I began my education as a second language learner in 100 level classroom at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My first language professors inspired me to pursue language through the use of culture and an emphasis on communication. Since that first semester, language learning has led me to multiple continents where I have used my linguistic abilities to engage with culture, history, biodiversity, and the geophysical world. In my studies I experienced the important role of language learning and its ability to cross academic disciplines and open students to new ways of thinking about and experiencing the world. The experiences proffered by language learning are integral to any academic experience beginning in primary and secondary education and continuing on to college and postgraduate levels.
Currently, as a second language learning teacher at the University of Miami I strive to know my students and inspire them to engage the target language both as language learners and as residents of a transnational world. To achieve this, I provide a comfortable learning environment where students can be creative, make mistakes, and explore strategies for language acquisition. I aspire for students to view me as both a teacher and constant resource in their academic endeavors.
My language learning classroom, be it traditional or online, is defined by communicative learning where students can achieve communicative competence even at novice levels of language learning. I seek to inspire engagement with the language through the use of cultural materials and realia while focusing on form through a mix of activities that are student-centered and emulate real world tasks or communication scenarios. Moreover, I ask my students to take responsibility for their learning as they develop academic skills applicable not only to the language learning classroom, but to their other classes as well. By incorporating the following elements into my classroom, my students experience the care, curiosity, and sense of self efficacy necessary to language learning.
Learning a language inspired me to explore the diverse world that only becomes accessible with a passion for education and exploration. By knowing my students, responding to their needs, and infusing my classroom and online courses with engaging materials, I believe I can imbue students with a similar passion for not only language learning but also their continued education be it in an academic institution, the professional realm, or in their personal lives. Learning a second language sets all students down paths to unique experiences that should be accessible to students of all learning levels and backgrounds across disciplines. With each new semester I strive for my students to come to this realization and to be inspired to engage with languages and cultures that differ from their own.