About Me

When I first began language teaching in 2001, I will be honest and confess that I mirrored the teacher-centered approach of the "sage on the stage" that my professors had utilized while I was working towards my BA and MA in Spanish. When I began my doctorate at the University of Minnesota in Leadership for Intercultural and International Education, however, that began to change. My doctoral program was designed around the cohort model, which was new to me. In it, we were all considered experts in our field and we were expected to teach each other. I liked the responsibility placed on my shoulders of presenting a designated topic to my peers and professor. In this student-centered approach to learning, I appreciated that the professor served the role of mediator / observer and the students were responsible not only for their own learning, but for presenting accurate information to their peers. That positive experience motivated me to shift my teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach in my ESL classroom. While I don't have my students instruct the entire grammar point or vocabulary lesson in front of their peers, I do assign a micro lesson to each student that they must review with the class as if they were the instructor. Currently, I am an adjunct Non-Credit ESL and Spanish professor at Compton Community College. In my role, my primary mission is to help students develop their language proficiency. Professionally, I define myself first and foremost as a teacher, and in order to teach effectivelyi.e., foster student learning by serving as guide, resource, and cheerleaderit is essential that I continue to expand my own professional expertise. However, teaching involves more than just the development of skills and the communication of knowledge, and a liberal arts education seeks to nurture the qualities of mind and character which permit students to realize their full potential as contributors to society, informed citizens, and caring and responsible adults. Part of my own responsibility as an educator is to serve as a role model by committing myself to personal growth as well as to professional development. I believe that the personal and the professional are inextricably interwoven in teaching and that both feed and are fed by the teaching in which I am engaged. Students acquire another language most effectively when they are able to use what they are learning to express something meaningful about topics that are relevant to them. I am a member of the TESOL International Association and also subscribe to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' (ACTFL) emphasis on proficiency-based instruction that prepares students to carry out global functions such as creating with the language by recombining learned material, asking and answering questions on familiar topics, and narrating and describing in major time frames. Whereas second language pedagogy used to distinguish between the "active" skills of speaking and writing and the "passive" skills of listening and reading, the current terminology of "productive" versus "receptive" recognizes the active nature of all four skills. Nevertheless, such a distinction still masks the productive process that takes place when one decodes and interprets an oral utterance or written text. In structuring my language courses, I strive to create and implement activities that enable students to develop all four language skills, with particular emphasis placed on listening. Listening is often overlooked during the first two years of college instruction, but it is essential for student success and is actually the most used skill in immersion and everyday contexts.

Education & Certifications

Tutoring Subjects