Influential Woman · Education
Deborah Moore
ESL Teacher, Self Employed
North Charleston, SC 29420
Her Story
About Deborah
Deborah Moore is an ESL teacher with more than 15 years of experience in education, specializing in English as a Second Language instruction and advanced-level English education for German-speaking students. She began her teaching career through volunteer work with a church outreach program that provided ESL instruction to immigrants. This experience inspired her to make a career transition from internal auditing into education and language instruction. She subsequently earned her ESL certification and pursued additional professional teaching credentials through the American Board for Excellence in Teaching (ABCTE) program.
As part of the ABCTE program, Moore studied pedagogy and completed the Praxis examination to obtain her public school teaching certification. She went on to teach middle school English in a public school for five years before retiring from public school teaching. She currently works as an independent contractor with Global LT, providing online ESL instruction to approximately 10 German students at intermediate to advanced levels. Her current teaching schedule is less than 30 hours per week, allowing her to provide instruction while maintaining flexibility for the professional schedules of her students.
In addition to her professional teaching career, Moore has contributed to her community through volunteer work, including ESL instruction for immigrants, GED instruction, and a prom dress initiative supporting underprivileged girls. She is also a member of the State Teachers Association and speaks both English and German fluently. Her professional approach emphasizes flexibility and maintaining perspective, particularly when navigating scheduling challenges with busy professional students. Her experience combines classroom teaching, adult ESL instruction, online education, and community-based educational service.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Deborah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my willingness to pursue a meaningful career change and to the experiences I have gained throughout my professional journey. I transitioned from internal auditing into ESL education and have now spent more than 15 years in the field, including five years teaching in a public school and my current work teaching ESL online to German students. I am also motivated by my personal journey and upcoming book publication about divorce in later life, which encouraged me to participate in this recognition program.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to be flexible, not become overly stressed, and learn to let things roll off my back. I believe maintaining flexibility and perspective has been important throughout my career, particularly when working with students and accommodating changing schedules and circumstances.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering the education field is to make sure that teaching is truly something they are passionate about. A genuine passion for helping others learn and grow can provide the motivation and fulfillment needed to build a meaningful and lasting career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is maintaining scheduling flexibility when working with busy German engineers who may cancel lessons at the last minute. As an online ESL teacher, I need to remain adaptable and accommodate changes in my students' professional schedules while continuing to provide consistent and effective instruction.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are helping my students learn English and supporting their continued development and confidence in using the language. Because I am fluent in German, I am especially passionate about working with German students at the intermediate to advanced levels. I value the opportunity to use my language skills and teaching experience to help my students communicate more effectively in English.
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