Biographical Reflection

Language Learning History

High School
My first encounter with learning another language was in my first year of high school.
Following in the footsteps of both of my older sisters and my mother, I decided to take French.
My father had studied German in high school, but it was not offered and, frankly, I was much
more interested in the French language. This education got off to a bit of a rocky start. The
school was short on language teachers that year, so the Freshman French I class was given to a
Spanish teacher who had taken two semesters of French in college. Of course, since she did not
know French, it did not go well. In an entire year of French we only covered the letters, numbers,
and the most basic phrases (My name is ___. I am ___ years old.). There was no focus on
communication. The class consisted of bookwork, some listen and repeat, and watching movies
(usually dubbed in French).
Unsurprisingly we all passed and most of us went to French II, which was taught by a
native speaker from Marseille. She was very highly educated (having passed the Bar Exam in
multiple states and was fluent in English, Spanish, German, and Latin) and, as evident by the
number of languages she could speak, knew how to learn languages. However, knowing how to
learn a language does not necessarily mean one knows how to teach a language. Class began
with her informally assessing our skill and announcing that none of us should have passed
French I. She told us that she could not go back and teach us what we should have learned in
French I, that we would just have to study extra hard to catch up as she taught us the material for

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French II. Much like French I, there was very little focus on communication. Most of the lessons
consisted of grammar and vocabulary drills along with listen and repeat exercises. Of course, we
were unable to make up for the lessons that we did not receive in French I and were only
somewhat better off in our language use after this second year.
The following year, in French III, there was much more of a focus on authentic language
use and communication. We read (or at least attempted to read) Le Petit Prince and we had
several presentation activitiesone of which was quite memorable. We had to create videos
(much more difficult back then in the days before smartphones) regarding some aspect of French
culture. My group decided to create a French cooking show where we made Bananas Foster. I
learned more French during that project than I had in the previous 2.5 years. Unfortunately, our
class was still far behind the expected outcomes. French IV was not offered the next year.
College
My college, Spring Hill College, required all incoming students to take language
proficiency exams to ensure that someone did not take a course in which they were already
proficient. I placed into French 102. I actually wanted to take French 101, so I could start from
the beginning and cover the things I had missed, but I was told that if I did take it, I would not
receive credit.
All of the French courses were taught by the same instructor, a native speaker from
Orleans. I enjoyed the classes and the teaching methodology was much more informed than
when I was in high schoolthough her Ph.D. was not in Education, but in Literature. However, I
never felt competent, due to my previous experiences learning French. I always felt inadequate

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compared to my classmates and did not want to participate in class. Despite this, I loved learning
French and continued all the way through, completing a French minor.
Japan
After teaching English to speakers of other languages for over a year (which I will
discuss in greater detail in the next section), I accepted a position as an ESOL instructor in Japan.
While it would not be perfectly true to say that I knew no Japanese before arriving, it is safe to
say that I was a false beginner (knowing less than 20 words in actuality). Armed with a Lonely
Planet phrasebook and an electronic bilingual dictionary (on my iPod Touch), I began the task
of learning Japanese in order to function in my daily life. I did not take any classes, but I did
have high interest, high need, and high exposure. With my two tools, I managed everything from
registering my residency to obtaining a cell phone and contract to meeting my neighbors.
One lesson I learned was from my predecessor at that position. When I arrived in the
country, he told me his secret to being successful. He said, It is far better to be the annoying
talkative foreigner than it is to be the creepy quiet foreigner. I took his advice to heart and
greeted everyone I saw. Because of this I was able to engrain myself in the community and
become friends with my neighborsall of whom were Japanese and most of whom were
octogenarians or greater. Through my constant practice, I was able to develop a survival level of
Japanese in a short time. Compared to my French studies, it was opposite. Where I struggled to
learn in French, I found Japanese easy to acquire.
Post-Japan
In total, I lived in Japan for two years. Since then, I have not had a significant amount of
time to study. During my morning commute, I refresh myself with a Pimsleur audio course in my

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car. At home, I sometimes watch Japanese dramas to practice listening to more authentic
language use. I have also acquired a significant number of Japanese language childrens books
that I am working my way through. Though my progress is much slower than when I was in
Japan, I am still learning and still enjoying the language. I look forward to reaching a point
where I feel more comfortable in my abilities and have the time to revisit my French studies and
move on to learning Portuguese and other languages.
Language Teaching History
First encounter with another culture
My first realized encounter with someone from a different language background was in
seventh grade. Katarina Durcova and her family immigrated from the Czech Republic. I
remember her introducing herself to our class and saying that she was excited about celebrating
Halloween. The class laughed when she pronounced vampire as wampire. Of course, none of
us realized how remarkably fluent she was. We never really considered her bilingualism. For the
most part, she got along quite well at our school. There was really only one instance that stood
out in my mind, and it still bothers me today.
For the yearly speech contest, each student had to write a speech about one of their
heroes. Katarina gave a great speech about how much she admired John F. Kennedy. However,
soon after she started her speech, one of my classmates (I do not remember who) shouted that he
was one of our heroes and she should go back to her own country. I had never heard anyone
speak in that way. I know now that whoever it was must have heard their parents speaking in that
way. Katarina and I were always friendly with one another (and I played soccer with her younger

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sister). We are still connected, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, and I am happy that she is a
successful lawyer.
Interest in other cultures
Starting at a young age, I was interested in other cultures. Like many others in my
generation, I developed a fondness for Japanese animation that came on television. At 10 years
old, I began studying Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial art and had to learn several Korean words
to participate in class. These interests, however, were merely introductions to other cultures. In
high school, I began listening to French language music (with a special fondness for Jacques
Brel) and watching international films. My interest in cultures other than the one I was born into
only grew as I got older.
International Festival
My second year of high school, I got the opportunity to go to the Mobile International
Festival for the first time. It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of interacting and working
with those from other countries. The sights and smells were nothing like anything I had
experienced before. I even saw several friends of mine participating. I had never even considered
that they may have another culture. I suppose, in many ways, I really bought into the melting
pot concept I was taught in school. For instance, I saw my friend Serena serving food at the
International Festival. Her parents, I found out, were the owners of a Thai restaurant. I knew
before that Serenas parents were from Thailand, but I think I never really considered Serena also
being Thai. Going to the festival gave me a better perspective on the role culture plays in
peoples lives, even when they are living in another culture.
Multicultural Student Union

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As an undergraduate student, I joined the Multicultural Student Union. There, I was able
to make friends from all over the world (though mostly Latin America). This club was incredibly
important to my concepts regarding those from other countries/cultures and the many difficulties
and prejudices they face. There were conferences and symposia describing the struggles many of
my classmates had to face. There were also question and answer sessions where we formed
groups and discussed what culture meant to us and were able to ask, in a safe place, questions
about other cultures. In this way, we were able to learn from each other develop cross-cultural
friendships and understanding. This group helped me look inwardly at my own culture and my
own preconceptions and prejudices.
Graduate School
As I finished my undergraduate studies, I wanted to try teaching English abroad. I had
heard of some students who had done it after graduation and all of them had wonderful things to
say about the experience of living overseas. I applied for a job with NOVA, a huge language
school in Japan, and started following the blogs of expats living in Japan. I got a phone interview
and an in-person interview. While I was waiting for the results of my in-person interview, I
noticed something disturbing about the blog posts of the NOVA teachers in Japan. They were
started saying that they had not been paid, that the Japanese staff at the school had disappeared,
and that NOVA was facing bankruptcy (and possibly legal charges). When I was offered the
position, I decided not to take it. I did not want to end up in a situation like those whom I had
been reading about.
After I turned down the position, I enrolled in the M.A. in English program at the
University of South Alabama. While a student, a friend told me about the conversation partner

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program through their IEP. I met with the director the next week and became a conversation
partner to several students from Korea and Japan. It was my job to help them with language and
cultural issues. I soon learned two very important things: that I knew very little of the world and
that I loved teaching.
Begin Teaching ESL IEP
After graduating with my M.A., I began teaching at the English Language Center at the
University of South Alabama. This was my first time to be a language teacher. Looking back on
it now, I made innumerable mistakes. I had never study linguistics, second language acquisition,
or pedagogy. I was simply placed in a classroom, given a textbook, and told to teach. I did the
best I could and I had a wonderful experience. I was able to build positive rapport with my
students and help them learn Englisheven if my methods were not the most effective or
efficient. I was able to learn from many of my mistakes and developed better practices as I went
on. I also learned from my colleagues.
Teach in Japan
I could not suppress my desire to live and teach abroad. So, after one just over one year
of teaching, I moved to Japan to teach English. It was a wholly different experience than in the
IEP. I had smaller classes, but many more students. The skill levels of my students ranged from
zero English to practically fluent. In the mornings, I was an assistant instructor in the English
language kindergarten. In the afternoons and evenings, I taught juku or cram school. The
students there were from ages 5 to 14. Additionally, I spent one day a week teaching at an
English Caf, where I served coffee and tea while teaching English. Whereas I was given a
textbook and told what to teach at the IEP, at the school in Japan, I was told to choose a textbook

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that I thought was appropriate for the level (from a selection already available and approved by
the principal), but to mostly create the curriculum on my own. The schools philosophy was to
create an immersion-like experience in the classroomwhich was not possible considering the
student-teacher ratio, levels, and lack of materials to support that type of system.
I taught in Japan for two years (with one and a half years teaching in the U.S. between the
first and second year in Japan). During that time, I grew considerably as an instructor. I learned
how to adapt my lessons and explanations to fit the needs of particular students. I also learned
how to better think-on-my-feet as an instructor and to be prepared to answer any question.
Though I know now that I was still making plenty of instructional mistakes, I was significantly
improved over my first year of teaching.
Teach in Community ESL
Returning from Japan, I accepted a position at another university-level IEP. the
University of North Carolina Charlotte. I was also offered a position at a different type of school,
a community college ESL program. I accepted the position (both of them part-time) and
encountered types of students I had never had before. In the community ESL program, many of
my students were refugees. Others were working immigrants who were trying to become citizens
or get a promotion at work. They tended to be older than my students before and work much
harder. Additionally, while I had always enjoyed teaching English, with this, I really felt like I
was helping them build the life they wanted. In a way, it was reigniting a fire that I had not
realized I had. I wanted to help these students in a different way than before. I had always
wanted to assist students in achieving their dreams, but this was differentthe dreams were

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more real to me. Teaching immigrants was quite different from teaching temporary expatriate
students.
It was during this time that I began the M.A.T.L. program. I wanted to improve my
knowledge of language and pedagogical methods so that I could better help my students. Since
starting the M.A.T.L., I have learned a great deal. I know, too, that I still have a lot of room to
improve in the classroom. There will always bee new challenges and new students. I want to help
students learn without the difficulties and disappointments that I faced.