Tommy Clarke: “Connecting Cultures Through Language: My Life as a Language Assistant”

Hello! My name is Tommy Clarke, and I am the current English Language Assistant at BG/BRG Stockerau. As a native English speaker, I work with the English teachers to support the students’ speaking skills and to readily share elements of my culture and life experience from the United States. Before living in Austria, I grew up in the quaint town of New York City and later studied mathematics and German at Williams College, in rural Massachusetts. After learning German for many years and having a strong interest in teaching, I was very excited to have this opportunity to live and teach in Austria, and it has certainly not disappointed.

I have felt incredibly blessed to teach such bright minds every day and work alongside a team of highly capable and supportive teachers. From the energetic, eager fifth grade to the cool and confident eighth grade, the students always bring their full selves to the classroom, ready to learn. They come to class excited to speak a different language and engage with new cultures in a way that I think the rest of the world could really learn from at this moment. We’ve discussed a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to New York City, holidays in the US, American high school, the Super Bowl, and the American dream. At the same time, the students have taught me a lot about Austrian life and culture, from food to holidays to music. This complete pedagogical circle, where the students learn from but also teach the teacher, makes the job even more exciting and fulfilling.

One of my favorite memories from this year was attending the school ball, which was such a nice opportunity to see the whole school community, including teachers, family, and even the mayor of Stockerau, come together and celebrate the students, which they very much deserved. (Plus it was way cooler than American prom…) With this in mind, I give my students some final words of encouragement. Attack everything with the confidence you bring to English class, and celebrate your successes. Do your big one! And have fun while doing it.

Tommy Clarke