Beka Lloyd is a current student on the two-year track in LTS.

Hi Beka! Tell us a little about yourself! 

I have lived in Oregon for a few years now, having moved from Colorado previously. My husband and I decided to move because of all the green grass in Oregon. We raise sheep and decided Oregon would be the ideal place to raise our animals. In my spare time I love to collect coins, go on hikes, and nerd out on linguistics. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest I have become fascinated with the mushrooms and funguses which abound in the area. I love to go hiking to see if I can find edible species.

What inspired you to pursue a career in language education?

My language career started while I was still completing my undergraduate career. I had finished a TESOL certification course and had the opportunity to teach in China for a year. I ended up teaching at an international school in Xi’an, China and fell in love with the country, the people and the culture. I returned to the U.S. to complete my bachelors in Linguistics and have been hooked ever since. I have taught in a few different contexts here in the U.S., but wanted to be better equipped to teach in more contexts, so I decided to start the LTS program.

You have started the LTS program on the 2-year schedule while taking language courses. What has that been like for you to focus on both kinds of classes?

I decided to do the 2-year track because I wanted to be able to continue to work while I completed my graduate degree and I also needed to do my language courses. It felt like too much to put all into one year. I have actually really enjoyed taking language courses side by side with my LTS coursework, because I have been able to think about how to practically implement teaching strategies, while observing them from a student position. It has really helped me visualize how I can be a better teacher and implement the concepts I am learning.

What concepts from language education have you found most intriguing so far?

From my first experience teaching language, I have been fascinated by pronunciation and variations across languages. I am very excited about the pronunciation class this spring term! I have also really been challenged by the concepts taught by Joana Jansen in the Language Teaching in Context class last Summer, where we explored how languages affect each other in negative and positive ways and how we as teachers can best serve our student’s learning and language identity. Although I’m still a bit scared, I’m really looking forward to my final project, where I can dive into these topics a little more deeply!