 
His academic experience
up to that point was not particularly positive and he
eventually dropped out of high school to find a job in
the real world.
His real world experiences ranged, in
fairly quick succession, from fork lifts to assembly
lines, ice rinks to cemeteries, door to door sales to
silk screening, carpet cleaning and bicycle repair (to
mention just a few) and at length William decided it was
time to get back to school- fast!
He graduated through a high school
aptitude test and, following Horace Greeley's advice,
got the hell out of the land of Lincoln and immediately
enrolled in Pasadena City College. (He landed a job
working nights as a central bank security guard where he
was able to study while his co-workers snored.) It took
a while but he eventually got his AA and enrolled in
California State University at Los Angeles. There,
William majored in both English and Spanish and became
associated with a bilingual education program in which
he tutored and taught Spanish speaking immigrants
seeking to improve their English skills.
In 1982, William arrived in Madrid to complete
his final year of studies at the Universidad Complutense de
Madrid in conjunction with a California State University overseas
study program. After receiving his degree, he decided to remain
in Spain a while longer to get to know the lovely country he'd
barely seen during his year of intensive study, and out of necessity
he took on a few teaching jobs. He had wanted passionately to
teach ever since returning to school and never imagined doing
so in Spain. William enjoyed the work, enjoyed his students
but soon realized he was being cramped, not to say exploited,
by a pair of language academies which were making him follow
some pretty woeful programs. This was the real world, too. So
back to the books. To further develop his language teaching
skills, he began attending seminars, training sessions and TESOL
conferences and eventually became autonomous. Over the years
William has taught single executive and company classes in numerous
firms as well as giving private classes in his own residence.
He was the English program coordinator for several years at
a major Spanish shipping company. More recently during the summer
months and in conjunction with a select group of other highly
qualified, experienced teachers, he has organized and taught
intensive English courses for professionals. For William, long
term professional relationships are the rule rather than the
exception. He has kept a great many of his clients for many
years because, through constant updating and integrating of
material, he strives to keep both the student's and his own
motivation high.
In addition to teaching, William has an abiding
interest in photography and digital design and has been known
to take on photo restoration jobs to offset his dear computer's
constant demands for upgrades. He is intrigued by gadgets but
abhors automobiles and cell phones. Presently, pigeons are also
on his shortlist of peeves as he gazes out across the rooftops
from his balcony. Minor annoyances, to be sure, of a foreigner
who loves Madrid. William and his wife live quietly with their
non-barking cactus plant, Arthur, in classic Chamberí. He (William)
is an avid swimmer. More about William Christison
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