– Post by Emma Snyder, LTS student

Welcome back to another student spotlight, everyone! We hope you all have managed to stay warm and cozy during these last few frigid days; spring will return to us soon! Today we are here with our newest addition to the LTS grad cohort, Arezou Darvishi! Welcome, Arezou! Please, tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hello, I am Arezou from Iran. I have studied French translation at the University of Tehran, and I have worked as a web content developer in a language learning company.

That sounds absolutely fascinating! It is so interesting to see the leaps and bounds that digital content has made in language learning, especially with the rapid increase of online instruction in the last few years. What first brought you to language teaching? To UO?

I worked as a French content developer in an enterprise where we focused on creating platforms and an application to allow language learners from all around the world to learn languages by following an algorithm. Coming up with new ideas at work, I decided to renew my academic knowledge. Moreover, being a French Teacher at the UO made me interested in the language teaching world, so I made up my mind to join LTS in order to improve my teaching. 

Well we are very pleased to have you joining us. You have quite a history of experience with language behind you; do you have any particularly fond memories? Either teaching language or learning it?

One of my most interesting memories about learning English is that I had the worst and the best teacher at the same time. I believe that I am able to speak English now because of her, but looking back to her method, it was one of the most traditional ways of teaching. Luckily, I could learn English in this way, but afterwards I needed to brush up my mind to do away with some of the wrong pronunciations of English she taught me.

It’s always interesting looking back at the experiences you’ve had with past teachers. There are so many things to learn from, both in deciding what to include in your own practice and what you might change or do differently. Now that you are with us, what is something you are looking forward to in the LTS program?

So far, I have enjoyed the LTS classes, as the teachers are well-prepared and we do activities together, which makes us interact more with each other. 

There are definitely some fantastic teachers in the LTS program, and some great opportunities for community building as well! Do you have any plans on what you may do after completing the program?

I hope to get a job as a French instructor.

And with that, we wish you bonne chance! Lastly, what is something outside of language teaching that you are passionate about? A fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

Developing a new identity when you teach is interesting for me. I feel I am another person when I teach.