanbul. I taught German classes at a public education centre and at a  foreign high school for two years. I was an English language teacher at a private,  primary school last year. I’m an advocate of comparative language teaching.

Since 2011, I have been working at ISTEK Acıbadem High School and Primary School as a German language teacher.

Hi everyone! My name is Arzu İncekara and since September, 2011 I have been working as the head of the foreign languages department at ISTEK Acıbadem Primary School. I graduated from İSTEK Kemal Atatürk High School, held a B.A. degree at Marmara University English Language Teaching programme, and an M.A. from Yeditepe University, Language of English and Literature Department. I’ve been teaching English for nine years and I have been a part of İSTEK family for seven years. Travelling is a passion of mine. I love music and movies.

My name is Aslıhan Karabulut and I am teaching English at Istek Acıbadem Primary School and Kindergarten. This is my third year in teaching English. After graduating from İstek Acıbadem High school, I graduated from Yıldız technical Universtiy English Language Teaching department. I am getting my master degree on ELT at Yeditepe University at the moment.

Hi everyone ! My name is Betül KARADAYI and I am an English teacher at İstek Acıbadem Kindergarten. Throughout my education life , I was a student at İstek Acıbadem Schools but now I am a teacher here.This is my first year of my profession. I studied on “English Language and Literature” at Yeditepe University. In addition to this , last year  I took a certificate from Marmara University  “English Language Teaching Certificate Programme”.

 

I was born in İstanbul in 1986. My education life started here at İstek Acıbadem Kindergarten. After graduating from Semiha Şakir High School I got into Marmara University, German Language Teaching department. Then I started double majoring in ELT. In 2008-2009, I worked at Turkish Airlines as ground stewardess. In 2009-2010, I worked at İstek Vakfı as Foreign Languages Assistant Specialist. I currently work here at İstek Acıbadem Primary School as English/German trainee teacher.

Hello everyone, my name is Miles and I am from Sussex in the south of England. I am new to Istek schools but I have been teaching English for many years. I started teaching English in 1998, in Santiago, Chile and I taught there for five years. At the same time I was studying for a degree in Spanish and Philosophy and I graduated from the University of North London in the year 2000. I have now been living and teaching in Istanbul since 2006. I enjoy teaching English to children because at this young age they have a great capacity for foreign language learning. I wish I’d also had such a chance to learn a foreign language when I was in primary school.

David Griffith is a native of Richmond, Virginia in the United States.  After finishing his undergraduate studies at Appalachian State University in 2004  he started his first teaching job working with a group of international refugees.  He then travelled to Prague, Czech Republic to further his training and practice as an English teacher.  He is currently a teacher of English at a primary school in Istanbul where he has been living working since 2006.

This is Sema Akçakoca. I’m a German teacher in Acıbadem Primary.I’ve been teaching for 5 years in Acıbadem Primary.

I was born in Germany. I lived there for 16 years. After that, I came to Turkey; and since then I have been living here. I graduated from Marmara University, German Langauge Teaching. I’ve two children- twins. So, I’m really good at cooking and teaching.!!!!

Hello,

My name is Louis Savoy. I’m a teacher with ten years experience and have so far taught in three countries. Being bilingual but raised in a nearly all French area, I’ve always taught English in some way. When I graduated from Concordia University in English literature, I moved to South Korea and began my overseas life. And two years ago, I came to my new home in Istanbul. English teaching has allowed me to have a very interesting and rewarding lifestyle.

Like most teachers I think I always knew I was going to become a teacher. There’s something very admirable about its simplicity: impart information, have others learn for the sake of learning. And now ten years into my life as a teacher, I’m very happy with my decision. Hopefully, my students are happy with my decision too.

Hi, my name’s Çiğdem Çağın. I’ve been teaching for 17 years and this is my fifth year at İstek Schools. This year I teach 4th and 5th grades which is a pleasure for me because I’ve known them since they started the first grade here.

Hi everyone My name is Burcu Cezayirli Parmaksiz. I’m an English teacher at İstek Acıbadem Primary School. I graduated from Bilkent University, English Language and Literature Department in 1999 and have been teaching for 12 years. This is my 7th year at İstek Schools. 3 years at İstek Barış Primary School as an English teacher and 3 years at İstek Acıbadem as a Vice Principal. After a break of 3 years now I’m back to teaching with great enthusiasm.

I am Özlem Katran Akarsu. I studied primary school and secondary school at Private Evrim Schools. I am a graduate of İstek Private Semiha Şakir High School. Every year from 1987 to 1991 I stayed in London, England for three months, and attended several language school . After high school I graduated from Marmara University, Atatürk Education Faculty, English Teacher Training Department. After the university I attended International House College Teacher Training Course in London. I have been working at İstek Private Acıbadem Primary School for 16 years. I started as a trainee teacher at our school and then worked as the coordinator of Foreign Languages department for 2 years and as an asisstant principal for 5 years . I attended several Teacher Training courses in the British Council and was certified in several areas in ELT. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I believe that some people are natural born teachers. I consider myself to be one of them. I always work with the excitement of an amateur teacher. I believe that there is no limit to learning. I love children and teaching very much. I also love writing children play scripts. I am preparing a book to collect my plays.

Hi everyone. My name is Samantha Cross and I am from England in the UK. I graduated from Birmingham University and have been a teacher for many years; before I left the UK I was the headteacher of a primary school.  I came to Istanbul to live and work in August 2010, this is my second year working for ISTEK schools. I enjoy living in Turkey although I do miss my family back home in the UK and my little dog. When I am not at school I enjoy spending time with my friends, listening to music or being in my holiday home on the South coast.

Hello There,

I’m Ebru. I’ve been teaching English for over eight years. I love my work. I feel really lucky to have this job as it’s a great experience to work with lovely students. I try my best to give my students all the oportunities they need to improve their English and find out about English cultre. Im learning as much from my students as they are learning from me

When I’m not teaching I love walking, reading listening to music, and wasting time with my son and daughter at home.

I ‘ve been living in İstanbul for ten years now. And I cant finda good reason to be anywhere else; working hard and having fun in class.

 

My name is Lynn Çelik and I am from Melbourne, Australia.  I am a teacher of English at Istek Acıbadem Kindergarten. I studied a Bachelor of Business at Swinburne University of Technology as well  as TESOL. I have been an English teacher for 2 years. I moved to Turkey in February 2010. I thoroughly enjoy working with young children because i find it to be greatly rewarding and fun.

 

Hello! My name is Shenny Uzunlar and I am an English teacher at İstek Acıbadem Kindergarten. I’m from Sydney, Australia and have been living in Turkey since July 2010. I graduated from the University of New South Wales in Sydney with a Bachelor Degree in Arts/Education majoring in English and Drama. Although I worked as a High School and Distance Education English/Drama teacher in Australia, my passion has always been to work with young children.

Hi, I’m Melike (Mel) from Melbourne, Australia. Despite my parents originally being from Adana this is only my third time in the country. In Australia I was a classroom teacher and enjoyed preparing and implementing exciting activities for my students. It’s my first time teaching English as a second language and am enjoying getting to know the children and observing them grow.
In my spare time I paint and play sports. I love soccer, tennis and pilates.
I look forward to getting to know everyone throughout the year.