My job description

Okay, many of you are well aware of my penchant for geographic and philosophical wanders, but you have also expressed an interest in what precisely I am filling my time with here in Estonia. I am still somewhat in the process of discovery myself, but I'll attempt to fill in some of the gaps.

The English Language Fellow program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and facilitated by Georgetown University. The program places TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professionals in positions worldwide where they teach English, engage in teacher education, and take part in other language education-related activities. Each fellow in each country has a different set of job descriptions that are prepared by their host institutions (in my case, University of Tartu) and the Regional English Language Officer. All this said, there is a lot of negotiation and flexibility depending on the institution and the fellow who accepts the position.

As an applicant in the program, my skill set and preferences were matched to the description in Estonia. I am at the University of Tartu as part of an effort to internationalize their programs of study. During the next academic year, I will be working with faculty and staff on their English skills as they relate to interacting in university classes taught in English or relating to international students and faculty. I am also involved in a committee working on improving the overall curricula of the English language programs offered here. The university already has an impressive number of programs that attract a number of students from all over Scandinavia, Russia, Europe, and the United States. I feel fortunate to take part in some of the exciting changes taking place.

My teaching has not yet begun, but my workload for the next year is already starting to look ambitious. At the moment, my days are full of meetings with the university staff responsible for hosting me at the university as well as research for my course. This means some serious library time (the library is really well-stocked, by the way!) looking for resources, reading articles and websites about preparing faculty and best practices, putting together a placement exam, and visiting some of the courses taught in English that have already started this semester. I am extremely grateful for this time to breathe and learn more about my new environment so that I can actively and appropriately begin classes the end of September.

Tonight, I am the guest speaker at a welcome reception for for faculty, staff, and students . . . Ai ai ai! It's sure be animated and probably verbose :) -- wish me luck!