Langara English Proficiency Program (LEPP)

Carmita has an MEd in TESL/TEFL and a BSc from the University of Manitoba. She has developed and taught ESL, EAP, exam prep, and teacher training programs for almost 20 years. Her teaching experiences have been in private institutes and universities in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the US, and Vancouver. For Carmita, an energetic, engaging, and interactive classroom environment is key in creating an effective learning experience for her students.

"Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire" ~ William Butler Yeats



Carol did a Bachelor's Degree in French Literature at UBC, and went on to do her teaching degree at the University of Alberta. She also did graduate studies in French Translation, and attended Langara's Studio 58 Theatre Program. She has done business and technical writing for high tech companies, and is now working on her first novel. After teaching in the public school system, she moved on to adult education, and has been enjoying teaching writing skills at Langara since 2005. Students enjoy her fun-loving, theatrical style of bringing out the writer in all of us.

Alan has a BA in English from UBC and CERTESL from the University of Saskatchewan . After working in Japan for six years, he returned to Canada to continue teaching. For Alan, classroom learning is always an exciting act of creative collaboration, where the instructor works closely with students to achieve their goals.  

“I welcome language learners of all backgrounds to my class.”



Lidia has a BA from McMaster University and CERTESL from SFU.  She has taught at many of the private colleges in Vancouver.  Lidia believes that the primary function of language is interaction and communication and finds that the communicative approach best describes her philosophy.

“Experience the pleasure and challenge of learning English through engaging activities.”



Farid has a MEd in TESL from UBC and a BA in Linguistics from SFU.  He has taught in the Langara LEAP and LEPP programs for 8 years and before that taught TEFL in Iran for 10 years.  Farid teaches ESL because it provides him with the opportunity to share with his classes his own experiences of learning English as a second language.

“Taking (and teaching) courses in LEPP is a learning opportunity. Let's learn together.”

Laura has a BA from the University of Cape Town, Licentiate in Speech & Drama from Trinity College, London, and post graduate diplomas in Management (UCT) and Adult Education (UBC).   She has taught public speaking privately, for corporations as well as at a college in South Africa.  Her philosophy is that everyone’s opinion is valid and that gentle encouragement paired with effort and practice realizes goals.

“View public speaking as an empowering and creative experience.”