LTS

The house I grew up in. Cotton candy used to be hard to obtain, we had to go downtown for it. Now it is sold in the local park, but it is aggressively blue. I miss the fresh spun, hard-to-get, white cotton candy!

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? 

I am originally from Russia: born in Saratov on the Volga river, schooled in St Petersburg known as Russia’s “cultural capital”. In college, I studied sociology and cultural anthropology, with a special interest in gendered language and discourse. After my graduation in 2019, I was recruited to support the Russian program at a small university in middle Tennessee, which is how I immigrated and got into teaching Russian. I’d wanted to continue my education but would only be satisfied with just the right fit, so I took my time until I found the UO. So, in 2023, I made another big move Westward from Boston where I managed an ESL school and poured beer for a living. Though my heart aches for the respite for the Atlantic whose horizon is faintly reminiscent of my dear Eurasia, I am having a personal and professional blast here in the PNW.

You found out about LTS after you were already enrolled in the MA program in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. What inspired you to do concurrent MA degrees in both programs? How do they complement one another for you?

I just acted like a typical Gemini, honestly: I can’t resist the impulsive allure of “why not los dos”. Actually, I did my research before coming here, so I knew about the existence of LTS and planned to take classes in the program since REEES has room for electives. My hot take is that all language GEs should take at least a course or two in the program. My first term, I took Second Language Acquisition with Prof. Sykes and realized just how inspired and invested I was in class. So I thought, I wonder if I can spot two birds with one set of binoculars (pardon by birdwatcher idiomatic edits) and get a BOGO deal on my degrees? Turned out I could, and after a lot of productive and encouraging communication with both programs, I was officially on my concurrent tracks! I will say, it is challenging, which all faculty were transparent about, but they also had so much faith in me and were clearly happy to support me. Initially I thought, if it’s too much, I can always backtrack, but now I know I wouldn’t have it any other way. I do not feel torn: on the contrary, both programs form one whole experience that feels uniquely me.

What do you find rewarding about language teaching, or teaching in general? 

Birding the Altantic Coast, Martha’s Vineyard

Teaching is a very creative process. There is no one right way to teach a specific language skillset, and getting to invent a learning experience for people is very cool. I love how collaborative it is: teaching can’t be self-righteous or pretentious, can’t be a genius research-based masterpiece of a plan without involving the learners and being centered on them. I think I am a creative and empathetic person, so these  aspects on teaching are especially appealing to me. 

When I started teaching Russian in the US, I first felt like a cheat: teaching my own language that I know so well, like I couldn’t learn something brand new. I felt like anybody could do it well. It was silly, of course. I quickly realized that teaching has so must mastery, variety, and depth to it, and it is always evolving, always responding to the new needs and changing trends. I love how language teaching brings together the different fields: cognitive science, psychology, sociology, computer science, literature… Research that I’ve been exposed to is very diverse, but still, for people who are not academically minded (like myself), there is a wealth of empirical, practice-oriented resources. I have deep respect for science and research, but in language teaching, I feel like experience-based knowledge and skills are equally valuable. I see teaching as both a science and a trade, and in your career, you can kind of lean into whichever one answers your current direction, knowing that the other one is there to back you up. And if you go in a different direction professionally, you can always put your skills towards being a better language learner yourself!

What impact do you hope to have on students as a teacher in this field?

Well, first and foremost, I want my students to go out into the world and apply language in whatever way serves them. There are other things, but the foundation is simple: language ability, whether it is for travelling, work, personal relationships, or something else. That is what I work for. And then, there is everything else: for example, helping students develop general study skills, branch out towards creativity and self-expression instead of mere “correctness”, practice critical thinking. Lord knows, there is a lot to critically think about these days. The field of Russian studies in particular is going through a lot of reevaluation and turmoil, as you may know. It’s confused and it is struggling. I was a month into teaching my first solo course when the full-scale war broke out. It was and remains the elephant in the room that is impossible and wrong to ignore. So, we learned case endings on anti/pro-war slogans, where one vowel, an inflection, makes the whole difference between resistance and denial: нет войне (No to war) – нет войны (there is no war). That was in Novice Russian, and honestly, even if you still struggle to string the words together, you can engage with difficult questions, you have the right and the ability to question things, take agency in the language, make choices. 

Maybe a better example of such choices is pronouns, something we learn very early on in language classrooms. Students who are gender-queer or would like to talk about their genderqueer community can and should challenge the grammar they are learning: what is the way to go in a gender-rigid language? And how to reconcile those language choices with the fact in modern Russia, this whole community has been sidelined and demonized, so certain choices are marked to the point of unsafety? I guess the impact I would like to have is showing that there are choices to make, and I am not talking right or wrong: I am talking context, nuance, impact. Now that Russian as a field is desperate to adapt and to be a positive force, I feel like nuance is lost sometimes. In the meantime, the world is getting more polarized. So what good would I do in picking one direction and taking my whole learning community with me? Rejecting prescriptive grammar and teaching norm-bending feminist Russian with its feminitives and “default feminine”, a choice that is not always acceptable, or else, adopting a normative approach so that students sound like most average educated Russian speakers, no matter their views? Insisting students use the preposition “в” with Ukraine instead of the controversial “на”, even though it barely corresponds to the complex language choices in the community? I would rather teach the foundations for informed choices and have students make them for themselves, aware of the consequences and connotations.

Rosebud “Buddy” the fixie-foldie cycle, loves intertown trips but hates hills.

You are in your second year of the programs. Is there any advice you would give to incoming graduate students?

Don’t be a perfectionist: when grad school gets intense, it’s okay to prioritize getting things done over doing them perfectly; “best I can right now” is not always “best”, and it’s fine. We are doing a difficult thing here, and sometimes it really impacts your image of self and self-esteem, especially when you get winded: sometimes it feels like I’m not fast, thorough, hard-working, or creative enough, but the truth is that there is a lot on our plate, and we have to adjust our expectations. After all, grad school is but one part of your life, so don’t let it get to you, define you: enjoy Eugene, read something for pleasure (it’s not a crime, even when other reading is due), take that trip to the coast. I’m pretty sure your cognitive abilities are sharper when you are not in constant stress mode, so you’re doing your learning a favor when you let go. Oh, and check out as many cool books as you can: our library is awesome, and I don’t know how I will live without it and the omnipotent ILL.

Leda, a locally made bike more physically fit for uphill battles than her rider. This location is special to me because I had one of my classes in Agate Hall, but also the chimney is the roosting hotspot for migrating Vaux’s swifts in the Fall and Spring. It is quite a spectacle to watch them funnel in!

What is something outside of language teaching that you enjoy or are passionate about? Or maybe a fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

My two favorite ways to propel myself are walking and biking. 

Regarding the former: my dream and goal is through-hiking the Appalachian Trail some time after graduation. It’s over 2000 miles long and takes around 5 months to complete, rain or shine. If you are a walker but never thought hard about it, I really recommend Rebecca Solnit’s book Wanderlust: a History of Walking, or any of the Appalachian Trail chronicles.

Regarding the latter, I would like to share that I have two folding bikes: the blue one is an American Worksman Cycle named Rosebud (Buddy), and the purple one is a Bike Friday by the name Leda. I love them very much and we regularly join bike events in Eugene like the Moonlight Mash or Critical Mass. It’s a lot of fun!

We are kicking off the 2024-25 academic year with a post from one of our new cohort members, Emmanuel, who just arrived last month from Ghana and is teaching French at UO this term. Welcome Emmanuel!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background

My name is Emmanuel Ayisi. I am from Kumasi, and I graduated from Ghana’s top-ranked university, the University of Cape Coast, in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in education (B.Ed Arts), where I majored in French and minored in History. After graduation, I completed my national service at the Lands Commission of Ghana from 2020 to 2021. Since then, I have been teaching both French and English until I began my studies in the Language Teaching Studies program this Fall.

What inspired you to focus on language teaching as a career?

My inspiration to focus on language teaching came unexpectedly during my second year of high school. When our French tutor fell ill and no substitute teacher was available, I stepped in as class prefect to lead revision and discussion sessions with my peers. Our French class was small, with about 12 students, and after a week or so, I received positive feedback from my classmates about how well I facilitated the sessions. That experience ignited my passion for teaching, and it was then that I realized how fulfilling it could be to guide others in their learning. Since then, I have been committed to the teaching profession.

I decided to focus on language teaching because of the challenges I faced as a Ghanaian learning French as a foreign language. I went through many difficulties in my early years of learning, often feeling disconnected from the teaching approaches used by my native French-speaking teachers. As someone who has experienced these struggles firsthand, I have a deeper understanding of the needs of my learners and can relate to their journey in a way that native speakers might not. This understanding drives me to create more supportive and effective learning environments for my students.

Emmanuel and his friend in traditional Ghanaian batakari

What have some of your past experiences been with language teaching? Do you have any specifically fond memories?

My language teaching experience spans various levels, from primary school to junior high and senior high school. Over the years, I have taught both French and English, and each group has presented its own unique challenges and rewards. One of my fondest memories came in September last year, when I coached and guided my students to win a district spelling bee competition. What made the moment even more fulfilling was that in the final rounds, my students won by correctly spelling the word ‘cuisine,’ a word we had encountered in our French class just a week prior when I was teaching about places in the house. The students kept mentioning how they would not have been able to spell the word if we had not discussed it during our lesson. It is one of my proudest and most rewarding moments as a teacher, knowing that the work we did in the classroom directly contributed to their success.

You have only been here for less than one month – what is something about your life in Oregon that is very different from your life in Ghana? Is there anything very similar?

Let me begin with the similarities. For the first few weeks, the weather in the afternoons has been pleasant, and I have enjoyed the sunny days, much like in Ghana. Another similarity is waking up early for school. As a Graduate Employee, I must attend my 8 a.m. classes, which feels like my routine when teaching. That said, everything else has been vastly different. The food is quite new to me, and the modes of teaching and learning are distinct. Here, projectors are commonly used in class, while back in Ghana, I mostly relied on a marker and board for teaching. Even transportation feels different, along with many other aspects of daily life. It has been an exciting adjustment.

What are you hoping to gain from your experiences at the UO?

I hope to deepen my understanding of language teaching methodologies and enhance my pedagogical skills. I am eager to engage with diverse perspectives from both professors and peers, learning from their unique experiences. Additionally, I want to develop practical strategies for effectively teaching French as a foreign language in an Anglophone context like Ghana. For the immediate future, I seek to return to home equipped with the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact in my community and help my students become confident, proficient language learners. But my goal is to influence the Ghanaian curriculum to adopt principles that align with modern language teaching and learning.

What is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? Or maybe a fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

Outside of language teaching, I am passionate about football. My Saturdays are always dedicated to watching the English Premier League. I am also quite skilled at playing football, and some of my peers believe I could have become a professional if I had taken training more seriously. They have even nicknamed me after the former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté!

Emmanuel with his football team friends in Togo during his study abroad in 2018

Today’s Student spotlight features current LTS student Austin Gaw

– blog post by Inês Bernardo Catarino, FLTA-LTS

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background!

Austin stands with his UO commencement regalia looking forward to the future

My name’s Austin Gaw, as you can probably tell. I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. in 2023 with my bachelor’s degree in journalism before coming to UO for the LTS program. I’ve studied Japanese for six years, Latin for four years, French for a year, and picked up various pieces of Spanish from my childhood in southern California.

What brought you to language teaching? And to the UO?

Since I began learning languages in high school, I knew I wanted to do something with languages for my career. When I took a “Language-learning video games” class during my undergraduate education in D.C., I knew I needed to pursue the subject further. I knew UO had an amazing program from my research, so, here I am!

What have some of your past experiences been with language teaching? Do you have any specifically fond memories?

I took three language classes concurrently in high school, and I was obsessed with the different ways the classes were taught depending on the language. I especially remember bonding with my Latin classmates over our desire to use the language we were learning, even though it was technically a “dead language”.

What has been the highlight of your time in the program so far?

So far, I’ve enjoyed the hands-on experience I’ve been afforded through various projects, both in-class and out-of-class. I loved helping the Teikyo Oregon Experience Program, and I’ve enjoyed writing a mini research brief for my master’s project.

For the first photo, Austin stands with his Mom and dog, Bristol in 2021

How do you hope to work in the language teaching field in the future?

I plan to do work in the language teaching field that helps students who need it most. I’m supporting the Rwanda English Program this summer by analyzing samples that teachers have sent in. I believe my skills are best used to help students find their voice and become more intelligible and comprehensible.

What is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? A fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

Outside of language teaching, I’m drawn to creative writing and solving logic puzzles. As anyone else in the cohort likely knows, I also love solving crossword puzzles and anything on the New York Times games section.

Today’s Student spotlight features recent LTS graduate Britany Stagnoli

– blog post by Inês Bernardo Catarino, FLTA-LTS

Britany posing outside

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background!

I am a recent graduate from Western Oregon University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Social Science and a Minor in Linguistics. I also received the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. I transferred here to UO during the Summer of ’23 to pursue my Masters in Language Teaching Studies. My career goal has been to teach English at the university level after graduation.  Recently, I have been given a position to work abroad teaching English as a foreign language at a Japanese university which I have been very excited about. 

What brought you to language teaching? And to the UO?

I was in Spain on a school fieldtrip and while I was looking out of the window from my hotel room, I decided that I wanted to work abroad and experience life outside of the home that I grew up in. I had experience teaching through volunteer work, and I enjoyed my time making lesson plans and teaching the PreK students that I was working with. I also enjoyed my history classes and learning about other cultures (which has brought me to my Social Science degree). Language teaching has brought all of my passions together into one career. 

I was interested in continuing my education in Linguistics and teaching English, so I started to look at Masters programs, which brought me to here. I looked into the courses that were taught and thought that they would benefit me as an EFL teacher. 

What have some of your past experiences been with language teaching? Do you have any specifically fond memories?

I have had the fondest memories during one of my LTS classes, which was Talking With Ducks. For this class, my classmates and I would take turns teaching a lesson to international students at the AEI. When we were not teaching, we were small group leaders. I got to spend a lot of time with the students’ playing

Image of Britany Stagnoli teaching a small group activity in Talking with Ducks

games and talking about school, their hometowns, and so on. One of my favorite lessons was during Halloween and most of the students dressed up for class. We all talked about our costumes and what everyone’s plans were to do for Halloween. It was a lot of fun and a day that I will look back on in the future. 

What has been the highlight of your time in the program so far?

I would have to say the highlight of my time in this program is all of the hands-on experience that I have gotten with teaching and all of the friends that I have made. I have been fortunate to receive two GE positions, one as a teaching aid for Ling 101 and another as the instructor for Ling 150. Both of those experiences have taught me a lot about teaching and how I can improve as a teacher. Also, all of the interactions that I have had with students have been amazing and have reminded me why I wanted to teach in the first place. I have also had the opportunity to meet so many people and make friendships that I hope to keep for a long time. 

Image of Britany Stagnoli’s dog, Kobi, sitting inside of a tulip field

How do you hope to work in the language teaching field in the future? 

In the future, I hope to be an English language teacher at the university level. I have enjoyed all of the experience that I have gained helping at the AEI and with the international students at UO that I would like to continue to do so abroad. After teaching English for a while, I hope to pursue a PhD in the field of linguistics and language teaching. 

What is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? A fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

I enjoy being with nature and taking my dog out on walks on the beach or in the woods. My dog, Kobi, and I love to be outside and in nature, as long as it is not too hot. We both do not like the heat. 

Today’s Student spotlight features current LTS student Ezdahi Lopez-Pineda

– blog post by Inês Bernardo Catarino, FLTA-LTS

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background!

I like to play video games, lots of simulation games like Supermarket simulator where I get to run my own supermarket! I am quite introverted despite pursuing a career that involves me speaking in front of groups of people. I’ve been interested in language since I could remember. I have a cat named Nala that I love a lot! I like to take pictures of flowers on walks I take.

Ezdahi’s cat Nala

What brought you to language teaching? And to the UO?

Spanish is my first language, and I was enrolled in Spanish immersion classes where I was learning content in Spanish until 4^th grade when I began to be placed in English content courses. This caused me to struggle with English for a while I was put in ELD (English Language Development) classes up until high school. I was pulled out of classes as well to get additional tutoring for English. 

Growing up in these circumstances, I felt like something was wrong with me and I always felt behind in both my English proficiency and my abilities in the content being learned in my other classes.

Because of this, I wanted to help students in similar situations not feel the same way but try to find ways to make both work together – how to improve their English while not falling behind in content. Additionally, I want to be a mentor to students, one where I could be a reliable adult figure in their life because this is something I felt I didn’t have in education.

What have some of your past experiences been with language teaching? Do you have any specifically fond memories?

I don’t have much experience yet in language teaching itself, but I do have a lot of experience leading non-academic classrooms of younger students. I’ve found a lot of joy in being a mentor figure for youth. I feel I am making an impact in their lives while teaching them non-academic life lessons. 

I have a very fond memory with a specific young person. She would commonly get yelled at for what is considered throwing a tantrum and ‘not listening’. I didn’t like this approach by other workers so I would approach her by just allowing her to express herself in whichever way she felt she needed to do. After it all, I’d either try to divert her thoughts to another topic or just really let her express herself and why she felt she needed to do that. This in turn resulted in her coming to me whenever she felt upset or had any intense emotion. This was really rewarding for me because she trusted me.

A photo Ezdahi took on a walk

The few language teaching experiences I do have to do with the Talking with Ducks course (the practicum course). I was able to facilitate lesson plans and build relationships with the students while having so much fun not only with the students but also with my peer teachers.

What has been the highlight of your time in the program so far?

I think the highlight of my time in the program so far was seeing the results of what I’ve learned. Being able to apply what I’ve learned to many different situations beyond language teaching has felt really nice. Additionally, creating friendships and growing it with the peer teachers has been great.

How do you hope to work in the language teaching field in the future?

I hope to work in any of K-12 environment whether its academic or non-academic where I could teach English as a second language. 

What is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? A fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

Before language or linguistics, I was a computer science major at OSU (I know, embarrassing). However, I like to work on personal web development projects or any simple game development projects for fun. 

Today’s Student spotlight features current LTS student Cameron Teubner-Keller

– blog post by Inês Bernardo Catarino, FLTA-LTS

Cameron’s cat Tsuki (月)

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background!

Hello everyone, my name is Cameron and I’m currently a graduate student in the LTS program. I graduated from the University of Oregon last year with a BA in Linguistics and a SLAT (Second Language Acquisition & Teaching) certificate. Having enjoyed the language teaching classes I had already taken, I decided to continue my education through the LTS program. I actually grew up here in Eugene, so I’ve been a life-long Duck! I’m also a life-long cat person, and currently have a 2 year-old Siamese named Tsuki (月). Her name means “moon” in Japanese. No matter how much she scratches up my bed, I still love her.

Cameron’s photo during a trip to Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, Japan

What brought you to language teaching? And to the UO?

I’ve always had an interest in and curiosity about world languages; I started studying Japanese in high school, and studied both French and Japanese at UO during my undergraduate studies – I’m currently still continuing my Japanese studies while doing the LTS program as well! Through my own experience, I’ve seen how learning another language allows you to experience things you otherwise would never be able to experience; you are able to gain a new perspective on the world, and connect with new cultures, people, and ideas about what it means to be a human. When I traveled to Japan last year by myself, I was able to immerse myself in the language and culture I had been studying, and it was life-changing. When they say to enjoy the little things in life, I think about the random interactions I had with strangers in Japan. For example, when I was in Japan, I was able to use Japanese to ask permission to take someone’s photo; this photo has since become one of my favorite photos that I’ve ever taken. I want to be a language teacher to help bring these experiences to more people. I want to show others how a new language can be more than just a subject to study – it can be a door to an entirely new life. The wealth of joy that knowing a second language can bring someone is something I will emphasize in all my language classes. It’s something I want to share with as many people as possible, in the most fun and engaging way possible.

What have some of your past experiences been with language teaching? Do you have any specifically fond memories?

Cameron’s photo during a trip to Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, Japan

My most favorite past experiences with language teaching have been my opportunities to teach students at the American English Institute. During both the 22-23 and 23-24 academic years, I was able to co-teach the Talking With Ducks elective course with my fellow LTS classmates. Those classes always pushed our creative limitations. Seeing the joy on our students’ faces when we had planned a fun lesson made all of the hard work worth it. I also had the opportunity to co-teach a 4-week summer program (Oregon Experience Program) for students from Tamagawa University during the summer last year with my fellow LTS classmate, Britany Stagnoli. This was my first real experience leading entire classes, but by the end of the program I knew that language teaching was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The conversations I was able to have with students about music, hobbies, experiences learning English – really anything – were some of my fondest memories from that teaching experience. I could tell that Britany and I had succeeded in creating a learning environment where the students felt comfortable to push themselves and dive headfirst into their learning. I could tell that they felt comfortable with us as teachers. I will always remember the OEP program and how extremely rewarding of an experience it was.

Cameron with co-teacher, Britany, and English language students from Tamagawa University

What has been the highlight of your time in the program so far?

I believe that the Talking With Ducks class has been my favorite part of the program; however, I’ve also just enjoyed building my confidence as a language teacher throughout the entire program. When I took my first LT class in the Winter 2022 term, I had a hard time believing I could be a language teacher, let alone a good one; I felt a lot of imposter syndrome during that time. However, now 2 years later, I’ve taken the multiple opportunities afforded by the LTS program to showcase my abilities, and I can confidently say I feel ready and excited to be a language teacher. Last term, I really enjoyed creating a literature-focused lesson on a deep theme (dealing with regret) while incorporating a song from my favorite artist, The Weeknd. I felt like I now had the skills to create unique and effective lessons that utilized materials and texts that, 2 years ago, I would never have imagined was possible.

How do you hope to work in the language teaching field in the future?

In the future, I hope to teach English at the university level in Japan. The university context allows for courses on more specific purposes as well as general language courses, and it would allow me to teach in many different ways. I think that my own teaching style aligns better with adults and university-level students, so I’d prefer to teach in that context. Curriculum design is a specific area that I would be interested in working in as well. At some point, I would love to assist in revamping the current English curriculum used in many high schools in Japan. The LTS program has shown me that there are a variety of possible ways to teach English and engage learners in multiple modalities with various materials, so I want to apply that to a teaching context I care about.

Cameron’s photo of the Milky Way Galaxy taken in August 2023 during the Perseid Meteor Shower

What is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? A fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

During the summer, I love to go out to Eastern Oregon and take photos of the stars; I’ve been doing astrophotography, and photography more generally, for over 10 years now. I often try to make it out to Sisters for the annual Perseid Meteor shower. I highly recommend anyone in Oregon to find a low-light pollution area and watch the meteors burst across the sky. Otherwise, if I have free time, I’m almost always spending time with my friends; whether it be at the gym working out, throwing a frisbee around in the sun, playing games for hours, or just chatting, my friends are the most important people to me.