From TESOL Student to ESL Instructor

Jean Hellwege was born in California and moved about every two years while growing up due to being a “military brat” (as she fondly describes it). She now resides in Fairfax Station while teaching at NOVA.

Hellwege has a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio State (go Bucks!) and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University. Professionally, she was a legal editor for most of her career, serving as managing editor of Trial magazine, the flagship publication of the American Association for Justice, for six years and as a technical editor with the HR consulting firm Mercer for nearly a decade.

Her journey to NOVA started when she was working as a volunteer ESL teacher with the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia. A fellow teacher mentioned that he’d done NOVA’s TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program. She was impressed with the depth and range of the course offerings. Seeing that the Saturday classes worked well with her schedule, too, and the tuition was reasonable, she registered immediately.

To her, a definite strength while in the TESOL program was the range of topics that the program covers–from assessing English proficiency, to planning lessons, to managing difficult classroom situations. She was surprised to discover that the way she learned her second language years ago–through memorization and drills–was not nearly as effective as newer communicative teaching approaches that engage students in activities that draw on real-world situations. She especially enjoyed the many opportunities the program provided to flex her ‘teaching muscles.’ Nearly every class included team teaching sessions where she could apply what she had learned and receive immediate feedback from instructors and peers. These sessions and the chance to teach ESL students during a 10-hour supervised practicum were invaluable in helping her hone her skills as a teacher.

After completing her training in the spring of 2019, she started teaching at NOVA’s Manassas Campus that fall. Like most of NOVA’s academic faculty, she is currently teaching through remote learning.  

“The first couple of classes were a little rocky, but I’d say we’ve now reached a pretty good rhythm. I’m lucky to have a great class. The students have been incredibly patient as we’ve adjusted to the new technology and workflows, and their concern and support for each other during the lockdown has been heartwarming to see,” said Hellwege. “I usually let them spend the first part of each class just bonding and cheering each other on. I’m tremendously grateful to NOVA’s Academic Technology gurus and Canvas staff for the ongoing Zoom and Canvas training. I never imagined I’d know so much about teaching remotely; though I still feel I have so much to learn.”

In her personal time, she loves reading and walking, but her passion is hula dancing. She is a member of a hula group based in Fairfax Her group once traveled to China for a multicultural festival that performed as part of a parade through the streets of Beijing. “I’ll never forget how friendly and welcoming the people were – they treated us like rock stars,” she said.