I was raised in an entirely English-speaking home. My only exposure to learning a second language was two years of high school Spanish classes (between the ages of 16 & 17) and two semesters of college Spanish (between the ages of 18 and 19). Obviously, that has been many years ago. Currently, I do not claim to be proficient in Spanish; nor do I have regular opportunities to converse using it. However, I am able to recognize quite a few words (tenses totally escape me) and speak just enough to communicate if/when the need arises.
In addition, much of my work history includes typing medical documents for more than 20 years by transcribing audio recordings from physicians, many of whom spoke English as a second or even third language. Surprisingly, much of my experience with SLA physician speakers is that they oftentimes cared more about syntax than did physicians who spoke only English. My hope is that by taking this course, I will learn more about how to recognize and address problems my future ELL students may be facing as they endeavor to learn how to both read and write in English.
I hope you enjoy my introductory video!
