Having over 10 years of experience as a second language educator at the novice and intermediate level, from the K-12 age group to the university, I have learned to keep in mind external factors that affect the students’ development as a second language learner. My approach to this issue has always been and will continue to be proactive, involving the cultivation of a positive rapport with the students, creation of positive and safe learning environment and a high emphasis on the content of the material. When the students are provided with comprehensive activities that are interactive, culturally significant and meaningful to everyday life, they are more likely to be motivated and focused on applying what they know from various aspects such as cultural appropriateness, prior knowledge from life situations and other disciplines to assignments or cumulative projects, rather than when they are instructed to complete individual disconnected activities that tend to bring out their frustrations and flaws in an isolated context as they are not directly presented with the significance of the tasks.

Reading, writing, traveling, yoga and running