Target Language Experts

TLE Voices

Comments from participants in the TLE program

Every two years, 10 to 12 Target Language Experts come to Carthage from all over the world: China, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Spain. Here are comments from recent TLEs about their experiences in Kenosha and at Carthage.

"A Landscape to Remember," by Claudia Rodriguez, Mexico
"My Four Roles at Carthage," by Ruth Solarte, Colombia
"My Teaching Experience at Carthage," by Tomomi Ozawa

My First Experience as a Japanese Teacher!

When I was in Japan, my major was teaching Japanese to foreigners. I wanted to help increase understanding between people from outside of Japan and Japanese. Since I was in middle school, I have taken part in international exchange activities. So you can imagine how happy I was when I learned that I would be coming to Carthage to be a TLE of Japanese.

Still, on the first day of my Japanese class, my mind became a complete blank! All I had was a nervous stammer in front of 19 students. For the first two classes, the other Japanese TLE Tomomi and I taught together so I was not alone. Even so, I was really nervous. However, as time went on, I got to know the students and I began enjoying teaching a lot. I really feel pleasure when I see my students’ happy faces in the classroom when they understand the confusing things, especially if they couldn’t do it the first time, when they finally can write a whole word in the Japanese writing system. I also love to listen to their interest in Japan, Japanese and Japanese culture.

Those kinds of things make me so happy that I just want to do more and more. I have just finished my first year of teaching Japanese, so I will keep trying to make my Japanese classes even more interesting in my second year!

— Moeko Watanabe

'My Second Home'

Since my childhood, the English language has been a passion. Little by little, I discovered the United States and their cultural characteristics. One of my objectives was to experience what I learned. And I knew inside me that something was waiting for me there. I would have accepted almost any job! I have been very lucky since one of my professors was in contact with Carthage College and told me about this opportunity as a TLE.

I didn't know anything about this new experience. Everything was new and fresh. It was a new life coming on! I knew I wanted to do it.

Now, I know what was waiting for me. My teaching experience has been great and so enriching that it completely changed my life. Friendship was also part of my life here. I learned to love people more than I never did in my life in France. And I will never forget them! I will never forget my experience here. The United States will always be my second home.

— Celine Scipion

Pop culture

The good experience we have here may be said — though it is too familiar tales — that we can know the people and culture from all over the world.

About Japanese class and students, the thing that it surprised me is many students know about Japanese pop-culture: Manga, Music, Movie, etc. More than me. Because nowadays many students who are taking Japanese are motivated by the Japanese pop-culture.

— Hisahiro Yamada

Carthage Athletics: When it's good to sit and watch

I am a great sports’ enthusiast. Although I am not very athletic, I get really excited when watching a game, and here at Carthage, there are many. For me it is amazing to see how almost everybody is so involved in different sports, something that is not really common in my country. In Colombia, soccer is the most popular sport and you can see that almost everybody is a fan, but here it is different. What is felt in Colombia with soccer is the case for several sports in the U.S.

The Homecoming football game was my first football game. The sport was new to me. I was so lost, and I imagine I was getting on John’s and Rene’s nerves, asking them questions every minute, being sure that the ball was in one place but ... no, it was not, it was on the other side of the field and although they made fun of me for that, they were always willing to help me with my thousand questions. I guess they were pretty good at explaining me since I can go to the games and follow the ball.

Many of my students are on sports' teams and although they may miss class sometimes, it is also a good tool to make students participate. Sports and teams can be a powerful tool to make them speak in the target language, as I discovered. Of course, showing students some interest in what they do is a good strategy to make them feel confident and open to participate in class.

Sports also provide an opportunity to meet new people or to share time with your friends. Baseball, football, soccer, volleyball, golf, water polo, swimming, track and field, and tennis are some of the sports played at Carthage. Going to these games is a very effective way to release some stress by cheering for the team, seeing some new faces and having a good time in a different environment.

I will be at Carthage for another year, during which I expect to continue enjoying all these games as much as I did that first time at Art Keller Field, with my friends, the band and Torchie. I'm looking forward to rooting for Carthage teams games with my TLE friends and others.

I want to thank my TLE friends for helping me when I needed it, and specially John and Rene for being there that day and for a wonderful first year here.

— Maritza Nemogá, Colombia

Thanks Dear Professors

When I was at high school, I was mad because I thought that my school was not the best one. Then one of my aunts told me that what made a good student was not the school, but the discipline and responsibility the person had. I reflected on her words and I concluded that she was right. However, success does not only depend on the discipline and responsibility of the student, but also on the quality of the professors.

When I started my master's studies at Carthage, I was happy. I came to study and I did study hard. I was challenged not only by the material of the courses, but also by the language, because English was my second language and professors treated everyone as equals.

There were long nights and short weekends dedicated to psychology and methods, English Structure, Literature of Diversity, Short Stories, and perhaps the most important of all, my thesis. ... There were good and hard times; but without doubts, there was a lot of learning to accomplish all the goals of each course: English, discipline, responsibility.

Since I am now enjoying my last days at Carthage College, I want to express my gratitude to all my professors. All of them gave me their support and advice, and I learned a lot from them. However, I thank specially Dr. Alan Wallace and Dr. Jacquelyn Easley for their excellent classes and their support of my thesis, as well as my advisor, Dr. Lynn Loewen. All of you are now part of my life, and all I learned from you now is going to be passed on to other students far away in Colombia. Without your help I could not have completed this important part of my life. Thank you for your patience and support.

— Mélany Rodríguez Cáceres, Colombia

Academic Resources

Prospective Students

Faculty Spotlight

Pascal Rollet
Associate Professor of Modern Languages

Professor Rollet has assembled a collection of video-based educational resources for students learning French in a web site targeted to American teachers. Read more.