Throughout her career teaching English to students on a global scale, Bucks County Community College professor Meg Eubank has endured her fair share of challenges. From graduating into a hiring freeze during a recession, to virtually instructing sleepy pupils in varying time zones when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there were many moments that weren’t easy.
But for Eubank, a Hilltown native and doctoral student at the University of Houston, the good outweighs the bad.
“I remember a grandmother from China came to class feeling lonely and isolated, not being able to speak to others in her community. She studied diligently and one day walked into class with a big smile on her face, glowing with happiness,” reflected Eubank. “She revealed that she made a new friend, her neighbor, and had a full conversation in English about their gardens. She had been craving social interaction with someone her age, but needed to have working proficiency in the same language in order to find that connection in America.”
For Eubank, who volunteers with Immigrant Rights Action, a Doylestown-based neighborhood collective that aids those threatened with deportation, her classes are about more than the curriculum. They’re about creating a supportive community of learners hailing from vast backgrounds, all with the same goal in mind – to ensure a bright future for themselves and their families.
Eubank was recently recognized for her efforts by being named the 2022 TESOL Teacher of the Year Award recipient. The award, presented by National Geographic Learning, honors exceptional English language teaching at all levels. Eubank will be honored during the hybrid 2022 TESOL Convention & English Language Expo, set for March 22-25 in Pittsburgh.
Additionally, Eubank will receive a one-year membership in TESOL International Association, the largest professional organization for teachers of English as a second or foreign language; a selection of TESOL publications valued at $250; a complimentary registration for the expo; and a cash award of $1,000. Eubank will also be offered a session as an invited speaker at the convention, where she will deliver a presentation titled “Building Community in an Age of Isolation.”
On receiving the award, Eubank said, “This recognition is exciting and validating and it inspires me to keep working to improve my teaching and help others learn the best methods to work with English language learners.”
Over the years, Eubank has supported English language learners both in and out of the classroom. After graduating from Arcadia University as an elementary education major and English minor, job opportunities were scarce. But she landed a part-time job in the Tutoring Center at Bucks County Community College as an ESL specialist. Eubank thoroughly enjoyed working with such a diverse group of students.
In 2011, she learned that a Langhorne-based nonprofit was seeking ESL specialists to work with immigrants. Eubank didn’t hesitate to return to Arcadia, where she earned her ESL certification. The next decade saw Eubank discover her true calling.
“By 2020, I had been able to help several thousand students from over 100 countries,” she said. “During these years, I continued at the community college teaching as an adjunct. When the pandemic started, I taught ESL to international students at a private school and this year, I was brought on as full-time faculty at Bucks County Community College, where I continue to work with students from a wide variety of backgrounds.”
Among those thousands of students, a number made a permanent impact on Eubank.
“A Liberian grandmother who learned to read and write for the first time; a Mexican victim of human trafficking and sexual abuse that earned her GED, found a job and passed her driver’s test; a Eritrean widow with a toddler son who learned to communicate and navigate her new community; and even a Chinese seventh grader who suffered from isolation on top of her natural shyness during the pandemic, but grew into a chatty, creative, productive student by the end of the school year,” recounted Eubank.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and classes transitioned to a virtual format, many of Eubank’s students returned to their native countries to be with loved ones. This presented some hurdles, but Eubank and her students adjusted.
“The most difficult task was getting sleepy teens halfway across the globe to attend class,” she said. “However, whether hybrid, synchronous or asynchronous instruction, technology can be an advantage. Some techniques include breakout rooms on Zoom with small groups, one-on-one conferences, whole group activities … and ultimately making an inclusive community with a wide variety of ways to engage.”
When asked to share some advice for aspiring TESOL instructors, Eubank highlighted the importance of realizing that, despite someone hailing from a drastically different background, the values of most humans are identical.
“Teaching English language learners, we encounter students from all over the world. As they learn from us, we also learn from them,” she said. “Our world becomes larger being exposed to so many different individuals from all over the globe, but also becomes smaller as we realize that we all have so much in common. Everyone is concerned with the same worries, like caring for their families and trying to plan for the future. Our humanity links us in many ways and this is essential to remember. The driving forces that everyone encounters as humans are the same and ultimately, we are all concerned about our loved ones and trying to do the best we can.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
