My name is Huda Alharbi, and I am from Saudi Arabia. Growing up learning languages has been one of my passions, and I have always dreamt of becoming multilingual. Even though I did not grow up as a bilingual child, I have worked hard as an adult to achieve this myself, as well as cultivate and foster bilingualism in my children. Seeing my children growing as successful bilinguals has also inspired me to continue my journey in language teaching and multilingual education. 

 

in Saudi Arabia, in June 2011 with honors, I started my career in teaching English as a foreign language in a private school in Taibah University     After I graduated with a bachelor's degree in the English Language at Medina , Saudi Arabia for both the first and second grades for about 18 months. During that time, I acquired a new respect for language teaching because I came to understand that teaching a language did not merely require knowledge of the language, but also requires effective teaching methodologies. I realized that a language teacher needs to be able to clearly explain the basics of a language such as English through applying effective methods and creative approaches.

 

     Consequently, my aim was to become an effective teacher in English, and as a result I pursued my master degree in TESOL at the University of Kansas . This gave me the opportunity to work closely with an ESL teacher and student here in Lawrence to learn from them and apply the remarkable knowledge that I have gained from my classes. I took nine courses: LING 700: Introduction to Linguistic Science, ANTH 704 Current Cultural Anthropology, LING 705 Phonetics, Ling 715 Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, C&T 709: Foundations of Curriculum & Instruction, PRE 715: Understanding Research in Education, C&T 820: Teaching English as a Second Language, C&T 821: Diagnosis and Remediation in SL Education, and C&T 822: Second Language Acquisition.

 

     All of these courses, along with my professional development, have helped me to better understand TESOL concepts, develop professionally and strengthen my pedagogical knowledge and skill. I learned a great deal, and, based on Perry’s theory of cognitive and ethical growth, I can say that I moved swiftly from being a dualist to more of a relativist (Perry, 2005).  I learned how to design, implement, and evaluate content-based lesson plans. I also learned how to assess my students by using different techniques and instruments which allow me to identify and remediate their learning difficulties that were associated with their development in the second language areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, I experienced and implemented a variety of approaches to TESOL as grounded in cooperative learning with the ESL teacher at the elementary school. Also, I learned from her how to apply the methods that I learned in the classes and how to deal with students' difficulties and needs.  

         

     Besides in-class learning, I had an opportunity to attend Innovation and Improvisation MIDTESOL 2016 Annual Conference in Kansas City, Kansas.  There were different presentations content studies, thesis, and projects to learn from, and I had an opportunity to have a luncheon with Dr. Krashen. Dr. Krashen is " known for developing the first comprehensive theory of second language acquisition, introducing the concept of sheltered subject matter teaching, and as the co-inventor of the Natural Approach to foreign language teaching." (MIDTESOL, 2016)

 

      Likewise, I gained experience of teaching English for non-English speakers and Arabic for non-Arabic speakers. From 2012 to 2014, I worked as an English teacher for Taibah Altaibah Elementary School in Madina, Saudi Arabia. Also, I work as a volunteer administer and participate in selecting and preparing appropriate curriculum, and teaching Muslim children Arabic and Islamic studies, and teaching Islamic Studies in English at Islamic Sunday School in Lawrence, Kansas, since 2015 until now.

 

 

Below is my resume.