About Me

My name is Joel Schafer and I an educator living in the beautiful Midwestern metropolis of Chicago, Illinois though I am originally from a small farming community in rural Missouri. I have studied English language and literature, linguistics, Russian language and literature, journalism, education, and pedagogy during my academic career. My passion is to teach Language Arts, though I also teach English as a Second Language. Providing education to others is what I devoted my entire life to, and I would not have it any other way. I first started tutoring when I was a junior in college. My professor recommended that I tutor some of the lower level students in her Russian language course and I accepted not knowing what I was getting into. Though I was volunteering, I was obsessed with helping others evolve academically. Eventually, after completing college, I moved to Moscow, Russia to teach English there for a year. Since moving back, I have been teaching ESL in Chicago to a plethora of students from all over the world. I am currently working on my Master's degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English and plan to eventually teach in high schools here in Chicago. Part of what I love about teaching is learning form my students. They might not know it, but I learn as much from them as they do from me. It really is the best job that anyone could ever have.

Education & Certifications

Q&A with Joel

Tutoring Subjects