Welcome to my online portfolio!
My name is Julia O'Sullivan, and I recently completed the TESOL certificate program at Front Range Community College. While entering my second semester, I was presented with the opportunity to become an instructor at Front Range and co-teach a Saturday morning adult ESL class for my practicum. Being a student and a teacher at the same time was rewarding, hard work, and the best way to put theory into practice in the most hands-on way possible.
I've had a lifelong interest in languages and cultures, and started studying French when I was 13. I graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in French Literature. I am currently studying German and Spanish (and continuously polishing my French) and enjoy any opportunity to learn words and phrases in other languages. I feel that my background as a language learner gives me some insight into what my students may be experiencing as they go through their English-learning journey.
After graduating from UW, I began a program to earn a certificate to teach ESL, but it wasn't the right time for me back then. The reason? I had a crippling fear of public speaking. I walked away from teaching ESL then, but it never left my mind. After spending nearly 20 years in the transcription field and gaining a lot more life experience, public speaking was no longer a debilitating phobia, and I trained to be a volunteer ESL teacher with Intercambio in Longmont, Colorado. It was the perfect combination of language teaching, intercultural communication, and serving my community.
My time as a volunteer teacher was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and it turned out to be the most fantastic way to prepare for a career I could imagine! Teaching classes at Intercambio turned the ship of my life into a new direction, and I enrolled at Front Range.
Please explore my page to learn more about my teaching experience, volunteerism, philosophy, and lesson plans!