Visited an hour ago
Iona
Professional TeacherTeaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Spanish
Certified TESOL/TEFL Teacher with a Master's Degree in Education & Over 17 Years Teaching Experience
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Spanish
Certified TESOL/TEFL Teacher with a Master's Degree in Education & Over 17 Years Teaching Experience
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United StatesLiving in Atlanta, United States (14:19 UTC-05:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Aug 24, 2017InterestsTravelFilms & TV SeriesPets & AnimalsEnvironment & NatureScience
Hello students and friends! I am passionate about music, film, theater, reading good books, eating delicious food, learning languages, having philosophical discussions, building lifelong friendships, teaching people about American culture, and helping them perfect their American accents!
I was born and raised in California, moved to New York to earn my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater (4 year degree) and lived in New York City for years. Then I moved to Denver to teach special education and earn my Master's degree in Education. I taught in public schools and privately for years. Now I live in Atlanta, Georgia and help run educational programs at a local nonprofit.Me as a Teacher
I have taught literacy, theater, speech and voice, special education, and English as a Second Language in public schools in NYC and Denver, and acting and English as a Foreign Language privately for over 10 years now.
Degrees:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater (4 years) from State University of New York at Purchase
Master's degree in Education (2 years) from Metropolitan State University of Denver
Certification:
Alternative / Initial Teaching License (k-12) - Colorado
TEFL / TESOL Certification My lessons & teaching style
Intermediate students:
We will focus on building vocabulary and increasing your fluency around subjects that interest you, and I will give you gentle corrections along the way. Passion, comfort and interest are essential to fluency in any language. My welcoming and encouraging demeanor will help you improve your confidence!
Advanced students:
All of the above at your advanced level, PLUS a strong focus on perfecting your American accent.
*All students will have access to their unique Google Doc
Homework (optional):
If you prefer more structure, I'll send you material to review before we meet.
PLEASE NOTE: If I have back-to-back lessons, I may leave a 1 hour session 3 minutes early.My teaching material
- Video files
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Text Documents
- Image files
- PDF file
Certificates
120 Hour TEFL / TESOL Certificate - World TESOL Academy - 2023I earned an accredited certificate doing 120 hours of TEFL/TESOL teacher training which allows me to teach English to learners both overseas and in online classrooms.
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2007 - Current
EFL / Standard American AccentI have been teaching the standard American accent for well over 15 years, and English as a foreign language for over 10 years. Previously I taught on italki, but stepped away for a few years because I was teaching in person in Atlanta.
2024 - Current
Artistic Development / Education CoordinatorI currently coordinate and manage educational programs / artistic development at a nonprofit.
2020 - 2025
Education Coordinator / Acting InstructorI coordinated classes, created curriculum and lesson plans, and taught/coached professional TV/Film actors.
Education
2012 - 2014
Master's - Education / Special EducationI was selected for a prestigious teaching fellowship through The New Teacher's Project and earned my Master's degree in education while I was teaching special education, reading intervention, and running an after school drama program full-time.
2003 - 2007
Bachelor’s - Theatre / ActingI earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree at a state theatre conservatory just outside of NYC.
Work Experience
2007 - Current
Actor / Director / ProducerI am a SAG-AFTRA actor (film/TV), and a trained and experienced stage (theater) actor. I also direct and produce independent film/TV projects.
5.0
Rating
130
Students
747
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
50 lessons completed
USD 10.00+
Informal Conversation, Confidence and Fun
A2 - C2Conversation661 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
English Fluency and Confidence for the Intermediate Speaker
B1 - B2Conversation19 lessons completed
USD 16.00+
English for the Advanced Learner
C1 - C2Conversation16 lessons completed
USD 16.00+
English for the Beginner
A1 - A2Conversation0 lessons completed
USD 18.00+
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
298 Reviews
Mikhail
34 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Awesome lesson before the long holidays and the year is almost finished. Iona, take my respects for your kind and warm support during all the lessons in 2017. I'll be looking forward our next meeting in 2018 and I'll be missing a bit without you:) See ya soon:)))
Dec 30, 2017
Hang
40 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Iona is an excellent, humorous & enthusiastic teacher! I have enjoyed her lessons very much and looking forward to have more lesson with her :D
Oct 5, 2017
Saida Lemeshko
3 English lessons
Great lesson! Ilona explained everything clearly and made the class enjoyable and easy to follow. She is very energetic and creative. I definitely recommend!
Nov 15, 2025
journey
19 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
A wonderful teacher! Well prepared and supportive. Iona made me see what I have been doing wrong and guide me to correct it. I recommend her to anyone who genuinely want to improve spoken English.
Thank you.
Dec 2, 2017
Rebekah B.
1 English lesson
Iona is a great teacher! She is very fun to talk with. She can surely help you develop your English skills.
Nov 16, 2025
Karla Carballo
1 English lesson
I really liked my class with Iona, she is very kind and empathetic.
Nov 11, 2025
Trial Lesson
USD 10.00
Your final payment will be made in USD