A young teacher with a dream
A passion for teaching that has taken her outside her comfort zone
Tunohole Mungoba
Currently doing her master of teaching English as second languages (MA TESL), Leena Iitula, a Namibian student in the United States of America is currently enrolled at the Minnesota State University and she has dreams of coming back to her country and to develop teaching models that meet the needs of our Namibian teachers and learners.
At 31 years of age, Iitula opted to do a MA TESL because of her passion for the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and mainly because she wants to acquire additional knowledge and skills to share with fellow Namibian educators in the field of English, for the betterment of learners’ performance in ESL. “I have served in the Education fraternity for nine years now. Six years as an ESL secondary school teacher and 3 years as a senior education officer responsible for English in Oshana Region. I am therefore aware of the challenges that our learners face in acquiring and learning the English languages in addition to their first languages as well as the challenges that ESL teachers face in teaching of ESL,” she says. She also says the program is exposing her to the intricacies of linguistics and the teaching thereof. “I am particularly interested in developing teaching and assessment models based on the Namibia English syllabus and that is the area I want to focus on for my thesis.”
With an undergraduate bachelor degree in Education, majored in English and Biology; Iitula is on a fully funded Fulbright scholarship. “The Fulbright program is managed in Namibia by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at U.S. Embassy Windhoek. The scholarship is advertised online and that is where I downloaded the application form in 2015. I learned about the scholarship through friends and former Unam classmates who got the privilege to pursue their masters in USA, funded by the Fulbright program. I got inspired and decided to give it a shot,” she recalls.
After only spending three months in the States, she tells The Zone that she has learned immensely and has gained profound exposure to various facets, both academic and social. “I spent my first three weeks at Syracuse State University in New York State, for a pre-academic course. There, I got an opportunity to learn about the American culture, history, law, political system, education system among other things. Academically, got we had learned professors teaching us how to polish my writing and presentation skills, thus preparing us for graduate school,” she says. She also got a chance to meet fellow Fulbright scholars from all parts of the world and according to her, it was enriching to learn from each other and to share knowledge and experiences both socially and academically.
“The course that I am pursuing is exposing me to new approaches and theories in English as second language teaching and learning. This is because the TESL field in the US is booming with nuanced research studies hence novel findings which are applicable in modern day classrooms. We have the privilege of receiving first hand expert opinion and guidance from renowned scholars and researchers in the field of TESL,” she says.
Iitula admits that she was mainly worried about the culture shock as she had never lived in a country other than Namibia. “I thought it was going to be a struggle for me to adjust and get used to the new country which is going to be my new home for the next 2 years. I grew up with the understanding that life in the US is so fast paced and no one really has time for the next person. I thought the people won’t be too willing to socialize and I was going to find it difficult to assimilate into my new world and culture but, I was wrong,” she says. “After completing my masters, I would like reinstated my position as Senior Education Officer-English, in Oshana Region. Given the innovative ways of assessment and learner centered approaches I am being introduced to in the US, I plan to assist in the development of teaching materials relevant to our learners’ situation through workshops to supplement what our English teachers in the Region currently use.”
The 5 steps to Studying in U.S.
1. Researching your options
The first step to studying in the United States is researching your options to find a college or university that best fits your needs. Students are advised not to try to match themselves to the school, but rather find the school that matches them, their priorities and long-term goals.
2. Financing your studies
The cost of living and studying varies across the United States. With the right amount of planning and research, pursuing a U.S. higher education can be made affordable with high returns on your investment. Start your financial planning as early as possible. Each year international students receive significant amounts of financial assistance for their studies. However, competition is high. Applications for financial aid go together with applications for admission.
3. Completing your Applications
This step covers the general application requirements for U.S. colleges and universities. Applying for U.S. study is a task that takes time and concentration as each application is different and involves collecting recommendations, writing essays, and routing the results of required standard examinations. Managing application timelines is very important for international student’s especially due differences in academic calendar.
4. Apply for your Student Visa
The most common student visa type is the F-1 visa. Students need to learn about the forms needed, the outline of the visa application process. When student have received admission from U.S. universities and colleges they receive an official documents from the Department of Homeland Security with which they can apply for their student visa.
5. Prepare for your Departure
Key components to this final step include making your travel arrangements, attending a pre-departure orientation at your local EducationUSA center or online, gathering pre-departure materials and documents for arrival, as well as reporting to your school and attending orientations. Check your new institution's website for additional pre-departure information that will be more specialized and have information about health insurance, average local temperatures throughout the year, local transportation options, housing, and more. EducationUSA advising centers organize pre-departure orientations for students getting ready to depart for the United States.
Currently doing her master of teaching English as second languages (MA TESL), Leena Iitula, a Namibian student in the United States of America is currently enrolled at the Minnesota State University and she has dreams of coming back to her country and to develop teaching models that meet the needs of our Namibian teachers and learners.
At 31 years of age, Iitula opted to do a MA TESL because of her passion for the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and mainly because she wants to acquire additional knowledge and skills to share with fellow Namibian educators in the field of English, for the betterment of learners’ performance in ESL. “I have served in the Education fraternity for nine years now. Six years as an ESL secondary school teacher and 3 years as a senior education officer responsible for English in Oshana Region. I am therefore aware of the challenges that our learners face in acquiring and learning the English languages in addition to their first languages as well as the challenges that ESL teachers face in teaching of ESL,” she says. She also says the program is exposing her to the intricacies of linguistics and the teaching thereof. “I am particularly interested in developing teaching and assessment models based on the Namibia English syllabus and that is the area I want to focus on for my thesis.”
With an undergraduate bachelor degree in Education, majored in English and Biology; Iitula is on a fully funded Fulbright scholarship. “The Fulbright program is managed in Namibia by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at U.S. Embassy Windhoek. The scholarship is advertised online and that is where I downloaded the application form in 2015. I learned about the scholarship through friends and former Unam classmates who got the privilege to pursue their masters in USA, funded by the Fulbright program. I got inspired and decided to give it a shot,” she recalls.
After only spending three months in the States, she tells The Zone that she has learned immensely and has gained profound exposure to various facets, both academic and social. “I spent my first three weeks at Syracuse State University in New York State, for a pre-academic course. There, I got an opportunity to learn about the American culture, history, law, political system, education system among other things. Academically, got we had learned professors teaching us how to polish my writing and presentation skills, thus preparing us for graduate school,” she says. She also got a chance to meet fellow Fulbright scholars from all parts of the world and according to her, it was enriching to learn from each other and to share knowledge and experiences both socially and academically.
“The course that I am pursuing is exposing me to new approaches and theories in English as second language teaching and learning. This is because the TESL field in the US is booming with nuanced research studies hence novel findings which are applicable in modern day classrooms. We have the privilege of receiving first hand expert opinion and guidance from renowned scholars and researchers in the field of TESL,” she says.
Iitula admits that she was mainly worried about the culture shock as she had never lived in a country other than Namibia. “I thought it was going to be a struggle for me to adjust and get used to the new country which is going to be my new home for the next 2 years. I grew up with the understanding that life in the US is so fast paced and no one really has time for the next person. I thought the people won’t be too willing to socialize and I was going to find it difficult to assimilate into my new world and culture but, I was wrong,” she says. “After completing my masters, I would like reinstated my position as Senior Education Officer-English, in Oshana Region. Given the innovative ways of assessment and learner centered approaches I am being introduced to in the US, I plan to assist in the development of teaching materials relevant to our learners’ situation through workshops to supplement what our English teachers in the Region currently use.”
The 5 steps to Studying in U.S.
1. Researching your options
The first step to studying in the United States is researching your options to find a college or university that best fits your needs. Students are advised not to try to match themselves to the school, but rather find the school that matches them, their priorities and long-term goals.
2. Financing your studies
The cost of living and studying varies across the United States. With the right amount of planning and research, pursuing a U.S. higher education can be made affordable with high returns on your investment. Start your financial planning as early as possible. Each year international students receive significant amounts of financial assistance for their studies. However, competition is high. Applications for financial aid go together with applications for admission.
3. Completing your Applications
This step covers the general application requirements for U.S. colleges and universities. Applying for U.S. study is a task that takes time and concentration as each application is different and involves collecting recommendations, writing essays, and routing the results of required standard examinations. Managing application timelines is very important for international student’s especially due differences in academic calendar.
4. Apply for your Student Visa
The most common student visa type is the F-1 visa. Students need to learn about the forms needed, the outline of the visa application process. When student have received admission from U.S. universities and colleges they receive an official documents from the Department of Homeland Security with which they can apply for their student visa.
5. Prepare for your Departure
Key components to this final step include making your travel arrangements, attending a pre-departure orientation at your local EducationUSA center or online, gathering pre-departure materials and documents for arrival, as well as reporting to your school and attending orientations. Check your new institution's website for additional pre-departure information that will be more specialized and have information about health insurance, average local temperatures throughout the year, local transportation options, housing, and more. EducationUSA advising centers organize pre-departure orientations for students getting ready to depart for the United States.
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