About me

          ¡Hola! I am a senior at Illinois State University and I am majoring in Spanish Education with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).  It is obvious that I know what I want to teach, but I am not as certain as to the environment in which I would like to teach in.  I feel like I would be able to teach at any type of school whether it is rich or poor, diverse or not, in the United States or a different country.  Ideally, I would want to work in an urban setting, teaching underprivileged children from all different backgrounds.  I feel as this environment would be the most satisfying and fulfilling if, and only if, I am successful at it. If I am not able to motivate my students, encourage them and actually teach them, then I will more than likely completely FREAK OUT on a daily basis and mess up some kids’ lives as well as my own.
          TESOL, though a very common acronym in our field of teaching, is unknown by most people.  When one learns the words that these letters represent, TESOL might not seem that difficult or complicated. It is just teaching English, right? Wrong. Most English teachers in the United States teach native English speakers.  In TESOL courses, the students are non-native English speakers, which makes teaching them all the more interesting. Not only are the teachers responsible for helping their students learn the English language, they also have to teach about our culture, social customs, etc. while being conscious of the other cultures and values represented in the diverse classroom. I think it is very important to show respect for other cultures, learn more about them and encourage students to, yes, learn English and take part in American culture, but to not turn their backs on their own language and rituals.  Language is a beautiful thing.  To lose one’s language is to lose part of one’s self.
          As a language educator I want to inspire my students.  I want them to love coming to class, learning and growing.  I want my passion of language to spread into the lives of my students.  I want them to want to learn languages not because their parents, guardians or other people told them to, but rather because they see the importance and excitement of being able to communicate with people that normally they would not have been able to.  I want my students to understand that they are a part of a WORLD, not just a nation, that is full of people of all different races, economic statuses, heights, weights, religions, and personalities, and that is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
         I am hoping to gain more knowledge, methods, strategies, and confidence from this course in order to become the best language teacher I can be.