I am uniquely suited to this role thanks to my extensive professional background before I became an English teacher. I have a degree in psychology as well as many years of experience working in social services. In these roles, I specifically worked to support people with barriers to employment, such as disabilities, lack of English, immigration status, criminal history, illiteracy, lack of education, and so on. I partnered with employers to hire these individuals. I worked extensively with people from diverse backgrounds on interviewing skills and resume/CV writing. I taught people skills for specific jobs - everything from cleaning bathrooms to writing emails, washing dishes, or giving powerful presentations - you name it, I taught it. I facilitated workshops for job seekers of all levels, partnering with hiring managers in a variety of fields. Over the years, I learned much about what hiring managers are looking for, and how to help people achieve these things. I began to create, write, and deliver training programs for staff on how to best serve people with disabilities and barriers. This is where my love of teaching really began to blossom.