Getting to Know You: Teisha Payne
Teisha Payne – Spanish and Elementary Education with an ELL Endorsement
Hometown: College Place, WA
Year in School: Junior
Who, or what, influenced your decision to pursue this degree?
Both of my parents are in education and so I grew up always being around school in one way or another. I loved setting up my mom’s kindergarten classroom every summer and I have helped in her classes for many years.
What is your dream job after college?
My dream job would be creating my own English program someday in my hometown that focuses on families learning English together as well as individually. This way English will be spoken at home as well as in the classroom and parents will not have to find someone to watch their kids to take my classes. I would like to build a curriculum that has vocabulary in categories that can be used in the grocery store, interviews, doctors office, and just everyday words.
Have you had any experience in this area, such as an internship?
I have worked in Bilingual classrooms in College Place, was an Educational Assistant in a Summer School program 1st grade-8th grade for the past three summers, worked over thirty hours with B.E.S.T Academy in Mexico traveling around Jalisco teaching teachers different techniques with teaching English, and many more hours and opportunities within classrooms over the years.
What do you hope to get out of your career?
I hope to give children and adults the basic English skills to be able to thrive in their lives in The United States. Even if I just help one child learn English, they will be able to take their skills and apply them to help their family in whatever translating they have to do, whether it be a document or talking with English-Only speakers.
What kind of extracurricular activities are you a part of?
I am a part of Spanish club and I did Volleyball intermurals this fall.
Favorites:
Class: Tch_Lrn 333
Professor: Nalee Moua
Sport: Volleyball
Movie: Step Up
Place to Study: Starbucks
Quote: “The best teachers teach from the Heart and not the Book”