Aloha and Welcome to Zeepia!
This web site is a virtual land where uncle Mark from Hawaii, USA and auntie Luu from Hue, Vietnam will guide you and your children along journeys of discovery in the English language. We will be diving into many cultures and making friends beyond borders. Time to wander! Let’s enjoy our time together!
We will promote understanding of English language by listening intently, speaking clearly and writing with precision so that we can develop ourselves skillfully, logically and emotionally to face the challenges that come up in our lifetime.
For the past forty years, Mark has dedicated his life and career to developing and delivering creative and story-based educational programming to the children of Hawai`i.
Mark has won numerous awards recognizing his excellence in children’s advocacy, environmental education, and the arts from both Kaua’i County and Hawaii State government.
He has studied with internationally celebrated puppeteers, storytellers, dancers, and theater professionals — granting him a profound understanding of cross-cultural traditions and artistic practice.
His multidisciplinary approach to education is reflected in his own articulation as an artist: having authored and produced original books, film, TV and internet media. He’s has produced interactive arts festivals and school tours all which serve to strengthen a child’s connection to their environment and their community, and above all, to develop their imagination and creative potential.
By training, Mark holds a B.Ed in Elementary Education and a M.Ed Early Childhood Education from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, and has received professional accreditation in Environmental Interpretation, Early Childhood Education, and Non-profit management and leadership.
His education and experience makes him uniquely capable of delivering effective programs during times of social distancing. Mark’s love of language through storytelling and his association with educators in Hue, is the basis of the development of ‘ZEEPIA’ with Luu Duong of English Zone, as a conduit of cultural understanding with the families of Vietnam and Hawaii.
What you can imagine is what your children can actually do for themselves. Learning is a journey that should always be a fun, inspiring and motivational like the way Ms Lưu has been empowering generations of young students throughout Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh city and Hue city for the last 15 years as a classroom instruction and program director.
As a teacher and program manager in the field of English Language, Luu has expertise and experience in working with and coaching young learners as they undertake their studies in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Her experience in international English language testing systems gives her unique insight into how children learn and develop their thinking and speaking skills.
Over the years, Ms Luu has continued to sharpen her knowledge and skills in the EFL field with continuous research and training from world-renowned publishers, Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Oxford University Press, National Geographic Learning, and many more.
A mutual passion in children’s early social and language development has brought Ms Luu and Mark Jeffers together to create ZEEPIA, a cultural and linguistic company that seeks to link Hawaiian and Vietnamese families and children across cultural and geographic barriers to form a better world.
