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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is the first UTSA recipient of the TESOL International Association’s Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Unpublished Pedagogical Materials.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 Engligh 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 multiliteracies.
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, Leelo, have worked with PAWS for Service in the past.
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