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I apologize for being late to the game here. I thought we didn't start till the 10th! I am Anna Reget. I currently work at Apple Valley High School as an ESL teacher. However, I teach all Social Studies classes to ESL students. Which Social Studies is my initial license. I am pursuing an Additional License for ESL cause I don't want to go back teaching mainstream Social Studies classes and I love my ESL family. A wonder I have about Second Language Teaching and Learning is how to incorporate research into classroom practices and into practical use of language.

Anyway, here is a picture of me in the boundary waters this summer.

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My name is May Yang. I currently work as an Intervention teacher at a charter school in St. Paul, where the majority of the students are second language learners. It is through teaching them that I discovered the need to know more about how students learn a second language. I am fluent in English, moderately so in Hmong, and, despite having minored in it in college, not as fluent in French. Needless to say, I do really like learning about languages. This is the fourth class I've taken so far at Hamline. My plan is to work towards the ESL teaching license for now, but the ultimate goal is to get a MATESOL.

I feel like I'm still fairly new to the world of teaching ESL. I've heard "SLA" thrown around but I'm not completely sure what it all entails, so I'm really just looking forward to finding out what "Learner Language" and "Second Language Acquisition" really means and why it is important.

The picture is of me in Colorado Springs, Denver. My friends and I were on our way up Pike's Peak Mountain.

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My name is Kristy Bipes. I am part of the additional K-12 license program. I was a kindergarten and first grade teacher for 8 years and have been a stay-at-home mom for the past 9 years. My first teaching experience was at a dual immersion Spanish/English school where I was lucky enough to work with lots of ESL students and immigrant families. This experience inspired me to one day add on an ESL license which I am finally doing now! I am looking forward to looking at different ways in which people learn languages and which methods are most successful. This is a picture of me and my family hiking in Colorado a week ago. Looking forward to learning with all of you!

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My name is Ebony Mhiripiri and I started the K-12 ESL Additional License program a couple of years ago and am starting up again after a short hiatus. I am a licensed Family and Consumer Science teacher and taught in a K-12 setting until 2016. I transitioned to ABE and have been teaching in a non-profit setting for the past several years. My work with adult ELL students inspired my decision to obtain an additional license. I am excited to take this course and learn more about second language acquisition.

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Hello, Everyone. My name is Mingyue, but I prefer people to call me Luna. I am from China, but I have been living in Minnesota for 6 years. I am bilingual in both Chinese mandarin and English, and trying to learn German as my third language. I used to be a kindergarten teacher in Minnesota, but I decided to take this year off to get my additional license in ESL. For this class, I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and learning from you. I also would like to learn some practical teaching methods for teaching ELL students.
This summer, I was taking summer classes, went to Kansas City with my boyfriend for BBQ (Their BBQ destroyed me!!), and did some camping at up north.

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My name is Katie Beth Strand. I just started the Additional License program this summer and hope to finish next December! I am a 4th grade ELD teacher at Community of Peace Academy in St. Paul. We do a lot of co-teaching, but I wanted to have a stronger background in ESL education to feel more confident about my teaching. A question I have about second language learning is what instructional method is typically seen as the most beneficial according to research.
This summer I went on a trip to Colorado with my friends. While in Breckenridge we found this cute old museum. I love history and museums so I needed a picture with it. The mountains were cool too :)

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Hi Everyone!

My name is Michael DeLorenzo, and I'm part of the MA TESOL Adult strand. I currently teach in Korea, at a university. I teach conversation English to students from 18-65, but I've also taught K-12, as well as North Korean refugees. I've been in Korea about 8 years, but I think next year will be my last. I'm looking forward to this class because although I feel fine with making lessons, I don't know the learner side of how they actually absorb it, so this will help me make my lessons more effective. The below picture is of me on vacation on Jeju Island, I'm practicing my future as a crazy old cat man. I have 2 cats, but whenever I see one on the street I can never resist trying to pet it.

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Hi everyone!
My name is Rina! I am from Russia. I have lived in Minnesota for 2 years already with my husband, who is a UofM student, and 2 adorable pets. I took a TEFL Certificate course in spring 2019 which gave me a lot of practical knowledge and motivated me to keep growing professionally and pursue MATESOL. I have always been interested in cognitive processes participating in second language acquisition and means of enhancing then to speed up the learning process. I want to connect the process of languages acquisition with psychology but I do not have a clear understanding of how to do it. That is what I am here for.

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Hello,

My name is Michelle Tornga (Leighty). I’m taking this class to get my initial ESL teaching license K-12 and obtain an MA in TESOL. The past four years, I worked as an English Language Paraprofessional in St. Anthony at a MS/HS. I’m currently looking for other opportunities whether with Adults or younger children to gain more ESL experience before I student teach in Fall 2020. I’m interested in how perceptions of second language learners can impact their acquisition as well as how culture can play a role. This summer, I was recently married in July to my wonderful husband, Kyle Tornga. We have a 2 year and 2 month old Staffy/Pitty named Maya who we adore. I look forward to meeting and learning from each of you.

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Hi everyone! My name is Lynn O'Connor. I'm taking this class for my MAT in ESL degree. This will be my initial teaching license. Currently I'm working with adult ESL students through the Minnesota Literacy Council. I love the students and the teachers I work with! I teach grammar so I'm interested in learning more about how language learners acquire new grammar skills. This picture is me and my daughter this summer on a weekend trip to Chicago. Looking forward to working with all of you.

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My name is Riley Johnson.  I’m currently a Title I teacher (reading and math interventionist) at a public elementary school in the Twin Cities metro area.  In the picture below you will find my husband, my two-year-old daughter and myself.  We also have a fun-loving Labrador Retriever, who didn’t make the picture because she was trying to get someone to throw her tennis ball.  I’m in this class to obtain my K-12 ESL license.  I’m hoping to learn best practices when incorporating language learning into the core elementary subjects.  The majority of an elementary student’s day is spent on reading and math, so I hope to learn how to best weave language learning into these large chunks of instructional time.

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Hi everyone, My name is Lai Lau.  I am currently teaching Mandarin Chinese in an elementary setting.  I have been a world language teacher for about 10 years.  I am a bilingual of Mandarin Chinese and English.  But I can also speak Cantonese fluently.  I came from Hong Kong 20 years ago.  I moved to study at the University of Minnesota as a start.  Now I am married with two children, Eunice 15 years old and Linus 12 years old.  I am here to complete my ESL license.  

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Hi everyone, My name is Lai Lau.  I am currently teaching Mandarin Chinese in an elementary setting.  I have been a world language teacher for about 10 years.  I am a bilingual of Mandarin Chinese and English.  But I can also speak Cantonese fluently.  I came from Hong Kong 20 years ago.  I moved to study at the University of Minnesota as a start.  Now I am married with two children, Eunice 15 years old and Linus 12 years old.  I am here to complete my ESL license.  

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I'm Kate Storks; I'm an ESL Instructor in an alternative school setting in Washington DC. My students are aged 16-24. I'm taking this class because I've been teaching ESL for the last 8 or so years, but have never formally studied Second Language Acquisition. I'm really excited to take this class and see what further insights into my students and into my own teaching practice I'm able to find. I'm also interested in how trauma, literacy in first language, and age play a role in second language development. I've seen it on the ground, and I'd like to know and understand the research that exists out there. Morgyn, I love Minnesota Literacy Council work! What a great place to report to everyday! I'm excited to hear your perspectives and your experiences this semester.

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Hello all!
My name is Morgyn Wade. I'm here to complete my MA TESOL and am currently serving as a teaching intern with Minnesota Literacy Councils Northside location. I love working with adult ELL's and am so excited to learn more about their language learning process!

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Hi everyone,
My name is Megan Lambrecht. I am currently living and working in Fukui, Japan as an assistant language teacher in a public junior high school here. I love both working and living in Japan, so I decided I would try to move forward in this field by getting a MA in TESOL, which is why I am in this class. I’m not sure if this is an appropriate question, but something I do wonder when I’m with my students is: what extent does having a foreign/native speaking teacher influence students language acquisition, if at all? I’d love to learn more about that and see what research has already been done on this topic.

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My name is Nicole Weinmann. I am taking this course to earn my K-12 ESL additional licensure. I would like to learn specific techniques and strategies to help students acquire a second language. Also, I'd like to learn how the different syntax of languages can affect language acquisition. I'm taking this school year off to spend more time with my 2 small children. The past 3 years I taught middle school language arts at a charter school that tailored to an East African student population. This picture was from a trip my husband and I took to Alaska last summer. We were celebrating our 5 year anniversary and finally taking our honeymoon.

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My name is Emily Thompson. This picture was taken a week ago on a very refreshing "date night" at a retreat for families with children who have special needs. I have 5 children ages 7-12, including one adopted with special needs.  I am in this class to earn my K-12 ESL additional Licensure. Something I am hoping learn from this course is  how things, such as trauma, affect second language acquisition. Looking forward to learning with you!