Unit 1 - Activity 1 - Who am I & who I want to become

Unit 1 - Activity 1 - Who am I & who I want to become

As I begin my journey towards teaching ESL one of the first challenges has been to answer the question "who am I?" and "how have I come upon this wonderful community of ESL?"

Well, my story of culture and language began early in life. While born in Canada, my family returned to live in Europe for a time as my father was born in Holland. My parents really enjoyed travelling the many European countries and taking in the varied cultures. There was no shortage of souvenirs and music of many languages collected. These souvenirs and music would give me many years of enjoyment and reflection! My father was able to speak a few languages and I was fascinated how this ability to communicate allowed him to enjoy a wider community of friendships. This fascination has stayed with me ever since.

Unfortunately, in the years to follow, I would spend many years moving throughout Canada. This transient path had a dramatic impact on my life and particularly my formal education. By the time I graduated from high school I had gone to over 10 different schools and lived in three different provinces. I never would have made it through senior high if not for a few incredible teachers who seemed to see how lost I was in the curriculum. These teachers helped me find my way using varied assessments and extra guided assignments to begin closing obvious gaps in knowledge. These incredible people were able to re-ignite a passion for learning which I had all but abandoned. Not only had I survived senior high but I had qualified for university studies. An achievement considering I never imagined graduating from high school.

While in university, I really enjoyed the open access to diverse cultures and ideas. In my dorm there were a variety of students who appreciated my eclectic taste in international music and soon they began to share their stories and own collections. I was able to take a variety of courses related to culture and began a study of the Russian Language to complement some rudimentary French retained from all French schools I had attended some 12 years prior. Learning Russian was a marked departure from anything I had experience with. I advanced well but learned some hard realities about what it would take to become truly fluent. Strangely enough, there was a stage in my studies where I had to learn English better - to learn Russian better. Particularly when it came to grammar. This experience has afforded me great empathy for any/all language learners.

Upon graduation with a B.A. I collected all my savings and returned to Europe for a backpacking tour that would last just under two months. It was a wonderful time in my life. When I returned to Winnipeg I quickly gained employment to live - but my volunteer work with the International Center in Winnipeg gave meaning. My role was to assist new immigrant families settle in to their new surrounding and make myself available to support or refer as needed. This was a key influence for later interest in ESL.

I was fortunate to eventually gain employment with the City of Winnipeg. As a public servant for 24+ years working in management / HR / and training roles - I have been privileged to work intensively with a variety of people and families from all parts of the world. I have valued my shared experiences with these worldly folks and enjoyed the many fresh perspectives the opportunites presented on life. I have begun to question whether I might be able to continue working with internationals via teaching in my retirement years. 

As part of my ongoing professional development, I ended up taking a certificate program through the university of Manitoba in Adult Education. In anticipation of retirement (and as a way to gain more practical experience applying Adult Education) I have also recently begun to volunteer in ESL conversation classes. It's amazing, but like my music collection above - I have learned culture and language evolve. I realize a focussed study of ESL principles and current best practices are required to honour the real needs of the students whom I hope to teach going forward.

Currently, I find myself questioning whether I should continue attempts at my own fluency in Russian? Perhaps if I can acquire ESL certification I might blend both interests and pursue a teaching assignment in Russia for a short-time post-retirement?

In the meantime, my focus will be on my own ESL learning, my conversation class students, and on updating my increasingly dated music collection.

My hope is that this shared experience will lend insight on who I am and why I hope to teach.

Barney