TEIS Newsletter - July 2022 (Plain Text Version)
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ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY MEET OUR CHAIR-ELECT Heather Linville, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
The TEIS Newsletter Team interviewed Heather Linville, Chair-elect for 2022 - 2023 to find out a little more about her. Tell us a little about your background. How did you get into teaching and how long have you been doing this? I always wanted to be a teacher. I even used to play school when I was little. However, when I went to college, I felt like a teaching degree wasn’t right for me. So I majored in Spanish and minored in linguistics and vocal music. A year after graduation, during which time I nannied and volunteered teaching ESL to adults in Washington, DC, I was accepted into an alternative teaching certification program in Baltimore, Maryland. I taught Spanish for two years at a middle school while also earning my teaching certification. This was the hardest teaching job I’ve ever had! But it also started me on my lifelong path in education. Since that start, I have taught ESL to adult refugees in Baltimore, EFL to primary school teachers in Mexico, EFL to university students and adults in Panama, EFL to adults in Indonesia, and bilingual literacy skills to Spanish-speaking adults back in Baltimore. I got my start in teacher education in Panama as an English Language Fellow (a U.S. State Department program). I also served as a Fellow in Indonesia and had many teacher education opportunities there. Back in the states, I served as academic director of an intensive English program and then transitioned into teacher education full-time once I started my PhD program. I have been in education 27 years and in my current position as Professor of TESOL at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse eight years. What classes or courses do you teach, and do you have any favorites? In my current position, I teach TESOL teacher education courses to students who will go on to be ESL teachers, including TESOL methodology, culture, and occasionally linguistics. These are great and I really feel like I am teaching future TESOLers. However, my favorite course to teach is one I designed as an introductory course on working with English learners in U.S. public schools. Before I started at my university, pre-service teachers did not have to have any preparation in working with English learners to graduate with their teaching license. That has now changed! Most Education majors now take the introductory course, and I love opening their eyes to the diversity and strengths of the English learners they will encounter in their future teaching positions. What would you say to someone who was thinking about joining TESOL International Association? I am a TESOLer through and through! My first TESOL convention, and my first year as a member, was back in the late 1990s. Since then, I have been fortunate to have attended, and presented at, many conventions. I encourage anyone in the field of TESOL to join “big TESOL.” It is a place to find like-minded individuals who love languages, linguistic and cultural diversity, and working with people around the globe. What are your goals as a leader for TEIS this year and next year? My goal as leader for TEIS for this year is to support our Chair, James Whiting, and to learn as much as I can about TEIS and this leadership position. I want to provide opportunities for younger scholars and TESOLers to share their ideas and research, and to continue offering accessible, interesting, and engaging webinars throughout the year. I am formulating ideas about my goals for next year and hope to hear from others what their ideas are! What do you do for fun? I am a member of a vibrant, diverse book club which reminds me to keep reading. I have a six-year-old daughter and I love to watch her play and experience new things in life, like martial arts and dance. I also have a 16-year-old step-son who I love to see spreading his wings as an almost-adult. In addition, I like to walk, run, and be outside as much as possible. Heather Linville, Chair-Elect (2022 - 2023)
Dr. Linville is Associate Professor and Director of TESOL at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She holds a PhD in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Linville works to prepare all TESOL and general education pre-service teachers at UWL as advocates for ELs. Her on-going research interests include language teacher education, teacher language ideologies, digital storytelling as translanguaging, and social justice for ELs. |
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