Keith Dishart

哈囉，我是Keith老師，我的生日是1970/9/6，台北出生的我，在家裡三兄弟中排行第二。我的母親是台灣人，父親是美國人，七歲時移居至美國，目前我的家人仍居住在美國加州舊金山。處女座的我喜愛打壘球、網球和籃球，也喜歡到野外去釣魚和露營。我高中結束後就讀聖馬提歐學院，後來因為被招募進入了棒球校隊，去了所羅馬州立大學。大學畢業後，因為祖父生病的關係，我回到台灣。在那年的夏天，我開始打棒球並參加台灣的棒球隊，我打了一年的業餘比賽，因為打得不錯，還得到了打職業棒球的合約。三年多之後，我結束了職棒生涯，接著教學生涯也就此開始。對我來說，最棒的事情發生了！因為我熱愛我正在做的教學工作！我愛孩子，也對他們很了解。我很開心能夠以老師和朋友的身分參與了孩子們的生活。我在ACES教學已超過十年，目前是ACES麗山及板橋分班的負責人，如果您想要找一間有著出色課程、好的氛圍以及外師環境的學校，歡迎您隨時來ACES參觀，相信我們的教學能力一定能讓您驚豔。

Hello there. My name is Keith Dishart. I was born on September 06, 1970. I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. My mother is Taiwanese and my father is American. I moved to the States when I was about seven years old. I have two brothers, one older and one younger. I have no sisters. They all still live in the US. They reside in San Francisco, California. I’m a Virgo and my hobbies are playing softball, tennis and some basketball. I also love to fish and camp out in the great outdoors. I attended San Mateo High School and from there I went to the College of San Mateo which is a junior college and from there, I went to Sonoma State University. I went there because I was recruited to play baseball for the school. After college, I came to Taiwan because my grandfather had fallen ill and it was quite serious. During my summer visit here, I also tried out for a few baseball teams here in Taiwan. I played amateur ball for a year and played well enough to sign a professional contract. I played for three more years here and then my baseball career came to an end and my teaching career began. That may have been the best thing to have happened to me because I love what I’m doing. I love kids and I think I understand them very well. I love the fact that I’m involved with so many children’s lives as their teacher and their friend. I have now been teaching for more than ten years. I am now the director of the Lishan and Banqiao Branch. If you are interested in finding a good school, with a great curriculum, atmosphere and out-of-this-world teachers, feel free to drop by at any of our four locations and let us impress you with our talents.

Mike Harkness

哈囉! 我是Mike老師，我在美國的中西部，遍佈玉米田的伊利諾州皮奧里亞長大。高中畢業後，我考上印第安納州的普渡大學，並以飯店管理的學士學位畢業。大學畢業後，我在餐飲業工作了好幾年，在1995年，我的大學朋友邀請我來到台灣。
這件事改變了我的一生，在亞洲的生活及旅行擴大了我的眼界，而且讓我更加了解自己。更重要的是，我發現我自己有多熱愛教書，並且意識到原來我一路以來一直扮演著指導者的角色，例如在高中時我帶領一個小聯盟的棒球隊；在大學時期的夏令營中指導游泳；在餐飲業工作時，我負責訓練餐廳的工作人員及經理。這樣的過程啟發我繼續進修並取得教育碩士的學位，即使我同時在ACES有全職的工作。
現在我在台灣住了超過二十年，我仍然很高興能夠看到我的學生在英文能力上的進步，並且也變得更成熟、負責任的人。能夠幫助人們塑造他們的人生是我的指導原則。最後，我喜歡潛水，潛水讓我保持身體健康。

Hi, I’m Mike. I was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, smack in the middle of the Midwestern corn-belt of the US. After high school, I attended Purdue University in Indiana where I graduated with a BS in Hospitality Management. I worked in the restaurant industry for several years during and after college. In 1995, a college friend invited me to come to Taiwan.
This changed my life. Living and traveling in Asia broadened my outlook of the world and taught me a lot about myself. Most importantly, I realized how much I enjoy teaching, and became conscious of the fact that I have been instructing people most of my life; coaching a little league baseball team during high school, coaching swimming at summer camps while in college and training restaurant staff and managers in my previous career. This realization led me to pursue my Masters in Education while maintaining a full-time work schedule here at ACES.
Now, after 20+ years in Taiwan, I still find pleasure in seeing my students improve their language abilities, but also grow into mature, responsible people. Helping to shape the lives of those around me is my guiding principle. And, scuba diving keeps me sane.

Zach Zine

Hello! 我是Zach老師。我來自芝加哥近郊的一個小城鎮「奧斯威格」。我進入大學前的童年時光都是住在這個小鎮。高中畢業後，我進入芝加哥的德保羅大學取得政治學學位。在大學三年半的時間裡，我提升了演講、寫作、思考的能力。這些也成為日後我無可取代的技能。經過無數次的研究及輾轉的機會，我聽到了「台灣」這個地方。不久後，就來到了台灣，原本打算從事英語教學工作一年，接著變成兩年、三年…，我可以很確定的說，我深愛著這個國家、語言、人們和英語教學工作。老實說，如果你在五年前問我是否選擇在亞洲教英文，答案一定是否定的。但經過了這些年帶來的美好經驗之後，我深信我作了正確的決定。我來到台灣的初衷是存錢、接續之後的旅行，但現在已轉變成一股生活在此地的熱情。我希望傳達這份熱情給我的學生，以及教授我熟悉的英文知識。同時，我也希望能向他們學習，不只是語言、還有成為更好的老師。我們課堂見！

Hello! My name Zach Zine. I am originally from a small suburb of Chicago called Oswego, IL. It was there that I spent my childhood up until it was time for me to attend college at DePaul University in Chicago. At DePaul, I spent my three and a half years of university studying political science. It was a challenge that helped me to refine my skills as a speaker, a writer, and a thinker, and I would not trade it for anything in the world. But, alas, it had to end sometime. As my time in college came to a close, I quickly realized that I wanted to get out and see more of the world. After endless amounts of research and some chance encounters, I heard about Taiwan. Before long, I was boarding a plane to come to Taiwan to teach English for a year. That year became a second, and now I’m well into a third and can without a doubt say that I love this country, the language, the people, and teaching English.
In all honesty, if you would have asked me five years ago if I would be teaching English in Asia, I would have told you no way. But, after the amazing experiences I’ve had here, I would not change that decision for anything in the world. I came here and started this career as a way to travel and make money, but it has become much more than that. It has become a passion. I hope to pass that passion on to my students, and I hope to teach them everything that I know about English. I also hope to learn from them, and better myself as a teacher, a Chinese speaker, and a person. I hope to see you in the classroom soon. Let’s get to work.

Rodney Hill

哈囉我是Rodney老師，你也可以叫我Rod。我來自澳洲，但我在台灣居住已超過我大半輩子的時間，我把自己已看做是一個台灣人! 大學畢業之後，我從亞洲東南亞地區開始了一段短暫的旅行，它也因此把我帶來台灣。我一開始計畫在台灣停留三到六個月， 但我卻意外地留下來到現在。無庸置疑地，我非常地愛著這塊美麗的土地。在台灣，我擁有豐富的教材編撰以及英語教學經驗，學生年齡從幼稚園至成人等都有。近年來，我專攻於成人班以及全民英檢的教學。我感到非常的榮幸能在ACES發展成人班的課程。ACES的老師們是一群專業、有責任感的老師，這樣的師資群，在台灣是非常難得可見的。

Hello, my name’s Rodney Hill, but you can call me Rod. I’m the only member of the outstanding teaching crew here at ACES who is not from America or Canada. I came to Taiwan from Australia and have been here for almost half of my life; I guess that makes me half Taiwanese. After graduating I took a short trip through South East Asia and arrived on the beautiful island of Formosa. At first it was supposed to be a short stay of about three to six months, however that time was extended to…well, half of my life. Needless to say, I love it here in Taiwan very much. I have had extensive experience teaching and writing curriculum for all ages from kindergarten to adults. I am now focusing my attention specifically on adults and GEPT class. I feel privileged to be developing the adult program here at ACES. There is a unique group of professional, high-achieving teachers here at ACES; this is very rare in most other institutions in Taiwan.