Sara Li (Chinese name Hsin-Jung, Li) is an LTS graduate student from Taiwan. She has 3 years of high school EFL teaching experiences and 5 years of educational administrative experiences and loves language teaching and learning. 
Why did you choose to come to the UO for the LTS program?
I chose to come to the UO for the LTS program because it provides rich language learning and teaching courses for future teachers of all kinds of languages. Apart from many other TESOL programs in the United States, the LTS program stands out because it is an intense program with integrative courses in linguistics and pedagogy.
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Tell me about your work with the Chinese club?
Thanks to Dr. Yerian’s suggestion, I joined the Chinese Language and Culture Club (CLCC) this term as one of the three Chinese teachers in the Chinese club. We design a Chinese course for 3-5 graders in Edison elementary school, who show interest in learning Chinese and some of whom have family members from Chinese speaking countries. The purpose of this Chinese club is for students to enjoy learning Chinese language and culture. In the fall term the theme of the course is Daily Life in China, and the topics include basic Chinese greeting, Chinese etiquette, Chinese pictographic, body parts, famous sports in China, and many useful sentence structures. Every week we co-design and co-teach a 105 minute class, and we implement many interactive group activities to facilitate students’ comprehension and learning motivation.
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What has been most rewarding about working with the Chinese club?
This is my first time teaching both Chinese and elementary school students, so it has been quite a special and inspiring experience. This teaching experience allows me to reexamine my understanding of Chinese language and culture, and I find students’ genuine feedback, enthusiasm and curiosity in Chinese language and culture really motivating and rewarding. I am often surprised at how much they already know about Chinese and how much more they would like to learn. It has been a blessing to be their teacher to guide and participate in their learning process.
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What is one thing that you’re looking forward to in your remaining time in LTS?
I would really love to spend more time with my LTS cohort, all of whom are supportive, innovative, and compassionate about language teaching. Looking back at the past 5 months, we have had so much fun in class where our ideas emerge and took off like rockets, as well as out of class where we share our beliefs, cuisine, and love for each other and language education. There are many things that I look forward to, such as intensive in-class discussion, group collaboration, useful seminars and lectures, doing the MA project, and many more times to hang out and form dreams. Coming to UO for the LTS program has been one of the wisest choices I have ever made.