Mary Martin has taught English as a Second Language for more than 20 years and has been at CESL since 2010. She received a B.A. in French from the University of Oklahoma, an M.A. in French Language Pedagogy from Middlebury College, a TESL Certification from the University of California at Berkeley, and a second master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a member of TESOL, OKTESOL, and has presented at NAFSA and OKTESOL conferences. Mary’s teaching philosophy is inspired by the famous quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein: “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” The more language we know, the larger our world becomes!
Hilary Kirk has been teaching at the University of Oklahoma’s Center for English as a Second Language since 2011. She teaches academic English and IELTS classes to international students and is also the OU Track Coordinator. In the past, she has taught French, German, and Italian and lived in Italy, Austria, Corsica, and England. She loves learning languages, traveling, and teaching. In addition to teaching English, she enjoys learning about different cultures from her students.
Lindsay Barnes received her bachelor’s degree in Chinese and her master’s degree in TESOL, both from OU. She has been teaching at the University of Oklahoma since 2022. Lindsay has taught Level A1, Everyday English, and IELTS test prep. She currently teaches A2 and Global Communication – a general CEFR B1-B2 Level class. When teaching, Lindsay enjoys troubleshooting problems with students and believes that there is no best way to teach, only the best way for each class.
Cory Northern began teaching English as a Foreign Language in South Korea in 2004. He has been teaching ESL at the University of Oklahoma since 2009. He received his bachelor's degree in history/English literature from the University of Oklahoma and his master's degree in English as a second language from the University of Central Oklahoma. He has taught IELTS and TOEFL as well as undergraduate and graduate-level courses. He enjoys discussing the mechanics of language with his students as well as learning about their cultures and perspectives.
Matthew Townsend is an adjunct instructor at the University of Oklahoma’s Center for English as a Second Language. He teaches academic English and Everyday English classes to international students. He received his bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Arabic language and his master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to teaching English, Matthew enjoys learning languages and reading novels of all genres. Matthew’s teaching philosophy is centered around creating a comfortable, cooperative learning environment using high-energy instruction and engaging, realistic tasks.
