Mark Lakeman

Mark Lakeman

Ten Years already! It is with such pleasure that I can look back on our BGC beginnings and see all the progress our students and our programs have made! In our inaugural year, 2011, I agreed to teach English Language acquisition and have enjoyed helping our kids learn English through interactive play, songs, games, books, and directed thematic circle times.

It is important to build a strong language foundation, speaking and practicing and then always adding (+1) with new vocabulary, questions, conversations and phrases. Before arriving in Hungary and joining our team, I had worked in California as an Early Childhood Education professional, and then as a Certified Multiple Subject Elementary school teacher. In Budapest, I have put my specific California CLAD (Cross-cultural, Language & Academic Development) training and TESOL/TESL certification to use as an English Language teacher.

My experience as a Boys and Girls Club of America Afterschool Coordinator helped in our quest to combine our English Acquisition programs with the highly-developed children’s curriculum used by over 4 million BGC America children. The result is that our clubs were the Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s first recognized European partner club and we have grown to become today’s BGC ENGLISH HUNGARY!

I love to include my personal interests in our lessons and try to share bits of my American culture – The kids and I can be found dressing up for Halloween; singing Super Simple songs; using Eric Carle’s Rhymes; playing baseball; and reading about famous dogs like Biscuit, Spot, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Pete the Cat! I look back on these 10 years with a smile on my face due to everyone’s efforts to help our kids grow in English, knowledge, and life skills.