A little information about me (Teresa Kelleher):
I'm the Mom of 3 (2 biological children and one adopted), ages 25, 21,
and 15. I have been a language teacher for 20+ years (English as a Second
Language and Spanish). I have an MA in ESL (linguistics & teaching) from
the U of AZ. I teach Spanish at the local high school that our son attends,
our local community college, and ESL at the local public schools. I have
language experience and background with Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin,
and Russian. My 25-year-old daughter was in Russia a few summers ago...she
took donations to my son's orphanage. We feel like our family has come 'full
circle' by having a family member visit
again!
My husband Roger and I learned basic Russian to be able to communicate
with our son Sergei, who was 3 when we brought him home from St. Petersburg
in 1997. It was very helpful to be able to communicate with our son and
hosts, and all the Russians we came in contact with were very impressed with
our ability to communicate with our son in Russian. They often complimented
my accent.
I decided to help others have the same advantage in their early days
together, so 18 months after we came home I produced the Adopting From
Russia CD/handbook set. In the summer of 2000 I wrote Easing the
Transition, a 'generic' handbook for parents traveling to adopt outside
their country. (Easing the Transition does not include a language
component.) I worked on Adopting From China -- Mandarin and Adopting From
Latin America in the summers of 2000 to 2002.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All language sets for parents include the info in Easing
the Transition. If you order a language set, do NOT order Easing the
Transition, as you will receive that info as part of your language set. ;-)
In the summer of 2003 I finished RUSH Into English, Russian to English
for Children (appropriate for ages 4 or 5 and older) to help newly-adopted
Russian-speaking children learn English more quickly. It's getting very
positive reviews. Please click on RUSH Into English above for full details.
In the spring of 2004 I collaborated with a talented high-schooler (a
student of mine) to design and produce *Starfish* Adoption Announcements.
They are adorable and versatile, too -- can be used to introduce 1 - 4
children, and they are just as great for 15-year-olds as they are for 15-
month-olds! (Please link to *Starfish Story* - above - for more details and
information. You will feel good about ordering these Win-Win adoption
announcements! They make great gifts, too.)
In fall 2005 my daughter and I collaborated on basic bilingual mini-
readers ('TLC Little Books') to help children know what to expect on the trip
home. They also help kids who read in Russian(Cyrillic alphabet) transition
to the English alphabet. :-)
My current project (begun in 2007) is a book BY, FOR and ABOUT adopted
children and teens. Please click on 'Snowflakes, a Flurry of Adoption Stories'
above or on the home page. Also see the order form to order. If you have any
questions, please email me Adopttlc@aol.com or tk.pacifica@gmail.com and I'll
get back to you with full details. It's a collection of over 200 stories!
My goals are to help new families communicate and bond more easily
during the emotion-filled transition time in the early months of adoption,
and to help children living in overseas orphanages. I donate 10% (or more)
of any/all profits from my CD/handbook sets (and now 'Snowflakes, a Flurry of
Adoption Stories') to orphanages in Russia, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Honduras,
Romania, and China.
If you have questions or comments, email me. Don't hesitate to be in
touch! I'll respond asap, and if I can be of help, I'll be glad to do
it. Sincerely, Teresa tk.pacifica@gmail.com (or Adopttlc@aol.com)
**If you find my Language Sets and Parenting Guides to be helpful,
please share my website URL with other adoptive parents and on listserves
that adoptive parents subscribe to. Listserves are a great way to get
information about these resources to people who need and want them. Please
give my web address to your agency too. Your help allows me to donate more
to orphanages. Thank you a bunch!**
Important Note:
Please take a look at the Matryoshka Family Portrait that my daughter
painted for me for Christmas!
(Plesae click on 'Photos/Docs' above and look at 'Teresa's
Family' and then 'Matryoshka Portrait.') My daughter (20 years old) is
quite the artist, isn't she? If you want one of these masterpieces of
your family, please contact me or my daughter Mora via email as soon as
possible:
Teresa & Mora Adopttlc@aol.com
My daughter is painting only 10-15 of these little treasures each year
to earn money for college. She still has space/time to paint a few more
family portraits! Contact us at Adopttlc@aol.com Teresa & Mora
5-piece sets, 7-piece sets, 10-piece sets. Let your imagination run
wild: include an extended family member, a beloved pet, or a typical
Russian matryoshka doll as the tiniest member of your Matryoshka Family
Portrait! Your children will treasure these links with their culture
for the rest of their lives. :-) Some families are ordering one for
each child. Please just email us to find out more; you'll be glad you
did! Thanks. Teresa & Mora Adopttlc@aol.com
