My name is Claudio Fleury Curado Sasse, which I find a very long name. Some people call me Claudio, others Fleury, others call me Sasse. My family calls me Claudinho, because I am named after my father, but since I have my mother’s surnames, I am not called Junior. I am 36 years old and I was born in Goiânia. I have been living in Brasilia for 16 years, I am not married and don’t have any kids. My family still lives in Goiânia and I visit them often, although I really feel lazy to drive all the way there sometimes. I mean, I love going there, but the trip bores me. I have two sisters, who are married, and one brother. I also have three nephews. The youngest is only three months old, and he is now a wonderful reason for me to make frequent trips to visit my family.
I love living in Brasilia. I moved here in 1994, to study at Universidade de Brasilia. Before coming here, I studied at Universidade Federal de Goiás. I had already taken three years of Civil Engineering when I decided I wanted to be an Architect. That is why I came to Brasilia. I graduated in 2000, and also worked as an architect until 2005. Nowadays I only get involved with architecture in very special occasions, for my family or friends, for example.
How I learned English is an interesting story. When I was 11, in the 5th grade, I had English and French classes at Lyceu de Goiânia, where I studied. I loved French, and I really was the best student in class. However, I hated English, and simply could not understand it. I almost flunked 5th grade because of English, so I started an English course to help me in school. That was when I discovered English and how easy it was. I learned that it was useful, and back in the 1980s, when there was no internet or much technology available, knowing English was something extraordinary for me. I had always liked to read comic books, and with English I could read American comics without having to wait for them to be published in Portuguese, not to mention the songs I could now understand.
I think if it hadn’t been for the comics I loved, I would not have developed my English skills so much. After some time I was proud to say I could go to the movies and not read the subtitles anymore. Today I am really glad I almost flunked English, because it was a turning point in my life. I simply cannot imagine my life without this language. The first time I taught English was in 1991. I was 17 and it was a very short experience. I come from a family of teachers – geography, history, social studies – and teaching is in my blood. While I was taking Civil Engineering I took a course for English teachers, and had some more classroom experience. Shortly after that I moved to Brasilia.
Already in Brasilia I started teaching English in a language school. While I was in college, I worked as a trainee architect and an English teacher. It was only in 2005, however, when I started working at Casa Thomas Jefferson, that I realized that what I wanted was to be an English teacher. I took the Teacher Development Course, and I soon got involved with technology in education. Technology has always been part of my life too. I got my first computer, handed down from a cousin of mine, when I was 13, and I have been using computers ever since.
I have never studied or lived abroad, and this is something I like to tell my students. You don’t actually need to spend time abroad to learn English, but it definitely helps. This month I am going to take part in a conference for English teachers in Boston. I am really looking forward to it, because I am going to have a presentation about Cyber Project, a course for teenagers, here at the Casa, that develops digital literacy and, of course, English skills.
English teachers don’t have much free time. Whenever I have some extra time, I read books and comics, I surf the net and watch movies; however, I rarely go to the movies, because I feel sleepy. If I really want to relax, I do some crosswords, and I especially like the difficult ones. I love listening to jazz, classical music and some pop. It helps me concentrate when I am preparing classes.
Well, it’s time I finished this. I did not intend to make this a long introduction, but I really wanted it to show you a bit about who I am and how I got here. Thanks to your questions, I had a lot to write about.
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