I would like to eventually become an English teacher for speakers of other languages. At UMass I study Spanish as well as linguistics, and am in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program. The program is a 15 credit mix of linguistics and language literacy and culture (LLC) classes that lead to certification in TESOL. The certification can be used to teach English both in the United States and abroad, and knowing Spanish could open many doors for me in a variety of places in the world. I hope to teach in Latin America, and knowing Spanish will help me understand better the people I want to work with one day and assimilate myself into the culture. Learning Spanish has helped me understand the similarities and differences between Spanish and English, and linguistics has helped me understand language in general, which will ultimately make me a better teacher. If one day I decide to teach domestically in the U.S, knowing Spanish will be useful because of the large population of Spanish-speakers in this country. Also by learning Spanish and Linguistics, I am able to understand how people acquire new languages, and I have first-hand experience and knowledge about the experience of learning a second language.

I also gained experience teaching English by volunteering at my local Literacy Center to help tutor people who were studying for the United States Citizenship Exam. I was paired with a woman from Guatemala and not only learned about the skills for teaching English, but a lot about the Citizenship Exam and the immigration process to the U.S. Also, part of the TESOL certification program at UMass includes a class called the Practice of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (LLC 321) which requires 20 hours of real lesson planning and teaching. Through this program, I’m not only learning how to teach English, but putting it into action through a student-teaching position in an ESL class on campus, and one-on-one tutoring sessions organized by the UMass ESL department.

Eventually, I want to apply for the Fulbright Scholarship to be a teaching assistant in another country, or apply to be an auxiliar de conversación through the Spanish government to live and teach there. I’m not exactly sure where my future will bring me, but I do know that I want to teach English in another country and I’m super excited to see which opportunities open up for me. Having the TESOL certification under my belt will open so many doors and eventually I hope to get my masters in teaching English. Learning Spanish has been an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to share that experience with someone else and with my own native language!

More information on TESOL at UMass – https://www.umass.edu/linguistics/certificate-teaching-english-speakers-other-languages