As the spring flowers bloom and the small green leaves unfurl all around campus, we are talking with Cameron Sage, who is one of our current LTS cohort members.

Hello Cameron! First, please tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

While I have more recently been living on the Oregon coast in Tillamook, I am originally from Terrebonne Oregon and previously a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Oregon. Although I originally received my degree in history, the summer after graduation I decided to move to China to teach English for a year as a means to travel and experience another culture before returning for further education in History. However, I enjoyed teaching and living abroad so much that I decided to stay which continually fueled my passion for language teaching and traveling all over the world. More recently I decided to enhance my language teaching experience and qualifications by joining the LTS program in order to give myself more language teaching opportunities.

Cameron at the colosseum in Rome

You have already had some good experience teaching language – tell us a little about what you did before LTS.

Before entering the LTS program I had been working in education and in language teaching. I spent 3.5 years in Beijing China teaching English to middle and high school students before returning to Oregon during COVID and working at a Tillamook Bay Community College in Tillamook Oregon. While at the community college I mainly worked in the library but was still able to work with and teach a few ESOL classes. I was also able to work in a wider range of areas at the community college which gave me experience in other facets of education, such as in testing, tutoring, admissions, and other areas which has cemented my want to continue working in educational settings.

What have you been learning in LTS that has deepened or broadened your understanding of language teaching?

While I feel I have gained many different skills and knowledge throughout the LTS program that will make me a better teacher and educator, two areas are most prominent in my mind. First of which is practice and experience I have gained in creating and analyzing curriculums for language courses. Gaining a wider understanding of what an entire curriculum entails, and how to make one has helped me evaluate classes on a wider scope in what can and should be accomplished in a longer period of time instead of on a class by class or unit by unit basis. Another learning experience which has caused me to reflect on previous teaching experiences is that of the context behind why students are learning a language. In particular understanding that using these contexts should drive lesson planning and engagement in the classroom, in particular understanding the multiple contexts and motivations of students is something that I hope to take moving forward to create better learning experiences for my students.

What do you hope to do after you graduate this Summer? What would be your dream job in 5 or 10 years?

After I graduate, I hope to be able to find an English teaching position abroad, preferably in a college or adult setting. I have taught younger students for most of my teaching experience and would like to teach in a somewhat different setting with students who are more likely to be taking classes because they want to rather than because it is compulsory. My dream job would be working in higher education as well in the future, potentially at a community college or in community language learning settings in the US, after I may no longer want to live abroad. This way I could assist students who have a great need for learning the language and in these places which generally have cheap enrollments for these types of classes, many more students will have the ability to join and learn.

Cameron at a video game Tournament in Shanghai

What is a fun fact about yourself that others may not know?

Something that some people may not know about me is that I used to play some video games (Super Smash Brothers) competitively and was taken to and paid (small amounts) to go to some events in China in order to promote and compete. These were different expo events about video games which hosted competitions or exhibition events. While it wasn’t ever something that would have turned into a full-time job or career I felt very lucky to have that experience.