What did you come here to teach me…

Something about the beach feels like home. Like I can close my eyes and feel the water surrounding me, hear the smooth crash of the soft waves pull back and forth and hear the long, beautiful silence of the beach. It’s the most wonderful feeling.

Deep down I knew this last trip would be a return home in many ways. Panama was my first “Semi Solo” trip and my intuition told me it would be my last. Perhaps I was tired or perhaps I was making room for the next chapter but this “part of the journey” I had wandered and fulfilled my dreams. I stepped back to jump forward and the puzzle-piece that had been missing for so many years was in its place. I did it and all the steps were out of order, but I did it all so now that this jigsaw puzzle was finally complete, I could put it all to rest. I could sigh a breath of relief and be still. I could sit back and breathe. My peace, my tranquility and calm were here when I closed my eyes I could see my heart – my family. I didn’t need to run anymore I just needed to go home. So, the moment everything came together, it all fell apart because it had served its purpose. And once I stood still long enough, I understood.

Love letter to me 2015

Essential H.I. (Human Intelligence) skills

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my passions, my career and my life in general. I’ve been doing some RE-flecting, RE-learning and RE-setting (deep sigh). And my life changing conclusion is that… I still love languages. But I am more intrigued by the learning process in general. What environment works best for learning, what music allows you to zone in on your task and what portion of your brain is activated as you focus on the different aspects of learning such as cognitive and metacognitive techniques?? These are all topics for me to explore in another blog post but for today let’s circle back to Dear Language Lovers!

With the rapid technological changes impacting the language field it is nice to hear the human side of education. Gregory is a Professional Learning Specialist @ TESOL International Association with nearly 20 years of teaching experience. He shared that one of the key components in teaching is “connecting with students, personally exposing them to new experiences and expanding their horizons” (Stancil, September 2025). He is the latest language enthusiast to participate in the Dear Language Lovers series and below are a few responses that stood out!

When did you fall in love with foreign languages?

I truly fell in love with foreign languages in college. I had studied Spanish in middle and high school, but I was “horrified” to learn that my university required three semesters of a foreign language… I studied relentlessly and by the end of the semester, I not only caught up but became one of her best students—and even her teaching assistant. In reality, it was Professor Calderon’s passion and contagious love for Spanish that inspired me and sparked my own.

When you were teaching, why did you feel it was important to understand your students’ unique needs and learning motivations?

Understanding each student’s unique needs and motivations is the key to reaching them. If you can discover their “why,” you can tailor your approach to connect with them more effectively. Once students see that what they’re learning aligns with their personal goals, teaching and learning become much easier—and far more meaningful.

What strategies or techniques did you use to improve your teaching and training skills?

I wasn’t the type of teacher obsessed with formal strategies or techniques, though I certainly used many along the way. My real strength was seeing potential in my students and giving them opportunities to lead—whether by helping peers, taking on special projects, or expressing themselves in the after-school arts program I ran. That program eventually grew, with my students and me, into a nationally televised youth TV show. I also tried to connect with each student, even those labeled as “troublemakers,” by giving them responsibility and trust. Often, their behavior transformed once they realized I genuinely cared and believed in them. In the end, treating each student as capable went a very long way.

As we continue to incorporate AI in the education field on a larger scale, let’s also be mindful of its limitations and the invaluable role educators play in the classroom.

So, another Language Enthusiast has shared their views on teaching and learning. Be sure to leave your experiences in the comments.

As a language learner and instructor how has your experience as a student shaped the way you conduct your classroom?

Has your experience as a student impacted how you view the classroom environment and student -facilitator interactions?

What role does a student’s personality, learning motivation and learning style play on a student’s ability to process and retain information?

What are the varying layers of language and is it important to explore all of them when studying a language?

Gregory is currently a Professional Learning Specialist @ TESOL International Association.

Want more information?

So, when did you fall in luv w/ foreign languages?

With years of experience in the education field and multiple languages under his belt, our next Dear Language Lover is definitely an asset in the field. He is also a DOS English Language Fellow and longtime language professional. He served as a fellow from 2021 – 2023 in Montenegro which happens to be the same year I started with the program for a university in India. Although we facilitated programs in completely different parts of the world, we both started our journey at the same time with the hopes of providing well developed teacher training. The ELF program offers a notable opportunity for professionals to enhance their teacher training, curriculum development and leadership skills in various universities throughout the world. It’s a unique program which fosters professional growth and exposes individuals to a multitude of cultures and countries. In addition, the learners are able to enhance their English skills and prepare for different stages in their educational or professional journey. So, without further ado let’s take a deep dive into the responses from our newest DLL contributor.

I was quite curious to learn a bit more about when he became intrigued by languages and what he found most fascinating about the education field as a whole. Hansley shared that his interests in foreign languages peaked while he was completing his master’s in multilingual education. It was during this time that he was introduced to sociolinguistics and the interwoven paths between history, language and culture. While studying Japanese and experiencing the acquisition process he began to truly notice the minute nuances of language and the role of language in one’s thought process. “ Yeah, during my grad studies, I fell in love with foreign languages” (Cazeau, May 2025). For Hansley the journey of learner understanding that both the instructor and learners embrace is both fascinating and rewarding. Although each participant will have a different experience this is where the teacher has the opportunity to pull out all their creative tricks and tools. He compares this part of the classroom dynamic to a comedy show.

Have you ever watched a comedy show and you are telling your friends about it. You try to tell them the joke, but for Some reason, it’s not as funny as when the comedian said it? That’s because comedians are experts in delivering jokes. They know how to lead an audience in, giving you bits of information in the beginning so you can appreciate the punchline at the end. Facilitating that journey to a good laugh. That’s education to me. In what way can I facilitate this journey to Understanding. That’s where teachers get creative, and that is what I find the most Interesting (Cazeau, May 2025).

Hansley has studied Japanese more formally but due to his Haitian background he also is familiar with Haitian Creole and is interested in studying French in the future. As a language enthusiast he feels one of the biggest challenges that instructors face in the classroom is also an opportunity for creativity! He circled back to his analogy between comedians and teachers and their ability to share information in a manner that connects with their unique audience. In order to do this one must be cognizant enough of how an individual prefers to intake information and willing to make adjustments to how they present their material. As Hansley stated, “that requires a growth mindset and a practice of being a reflective educator” (Cazeau, May 2025).

So, another Language Enthusiast has shared their views on teaching and learning. Leave your experiences in the comments.

As a language learner and instructor how has your experience as a student shaped the way you conduct your classroom?

Has your experience as a student impacted how you view the classroom environment and student -facilitator interactions?

What role does a student’s personality, learning motivation and learning style play on a student’s ability to process and retain information?

What are the varying layers of language and is it important to explore all of them when studying a language?

Hansley is currently a Multilingual Specialist at the DoD Education Activity.

Want more information?

I suppose I was always intrigued…

My dear grad school colleague agreed to take part in my series Dear Language Lovers so let’s take a look at his responses to my questions. What are his ideas, thoughts and views about language learning, teaching and appealing to a wide range of learners. We both attended the School for International Training which was such a unique and intimate experience. The program centered around teaching from a truly student-centered approach with experiential pedagogy at the forefront. After attending the classes in Vermont and forming bonds with my instructors and peers I not only had a greater understanding of how to teach the student as an individual and not simply a student in the classroom, but I also had a greater understanding of the notion of giving and receiving constructive feedback. I had a greater sense of confidence in my ability to facilitate a class and speak publicly in group settings. Finally, I was exposed to so many experiences and people which were outside of my comfort zone which ultimately led to personal growth and a newfound love for everything outdoors.

So, let’s climb the infamous mountain to SIT and see what M from Turkey has to share as the next Language Enthusiast.

1. When did you fall in love with languages? What languages have you studied and what languages would you like to study?

In some sense I suppose I have always been intrigued by languages and loved them since I grew up bilingual (English / Sranan Tongo). But then I took ancient (koine) Greek and linguistics at university, and they were the hardest parts of my program. I studied for a year in Turkey after university and failed Turkish twice at the elementary level. (!) So, languages weren’t really fun, and I didn’t notice that they could be enjoyable. But it only took a few weeks of teaching English to know that I’d found something I loved to do. [Eventually this] (with renewed and more focused study of Turkish) led to a conscious love of languages (Champlin, April 2025).

2. What is it about teaching that you find most intriguing?

It seems to me that languages are windows into people and cultures, and I’d found out that those are central things I love. So, language, the negotiation of meaning and the joint exploration of self and others that happen in the process became increasingly important to me. I also learned that loving to teach a language and being good at it were too different things, which led to more study. That study in turn increased my understanding and fascination with the languages – a beautiful cycle (Champlin, April 2025).

3. Why do you feel it is important to understand your students’ unique needs and learning motivations?

The TESOL word ‘affordances’ springs to mind – opportunities! If language instruction is going to be minimally coercive and maximally beneficial, it needs to hear the students’ desires and interests. As a teacher, I bring a set of opportunities that the student may not even be aware of; but the opportunities I offer a learner will be most effective and enjoyable if they align with the students’ goals. Since that may not always be possible, minimally having rapport with the students so that we each know that we care about the others’ motivations even when we can’t meet them is important (Champlin, April 2025).

4. What do you find most challenging about teaching English?

Short-term, the challenge of re-thinking significant parts of my style due to AI probably looms the largest. There are many opportunities for improvement, but it also involves a significant amount of trial and error. Long-term, the challenge of drawing in the unwilling student seems to be the most consistent. How do I best help the student who is in the class and continually wishes they weren’t? This question feels vital at both the practical and philosophical level (Champlin, April 2025).

So, another Language Enthusiast has shared their views on teaching and learning. Leave your experiences in the comments.

As a language learner and instructor how has your experience as a student shaped the way you conduct your classroom?

Has your experience as a student impacted how you view the classroom environment and student -facilitator interactions?

What role does a student’s personality, learning motivation and learning style play on a student’s ability to process and retain information?

What are the varying layers of language and is it important to explore all of them when studying a language?

Matt is currently an instructor at the Istanbul 29 Mayis Universitesi

Want more information?

Spice Girls, Power Rangers & Language Enthusiasts

In the follow up to Dear Language Lovers, I chat with a fellow language enthusiast from Chile. She shared some childhood memories about learning English, the various languages she has studied over the years and the techniques she uses in the class as a language instructor.

Hola! Primero, gracias por hablar conmigo !

Yo quiero hablar de tu amor por los idiomas y tu viaje como docente.

Entonces, ¿como estas y como va tu dia?

Hola! Soy Victoria. Soy profesora de español e ingles.

Muchas gracias por confiar en mi para entrevistar en tu blog.

V shared that her interest in languages started when she was 5 years old learning English in school and spending her spare time immersed in the English-speaking culture. She spent time pretending to be Power Rangers and carefully translated the lyrics to famous Pop groups like Spice Girls. She was truly engulfed in a language learning experience.

Creo que comenzó desde cuando era muy pequeña y escuchaba música en inglés. Antes, cuando la música venía en cassettes, antes del CD, dentro venía una portada con un papel doblado en dónde venían las letras de las canciones. Recuerdo haberme visto traduciendo con un pequeño diccionario de mi escuela las canciones de las Spice Girls. Disfrutaba mucho haciéndolo.. Nosotros en Chile aprendíamos inglés desde Kinder, cuando teníamos 5 años, cuando veíamos a los Power Rangers y jugábamos a ser ellos. La cultura angloparlante estaba muy presente (Veliz, March 2025).

In her later years she continued to study various other languages such as German, Chinese and Portuguese. Her experience as a learner has helped her structure her English and Spanish classes as well as the multitude of webinars, conferences and seminars she attends. She strives to shape her tutorials around experiences and interests that motivate her students and immerse them in authentic conversations. V noted that one thing that she found fascinating is the subtle transition that learners make between the stage of mentally translating in the target language to L1 back to the target language vs. fluid speech in the target language.

Victoria is always open to new students so feel free to reach out!

Want more information?

Dear Language Lovers

So, I have always had an innate curiosity about how languages work, the structure of languages and the historical and cultural elements that are associated with languages. However, in my adult years I had a greater understanding of the intense link between language, identity and tradition. I became familiar with my own learning preferences and understood the various types of teaching methods. I experienced the foreign language learning process as a novice adult learner and thus was able to have a better grasp of the student experience. Now I want to explore the thoughts and ideas of other Language Enthusiasts and hear their views on their language learning/teaching journey. Before I dive into our exchange, let’s take a look at my views as a Language and Education Enthusiast!

Discovering a language is like discovering another dimension of oneself and it is often layered, nuanced and complicated. Through communication, relationships and boundaries are formed, communities and borders are erected, families and enemies are developed. Culture is exchanged, transposed and fused. Languages are laid to rest and become part of elaborate territorial claims. A question that looms in the back of my mind is the identity of bilingual and multilingual individuals and if it changes as they acclimate with their dominant environment. Do they encompass a slightly different identity with each language or are the languages a component of intersectionality?

Jumping over to the practical application of the language and the learning environment let’s take a look at the classroom dynamics. Previously I have written about how the classroom environment impacts a learner’s ability to retain and process a language. I believe it is important for instructors to have a clear understanding of their students’ interests, motivation and personal learning styles in order to maximize their ability to not only learn the language but digest it and encompass it. Some students might respond better to soothing ambient music and multiple independent activities while others may prefer quick paced games and highly intense lessons. This can typically be discovered during an informal assessment during the first couple of days of class. In addition, having a familiar warm-up and closing activity is also important for the class. Music can be used in the class at the start or the end of the class as a routine activity which is led by the students. While teaching I often played a song throughout the week so the students could notice the rhythm and stress. In addition, students could hear intonation and pronunciation and eventually (with upper intermediate or advanced learners) we could have a larger discussion about the meaning of the song or the feeling that it evokes in the students. These are just some examples of techniques that I used in the classroom to provide a more relaxed learning atmosphere and increase oral participation from even the most timid student.

Now I want to explore the thoughts and ideas of other Language Enthusiasts and hear their views on their language learning/teaching journey.

As a language learner and instructor how has your experience as a student shaped the way you conduct your classroom?

Has your experience as a student impacted how you view the classroom environment and student -facilitator interactions?

What role does a student’s personality, learning motivation and learning style play on a student’s ability to process and retain information?

What are the varying layers of language and is it important to explore all of them when studying a language?

So fellow Language Enthusiast, what are your thoughts and ideas??

Want more information?

it was the End and Beginning

The taste of disappointment. The gut-wrenching fear that my whole life might
crumble.

These things used to haunt me like a ghost. Until I realized that I
truly had no control over the circumstances around me and suddenly I was

free…

It started as a decision
to quit my job. A job which was well paying, had potential for growth and was in a
field which on the surface seemed as though it fit into the puzzle pieces of my life. But the jigsaw pieces were forced and if you looked closely the puzzle
was always incomplete. I needed a career which was challenging and stimulating whilst
encouraging growth. Stagnation and predictably
did not match with my appetite to learn and grasp new ideas. So, in one
of my less eloquent moments I stated,

” I have something to tell you”.

As I sat in the car after riding the train back from work.

“I quit my job,”

I held my breath for a moment. Waiting for him to
tell me he was proud of me. Thinking back now, I realize that was another
slightly delusional fairy tale moment I was clearly living in. Especially since
I knew how extremely practical/risk averse he was and quitting my job without
another job lined up was the equivalent of a practical person’s worse
nightmare. Thus, it was the end and beginning of many stages of my life, but I
knew in order to do it right it was all or nothing. So, I started over and fell
back in love and lust with writing and the cognitive process of language acquisition. I facilitated lessons, developed curriculum, coordinated with content creators, managed tutors and linguists.
And I explored the role of culture, identity and student learning preferences and how they intertwined to create a dynamic and unique learning experience. I unlearned, relearned, taught and explored.

It was a sad ending. It was a beautiful beginning, and I was slowly becoming a Language and Education Enthusiast.

I would tell her to just be selfish

There are moments in life when you simply need to remind yourself that you are enough. In order to do that, you have to have enough self confidence to come up with the words that are both comforting and inspiring.

I’ve been told that nothing is impossible, and certain things aren’t meant for me. I’ve been told to follow my heart, and I’ve been told to always be mindful of others. And I’ve been told to say what I really want move in that direction, but move with caution. I’ve been told many conflicting things, but I have out that the most important words come from within. What I tell myself when I am not sure of the next step, or when I am scared to truly articulate my thoughts into actions. I tell myself to move, just move, take a step, and move. Be bold.

Forget your failures and mistakes because the lesson is over. Sometimes we have to fail over and over until our failures are no longer setbacks; they simply push us closer to our goals.

Ask yourself…what are my goals and how long will I pursue them?

It took me many years to invest in me and appreciate my own value. But once I knew my own worth there were no more excuses. I don’t have many profound words of wisdom or a wonderful magic toolbox to fix every unforeseeable problem.

But if I could sit with my 19 year old self, I would tell her how special she is and that there is no need to be so unsure. I would tell her to just be selfish.

Be freaking selfish, know your worth and love yourself. Wait for no one to validate you just get your own stamp of approval. Stop hesitating and move boldly towards your goals. The world is your drawing board so dream big, hold tight to your dreams and pursue your passions with unwavering focus and perseverance.

Most importantly I would tell her,

“Some things aren’t that serious. Just smile!”

NOTICE

To move is to express your deepest darkest most cherished thoughts

To move is to connect with your heart with your hidden unspoken words

To move is to cry without shedding a tear

To move is to scream to let out all the anger that you bottled up in smile and lowered gaze

Movement frees the pain

Movement loosens the aches

Movement is freedom

Move

-Me

Semi Solo and whatnot

So, what have you learned from your semi solo trips? …

In the last several years I have taken multiple trips to different countries and each time I have travelled I have arrived at a new destination with new people, new food, new colloquial expressions and new idiosyncrasies. Although all this newness always comes in like a whirlwind as soon as I step foot in the airport, the real emotional shift always hits me as I sit down on the airplane to return home. It’s the realization that another journey has concluded with its ups and downs, and soon, I will return to my home, with my comfort food and recognizable routine as if nothing changed. But it always does. I find that the distance makes the notion of home seem so luxurious as if it’s a treasure that I never realized I possessed. And my hours wandering in the woods suddenly seem so invaluable. This was the most evident when I visited Bogota. Although it was a short visit, it felt like I was there for months, and it inspired me to brush up on my 0+ (barely/perhaps a stretch) Spanish proficiency levels. Since everywhere I went it was necessary to have phrases readily available to use and that was something I wasn’t prepared for. So, on this semi solo trip I learned that being away from recognizable idiosyncrasies, words and references is truly forcing yourself out of your comfort zone and as a result you can either blossom or wither. Some say Bogota is the New York of Colombia, I’ll be better equipped next time. Goodbye COLOMBIA!