Meet a Roadrunner: Amanda Swearingen has traveled the world to teach English
Amanda Swearingen and Leeloo do work with PAWS for Service
(Feb. 22, 2017) -- Meet Amanda Jayne Swearingen. For more than a decade, this Roadrunner’s been helping students around the globe grasp the English language. Next month, she’ll be honored for her efforts.
Swearingen is the first UTSA recipient of the TESOL International Association’s Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Unpublished Pedagogical Materials. The honor has been awarded to top English as a Second Language (ESL) educators from around the world since 1987. Swearingen will receive the 2017 award at the Association’s annual convention in Seattle next month.
“Receiving an award from such a prestigious association is a validation of the work that I’ve done both here at UTSA and my time learning on the job,” Swearingen said. “It’s an honor to be recognized for my work, and to be the first UTSA student to receive this particular award. It’s a nice culmination of the path that led me to UTSA and a reminder of where I’m going.”
Swearingen’s international travels and interest in ESL education came at a turning point in her life. In 2005, she was living in New Orleans, having recently graduated from Tulane University, when Hurricane Katrina hit the city.
“I remember the uncertainty and desperation of the situation,” Swearingen said. “So, in need of something new, I bought a ticket to Argentina to try to make something of myself. I supported myself by teaching English to students there. Then, more opportunities presented themselves to me in different parts of the world and I leapt at them.”
After two years in Argentina, Swearingen moved to South Korea, where she spent eight years refining her skills. She’s been teaching English ever since.
“It’s funny because I sort of fell into this at first, but now I can’t imagine doing anything different," said Swearingen. "There’s a joy that I get from the work that I do and bettering myself and others, which is why I wanted to continue my own education.”
In 2015, Swearingen landed at UTSA in the College of Education and Human Development’s (COEHD) master's program in Teaching English as a Second Language. The interdisciplinary program prepares students to teach ESL to children or adults in a variety of settings. At UTSA, Swearingen is conducting research into the use of therapy dogs in second language reading development, teacher ideologies and multi-literacies.
Last fall, Swearingen was awarded a City of San Antonio Challenge Grant from the UTSA Center for Civic Engagement for her project “R.E.A.D. with PAWS.” She and her mentor, COEHD faculty member Kristen Lindahl, created a library for the therapy dog organizations Reading Education Assistance Dogs teams. Swearingen and her dog, Leeloo, have worked with PAWS for Service in the past.
Swearingen is also a UTSA Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) Presidential Scholar. For the past year, she has conducted research with UTSA faculty, ATE researchers and other research fellows to learn how family engagement in literacy and home literacy practices can be incorporated into the classroom. The researchers are preparing several articles for submission to international journals.
“I’ve had so many wonderful and truly life-changing learning experiences here at UTSA,” Swearingen said. “Some of the most professionally rewarding things I’ve done in my career so far have come from faculty in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies or fellow students’ encouragement and guidance. That’s the kind of place that UTSA is.”
Swearingen will graduate this spring. In the fall, she will begin her doctoral studies in second language teacher education, and she says she will keep the lessons she learned at UTSA with her forever.
“I can’t imagine my time at UTSA having been any better, professionally and personally,” Swearingen said. “I feel like I’ve been able to do a lot more than the typical graduate student. I’ve been given the tools that I need to move on to the next phase of my career and life. I’m forever grateful."
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Events
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.
