Miranda is a current LTS student on the 2-year schedule who is starting her 2^nd year. Her interests include supporting diverse English Language learners.

Hi Miranda! Tell us a little about yourself! Where you’re from and what you like to do for fun?

Hello everyone! I grew up in Merlin, Oregon which is about two hours south of Eugene and I’ve lived in Eugene since 2009. For fun, I like to play my Nintendo Switch, spend time with friends and family, bake, cook, and I love going on hikes with our dog.

Tell us the story of what led you to the field of language teaching. Why did you decide to do an MA in LTS?

I was a SLAT student during my undergraduate time at UO and I was scared to take the leap and teach when I was younger. I also wanted to stay local and I’m glad I did, because I grew up a lot more during my time working at mental health clinics. Now, after traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Iguazú Falls, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I realized that traveling internationally is a joy unlike any other and I would love to experience other cultures while living abroad and teaching. I chose the MA program because I wanted to have the most informed and current pedagogies in my toolbox to best support my learners and feel prepared walking into the classroom again. Teaching is appealing to me because I love helping others reach their fullest potential as well as learning from learners about their own experiences, passions, and expertise.

You are choosing the 2-year schedule of the program. What have been the benefits of this in your case?

Since I have a more open schedule, I have had the opportunity to take two teaching assistant internships. One was with Lane Community College in a night class with novice high adult learners. The head teacher offered to let me teach my own activity each week. Although I experienced some flops for my lesson plans, it taught me so much and helped me develop better “teacher speak” with novice learners. It was also on Zoom during the pandemic. I learned so much about how to properly scaffold lessons and I am grateful for the experience.

My second internship was this past summer with an AEI mixed level, intermediate to advanced speaking and listening classroom. I worked in a separate Zoom room regularly to individualize instruction for the intermediate low and intermediate mid students. Some students were calling in from their home countries and others studied from Eugene. The head teacher designed most of the activities for me to implement in a separate Zoom room, and I learned how valuable combining short videos, dictation, and cloze fills can be for developing listening skills.

What topics have been most important to you in the program? How might they translate into your final Masters Project next year?

I want to design and scaffold instruction so that it can benefit neurodiverse folks with learning differences as well as everyone else in the classroom, so Universal Design for Learning UDL has been important for my teaching philosophy and coursework. I also really like learning about project based design, which I am currently implementing with 5-10 year old children at my job as a co-teacher at Treetop Academics, which is exciting.

Are there any words of wisdom or advice you have for the incoming cohort as they start the program?

Make sure you balance your schedule with things that you love and with self-care so that you can continue anew with the intensive work of the program! Graduate school has many different opportunities, but I would suggest you check in with yourself to make sure that the commitments you are making seem manageable with your schedule without getting burned out and overwhelmed. Enjoy your time and remember it is a learning experience and learning naturally means making mistakes before you reach the level of expertise you want to attain.