TESOL International Association — formerly the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages — has named Meg Eubank from Perkasie its 2022 Teacher of the Year. Fares J. Jaram covered the announcement and Eubank’s backstory for TESOL Connections.

Meg graduated from Arcadia University in elementary education and English, then returned to Arcadia University to become certified in ESL.

She is currently a professor at Bucks County Community College (BCCC). For the past 11 years, she has tutored and mentored English-as-second-language (ESL) students. She also freelances as a consultant to nonprofits and a fine-art photographer.

In reacting to her honor, Eubank said, “I am greatly honored and humbled because there are many hard-working and deserving teachers doing great work during this difficult pandemic.

“This recognition is exciting and validating, and it inspires me to keep working to improve my teaching and help others learn the best methods to work with English language learners,” she concluded.

Her exposure to a variety of ESL students stoked her passion. She estimates she’s been able to help thousands of students from more than 100 countries.

During the pandemic, she faced an unusual challenge: School closures sent many of her class participants back to their countries of origin. The timing of Zoom instructions across different time zones often meant online lessons at odd hours for her.

“The most difficult task was getting sleepy teens halfway across the globe to attend class,” she commented.

More on Meg Eubank is at TSEOL Connections.