Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

This snapshot from last spring shows Phillip Teacher in less formal attire as he helps grill chicken for a picnic with his students. At saat onbire çeyrek var, a quarter to eleven, Phillip’s third hour of class starts. He is teaching preparatory English classes for first year university students. Students from all over the country, and even some from neighboring countries, find themselves in Phillip Hoca ’s (teacher) class. They go though a Cambridge based curriculum, with an occasional game or listening to/discussing of a favorite English song to mix things up. Teaching and interacting with college students is a big step up from the small tutoring center for elementary students where Phillip briefly taught when we lived in Istanbul. Sure, there are the lazy and disrespectful students on the spectrum, but most of them find Phillip Teacher endearing with his ability break down into Turkish when an English explanation doesn’t suffice as well as his mutual enthusiasm for futbol (