Interview with Yasmeen Coaxum VP Conference
Back to BlogInterview with Yasmeen Coaxum VP Conference
03/16/2022
I sat down with our VP Conference to find out more about her motivation for taking on a leadership role in NYS TESOL.
1. Why did you join NYS TESOL and subsequently take on a leadership role?
Joining NYS TESOL was a way for me to connect with like-minded people in terms of their dedication to the ESL/EFL profession. Professional environments differ, and sometimes you need a connection outside of your colleague bubble for fresh ideas, additional professional development, to have more of a pulse on what's out there in terms of opportunities in the field, and of course, to develop new friendships.
2. What do you think NYS TESOL's role is in the teaching community? What should it do for members?
NYS TESOL provides support for teachers from all realms of education. It provides an opportunity for educators to grow and learn from each other in a nurturing environment while also allowing for the exploration of talents other than teaching. For example, maybe you'd like to try your hand at writing for industry publications, so you reach out to a fellow member who has done this and can provide some insight as to how to get started.
BIO
Yasmeen Coaxum, Adjunct Faculty at the English Language Institute of Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, and the American Language Program (ALP) at Columbia University, holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and Language Acquisition from the University of Barcelona. She has taught ELLs in national and international contexts for more than 12 years, specializing in English for Academic Purposes and Business English at language schools, universities, and corporations in, Japan, Turkey, Germany, Spain, and the U.S. Ms. Coaxum is a frequent presenter at conferences, including Columbia’s ALP Winter Conference, the NYS TESOL Applied Linguistics Winter Conference and the JALT CALL Conference, and she currently serves on the Executive Board of NYS TESOL, as VP Conference. Her research interests include CALL, MALL, vocabulary acquisition, and pedagogical grammar. Most recently, she has focused her research on leveraging instructional technology, such as podcasts, to increase student motivation and accelerate English language proficiency.
I sat down with our VP Conference to find out more about her motivation for taking on a leadership role in NYS TESOL.
1. Why did you join NYS TESOL and subsequently take on a leadership role?
Joining NYS TESOL was a way for me to connect with like-minded people in terms of their dedication to the ESL/EFL profession. Professional environments differ, and sometimes you need a connection outside of your colleague bubble for fresh ideas, additional professional development, to have more of a pulse on what's out there in terms of opportunities in the field, and of course, to develop new friendships.
2. What do you think NYS TESOL's role is in the teaching community? What should it do for members?
NYS TESOL provides support for teachers from all realms of education. It provides an opportunity for educators to grow and learn from each other in a nurturing environment while also allowing for the exploration of talents other than teaching. For example, maybe you'd like to try your hand at writing for industry publications, so you reach out to a fellow member who has done this and can provide some insight as to how to get started.
| 1. Why did you join NYS TESOL and subsequently take on a leadership role? Joining NYS TESOL was a way for me to connect with like-minded people in terms of their dedication to the ESL/EFL profession. Professional environments differ, and sometimes you need a connection outside of your colleague bubble for fresh ideas, additional professional development, to have more of a pulse on what's out there in terms of opportunities in the field, and of course, to develop new friendships. 2. What do you think NYS TESOL's role is in the teaching community? What should it do for members? NYS TESOL provides support for teachers from all realms of education. It provides an opportunity for educators to grow and learn from each other in a nurturing environment while also allowing for the exploration of talents other than teaching. For example, maybe you'd like to try your hand at writing for industry publications, so you reach out to a fellow member who has done this and can provide some insight as to how to get started. As far as what it should do for members, I think it should provide opportunities for excellent professional development so that we can better serve our students. This effort was maximized during the pandemic when other organizations weren't active at all. We provided a plethora of webinars to support teachers and alleviate the sense of isolation that had started to set in. NYS TESOL should also allow for the voicing of concerns with regard to some of the practices in the field, give us a space for camaraderie, and connect us with other dedicated professionals who might be able to assist us with career advancement. 3. You opted to be V.P. conference- a big role- why? Well, first, I was fortunate enough to be voted into the position, which came as a surprise to me since I hadn't been with the organization for long before throwing my hat into the ring for this leadership role. Coming from a corporate background, I've always loved attending networking events. I see the annual NYS TESOL conference as a way to make connections while also learning and sharing new ways to innovate in our classroom practices. It provides us with a professional edge and gives us all a chance to get to know each other and create bonds while letting our hair down in a fun, social atmosphere. Part of my background was working as a coordinator in T.V. and magazine publishing, so I think I can bring something to the table in terms of organizing such an event for maximum impact, solidifying our continued dedication to the field. 4. What were your thoughts behind the title of the conference? When the pandemic hit, we experienced a shift in the physical logistics of how we taught and our mindset as a country in terms of how we were viewing our diverse array of citizens. As such, it became even more necessary to change the way we approached teaching as a whole, not only with the incorporation of more technology but also with a deeper look at who we are teaching and how their needs might differ. The conference title: Shifting Teaching Paradigms: Examining Inclusive, Dynamic Practices was born from these thoughts. 5. What would you particularly like this particular conference to do/achieve? My goal is to have a collage of speakers from all facets of education, who typically haven't had much of a voice in this field or at conferences such as these, and for participants to come away with an experience that represents the holistic nature of education. For example, how have administrators in some of our K-12 schools fostered a sense of belonging for all students? How have university instructors encouraged better overall student engagement? How have teachers in content areas such as science or social studies dealt with students whose L1s are not English to support inclusivity? These are some of the questions that I hope will be answered through presentations from our powerful keynote speakers and knowledgeable presenters. Finally, what do you think are the key things we need to do as an organization this year, next few years? I think we are definitely moving in the right direction in terms of having an Executive Board that represents the diverse voices that make up our membership and the students we serve. If we keep moving forward and inviting more voices from our membership pool to give input on how we can improve as an organization, everyone will feel as though they really have a stake in this organization, which can provide an unparalleled source of strength. |
BIO
Yasmeen Coaxum, Adjunct Faculty at the English Language Institute of Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, and the American Language Program (ALP) at Columbia University, holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and Language Acquisition from the University of Barcelona. She has taught ELLs in national and international contexts for more than 12 years, specializing in English for Academic Purposes and Business English at language schools, universities, and corporations in, Japan, Turkey, Germany, Spain, and the U.S. Ms. Coaxum is a frequent presenter at conferences, including Columbia’s ALP Winter Conference, the NYS TESOL Applied Linguistics Winter Conference and the JALT CALL Conference, and she currently serves on the Executive Board of NYS TESOL, as VP Conference. Her research interests include CALL, MALL, vocabulary acquisition, and pedagogical grammar. Most recently, she has focused her research on leveraging instructional technology, such as podcasts, to increase student motivation and accelerate English language proficiency.
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