Natalie Hatfield
Teaching Portfolio
Service Learning
Throughout my college career, I have participated in multiple service-learning programs. These opportunities have given me experience in diverse urban and global environments through community-based service and outreach. All of them have centered on language education (whether that be English as a Second Language or Spanish) and have involved working with children in grades K-12. These personal interactions and unique opportunities have given me invaluable, real-world experience that have dramatically impacted how I teach and interact with my students on a daily basis.
El Centro Comunitario del Bario Mitre
While living in Argentina, I had the opportunity to work in a community center located in an underserved community just outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. While there I was able to help students achieve academically by providing tutoring services for English and Spanish grammar, Math and Literature. Giving my talents and my time to a truly impoverished and underserved population is a deep passion of mine and there is no doubt I would return to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to continue working with those children.
Executive English
While living in Argentina, I was able to work with an organization that provided English language instruction as well as English language conversation partners to individuals who worked and traveled internationally between Argentina, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. While there I was able to help adult students increase their English language skills, improve their speaking abilities and provide one-on-one tutoring services for English language grammar. My experience working with Executive English stretched and strengthened my abilities to teach to diverse age groups and implement a wide range of teaching methods to increase English language acquisition.
Caracas, Venezuela
While staying in Venezuela, I was able to work with an organization that provided English language instruction and private tutoring to young adults and students living in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas. The children and young adults who sought additional English language instruction did so in order to improve their English language fluency and academic achievement in school. In Caracas, as is the case in many Spanish-speaking countries, the ability to speak English fluently not only provides individuals with job security but also dramatically increases their ability to find a job that pays well. Venezuelan employers look highly upon English language fluency and pay well to find such individuals; they are not likely to relinquish fluent English speakers very readily. My experience working in Caracas, Venezuela, stretched and strengthened my abilities to teach intensively to diverse age groups. I was also able to implement a wide range of teaching methods in order to quickly increase English language acquisition and provide the maximum language exposure in the shortest amount of time.