Nik Pavlov, ELL, English
npavlov@chadstaff.org
In the infamous words of Krusty the Clown: “Hey hey!”
I was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and I come from a long line of secondary level educators: my grandfather taught Astronomy and Mathematics, my grandmother Botany and Biology, and my parents taught Language Arts (of the Russian and English variety).
When I arrived in the United States, I discovered that English was a beautiful and rich language that I simply had to explore, and my quest to master a “foreign tongue” began. It wasn’t until I was in High School, during a senior year English class, that I discovered a penchant for teaching others, and by some consequence yet hanging in the stars my professional career was set!
I attended Temple University right here in Philadelphia for my Bachelor’s in Secondary Education and English (I double majored because why not), and am currently enrolled in Drexel University for a Master’s in Educational Improvement and Transformation. I expect to be done in May of 2016.
For the past decade I have been teaching Ballroom and Latin American dancing at a studio here in the city. I’ve encountered countless students of varying ages, learning styles, and interests over my tenure, and the experience helped me solidify and reaffirm my own educational philosophy: every student is more than capable of achieving success (academic or otherwise), and it takes the right environment and the right approach to bring out the potential each and every student holds.
I believe that the key to success is doing small things in a big way because over time all those little things add up. In the end, nothing is trivial.
I enjoy reading and writing poetry, and have had pieces published here and there. I continue to pursue competitive Ballroom as a hobby with my partner, as well as the occasional practicing of yoga, meditation, and weightlifting.
I look forward to meeting, working with, and teaching you as you attend CHAD!