Meet Ms Dora Radic.
Ms Dora is one of our resident English teachers and she has been part of the ME Education faculty for three years now. Although she finds herself in Hong Kong these days, it is very far away from her home country of – Croatia!
Ms Dora’s journey to Hong Kong, and ultimately to our school all began because of her passion for teaching and helping others succeed. During her own time at school, she noticed that her fellow students would often come to her for help with their assignments and homework. She began teaching part-time on weekends to see if it was something she could see herself doing professionally. She enjoyed her work so much and realised that perhaps, this was a worthy career for her to pursue. We are grateful she did because today, Ms Dora is one of our highly valued and beloved teachers. Her students adore her and her passion for helping others succeed is apparent from the moment you meet her.
ME Education was first suggested to Ms Dora by another centre owner. Following this recommendation, Ms Dora set a meeting with Mandy, our Senior Centre Manager. Ms Dora enjoyed meeting Mandy so much and believed that their visions for education were aligned. She felt at ease with Mandy and also noticed that from the moment she entered the ME Education campus, every teacher she encountered was warm, friendly, smiling and relaxed. Ms Dora realised in that moment that this was the perfect environment for her.
Once she joined ME Education full time, Ms Dora set about inspiring her students with her passion for teaching English. “I love teaching English because it is never boring” she says.
In Ms Dora’s classroom, students will never leave the room without learning at least one new word from the lesson and expanding their vocabulary. All progress is important, no matter how fast or slow. She believes language is so important, especially English language due to its global reach. It is not just a school subject in Ms Dora’s eyes. She sees the potential her students can reach by mastering the language not only in her classroom, but in their future studies as well as in the career paths that lie ahead for them.
Every teacher has their own unique teaching style. For Ms Dora, she believes every student deserves their own approach too and she adapts her unique style according to student's needs. There is no nonsense in Ms Dora’s classroom as she is highly effective at behavioural management and places a strong focus on the right way to learn. While she runs an orderly classroom, Ms Dora never loses her friendly and approachable nature. Her students know if they work hard, they will be able to play hard too! She says, “I want students to enter my classroom relaxed and treat me like a friend who's there to help them reach their academic goals.”
An average day in Ms Dora’s classroom is never the same. It’s never boring and she likes to keep it that way. Ms Dora oversees a range of different classes such as:
Homework classes
Exam preps
Reading classes
Writing classes
Usually, she will start the day in the afternoon and welcome students after school. “There will always be something different each day, whether it's a new student, new project or just something funny my student says during the day” she says.
We asked Ms Dora what advice she offers students on the subject of exam preparation. “I think my best tip would be to take your time with learning or exam prep and not to do anything last minute. Also stressing out about what grade you are going to get while studying is only going to make you feel more anxious about everything. I say focus more on your progress and stress less! Then the outcome will be better!”
After all is said and done, Ms Dora just wants to know she is making a difference in the lives of her students. While she is there to teach them English, she also wants them to enjoy the process of learning and to grow more and more confident with their abilities. This is the main goal she wants to see her students achieve.
When Ms Dora is not teaching, she can be found working as a freelance personal fitness trainer in the gym. She is a very active person who usually spends her free time outdoors in nature, at the beach or trying to hike up all peaks of Hong Kong! Ms Dora also adores animals and sometimes volunteers at animal shelters. It takes a big heart to shape little minds.
Ms Dora’s heart has so much room. We are fortunate she journeyed from Croatia to Hong Kong to join us at ME Education.
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"I would like to thank Ms Dora for explaining each word to me and asking me to take a look at the dictionary myself. Ms Dora prepared readings for me every lesson and Mr John taught me a lot of grammar skills. My English improved a lot. I could reach Primary 4 level in 2-3 months’ time. Now I am able to read a lot of English stories and news. Last year, my ME admission consultant helped me to apply for Victoria Shanghai Academy and I was quite confident while doing the test paper. I am glad that ME has not only helped me a lot in improving my English level, but also went through the entire application process with me together! I am so happy that I have finally received an offer from Victoria Shanghai Academy and I continue to have writing lessons with Ms Dora regularly."
—Jenny Suki
