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Brittney Oltman
English Capstone
Dr. Malone
12/10/15
Final Reflections
I believe I have found a career that is both fulfilling and exciting. At 29, I am finally
graduating with a degree that I feel has been tailored in all the right places for what I love. This
has given me the opportunity to work for the LCC department at Northeastern State University in
Tahlequah, OK. International relations, Linguistics, and the English language are three of my
favorite things. Admittedly, it was not all daffodils and unicorns. There were and are
frustrations. But with the wins, even those frustrations seem to dissipate, and I have accepted a
position within the University for the spring semester.
Beginning this journey I found my own level of anxiety to be one of the most difficult
aspects of this endeavor. Not only was I stepping into a classroom as an instructor for the first
time, I was assigned an upper level grammar class. While I know through trial and error how to
use proper verb tenses, determiners, etc. by writing paper after paper for my degree, grammar
has never been one of my strongest areas of study. Finding words to explain why I knew
something was right that also fit within my students level of understanding of the English
language was a continuous struggle. I found myself pouring over the lessons before class to
teach myself the terminology before attempting to teach these concepts to my students. I also
used online resources created by other ESL teachers, and relied heavily on games and lessons
created by these teachers. While my speaking and listening class was much easier for me to
teach, I still ran into frustrations involving student attendance, ways to entice students to

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complete their homework and stay engaged with the material, and the struggle of creating a class
that was able to reach multiple nationalities within a single room. Many of my attempts to
combat these difficulties can be found in my journal entries, but suffice it to say I continuously
brainstormed with other teachers, did research on ESL instruction, and learned from my students
themselves on how to best reach them as individuals. I wasnt always successful, but some of
this I had to accept as being the responsibility of the students themselves and some I accept as
being my own lack of experience. I believe as I continue in this field, I will learn how to avoid
some of my mistakes and hone my personal teaching style.
I dont really even know where to start when it comes to the good about teaching ESL
in the IEP program. First and foremost, the students have got to be the absolute best part about
this job. I have grown attached to each and every one of my students in a way I did not expect.
Being a part of their education genuinely translates to being a part of these teenagers lives, as
our program has students who have left everything they knew behind and are living and learning
in an entirely new way. Because of this, my job goes beyond the classroom and it becomes
necessary (and enjoyable) to talk to them about their activities outside the classroom. I was able
to learn about their culture, their experiences with friends, boyfriends, travels, and struggles to
meet the demand of homework in other classes. I got to know these students on a deeper level.
So much so, when Ranko (one of my very first students) found out she had passed her TOEFL
and will be enrolling in NSU classes next semester she sent me a text just to tell me how excited
she was and to thank me for everything I had done to help her. We have plans for homework
parties for next semester, and I reassured her that I would be there for her when she needs help
with anything at all. In her text messages, she expressed that she wanted to get together and have
dinner, etc., even if she doesnt need help.

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In addition to the students, I have been given the opportunity to come into this program
virtually on the ground level. We are still working towards accreditation, forming lesson plans,
creating new classes, and shifting our pedagogical approaches to fit the needs of our students. I
have been able to share what I learned in my classes with the faculty. I have made hard pushes
for technological integration with classroom activities, because I genuinely believe technology
serves as a universal language and is able to create an environment for student learning that
lessens the anxiety they already feel. Ive been able to show other teachers how to use certain
applications the students can access on their phones, website building to help students navigate
through homework assignments, and have even been able to create quizzes and tests that are
being used for future classes. All of this has been nothing less than an absolutely wonderful
experience.
I have enjoyed teaching in this program so much that I applied for a position in the LCC
department for next year, and I was hired! I will not only be teaching the three core classes, but I
will also be working with another instructor to help with marketing, student orientation, social
media, curriculum development, and special event planning. I cannot express how unbelievably
excited I am. I have found a small house near campus, and I will be moving the first week of
January to Tahlequah so that I can be more readily available for my students and the demands of
the program itself. I will be helping to write up a business plan, providing a place for students
who have completed the program to come and sip coffee on my couch as we work through any
problems they may be facing within the University classes, and will be able to meet a student up
at the library within 10 minutes of a call for help. Because of this internship, I will be moving
my life to another city and pursuing my dream job. I will continue in my schooling by enrolling

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in a Masters program beginning in the fall semester, but in the mean time I plan to throw myself
completely into this program and the students enrolled.
Overall, this experience has been nothing short of life changing. After jobs in retail,
restaurants, banking, and insurance, this position has shown me the difference between a job and
a career. The jobs Ive had previously made waking up and going to work one of the most
difficult and unfulfilling thing in my life. Waking up at 5 am every morning to get ready to drive
over an hour to teach these students, however, made me nothing short of happy. I am so thankful
for the opportunity I was given, and I cannot wait to see where teaching ESL will take me.