International Language Institute Welcomes Two New Teachers
NORTHAMPTON — The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) recently welcomed Spanish teacher Kara McBride and ESOL instructor Brandon LeBlanc.
McBride has one master’s degree in Spanish from Purdue University and another in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Indiana University, and a PhD in second language acquisition and teaching from the University of Arizona. She believes that learning happens best when mixed with play, and she’ll be teaching Spanish improv at ILI this winter.
McBride first joined an improv group in St. Louis, where she was working as an associate professor of Spanish. After eight years at Saint Louis University, she moved to Valparaíso, Chile and opened the House of English. Her business offered immersive language learning experiences such as improv workshops and mystery dinner theater. She returned to the U.S. in 2016 to work as a senior education specialist for World Learning, the international development organization that grew out of the School for International Training. While living in Washington, D.C., she joined the Washington Improv Theater.
LeBlanc earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Pace University in New York City and a master’s degree in history from York University in Toronto. He has taught English in Spain, social studies/ESL in Bolivia, and most recently taught adult ESL in South Carolina.
