AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR’S JOURNEY OF TEACHING TURKISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Narratives of Non-English L2 Language Teachers, Taylor & Francis Ltd, ss.153-168, 2025
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Araştırma Kitabı
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.4324/9781003500377-11
- Yayınevi: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.153-168
- Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
After pursuing an academic career in English literature, I had never thought of teaching Turkish to primarily American students, who attend the Turkish Language & Culture Summer Program at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul. “Why on earth would Americans learn Turkish,” I wondered when I first taught Turkish reading and speaking courses. The students often join the program to conduct academic research in Middle Eastern studies or to reconnect with their cultural roots in Türkiye. After years of worrying about my grammar mistakes as a TA of English composition at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2003–2010), I was excited to finally claim my position of authority by teaching my native language. I soon realized that speaking error-free Turkish or English was an unreachable dream. I do not intend to be a grammar instructor. Instead, I conduct Turkish reading and speaking classes as if I am teaching literary texts with a close reading technique. This chapter travels back in time and revisits my 13-year journey of teaching Turkish as a professor of English literature.