Michael Beamer
Co-Program Head & Assistant Professor | ESL
Reynolds Community College | School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Growing up in Bethlehem was pretty cool. Definitely not as bad as Billy Joel made the area out to be ("Allentown" is about the general area, as there were no steel mills in Allentown--only in Bethlehem). My family was in the suburbs and it actually was a pretty idyllic life looking back on it (and comparing it to other places I've lived). By the time Bethlehem Steel shut down, a lot of other industries had moved into the area so the economy was fine. Also, there's a great 10-day music festival in the area that's been going on since 1984.
How did you get from Bethlehem to JMU where you earned your BA in English?
My oldest brother went to Bridgewater and the middle brother went to William and Mary. I got used to coming to Virginia and I liked JMU (it was also the quickest application of all the schools I applied to--no essay!). I did get into University of Richmond as well, but it was a bit expensive. I didn't want to go to Penn State as it seemed like half my high school went there. Only one other student from my class went to JMU and I don't remember even seeing her once. I guess I wanted to leave the nest as much as possible.
Please tell us a little about your background and travels.
When I was younger, my family would take vacations to different places like Assateague and Chincoteague Islands, Maine, Canada, South Carolina, etc. So I started to enjoy traveling and learning about new places, food and people from a young age (although I was not the most adventurous eater until I got to college). Also, when I was very young, my oldest brother got me interested in The Beatles, which in turn got me interested in England. I can still do several British accents fairly well. Anyway, when I was at JMU I was accepted to the Semester Abroad program and went to London, which turned out to be one of those life transforming experiences. I absolutely loved my time there and it was then that the international travel bug had bit me. After graduation, I dreamed of living and teaching in Japan (see below), but I had to put it off for various reasons. However, in 1997 I left for Japan to teach in an English conversation school for two years. At the end of that time, I wasn't sure of what I was going to do, but the reactions from my students at my going away party overwhelmed me, and I realized I must have done something right, so I decided to go to grad school for teaching ESL. I was accepted to three grad schools, but I chose University of Hawaii because it was (is) the best program, it gave me the best financial deal, and I got to go study in Hawaii (Duh! What would you choose?). I was there for almost three years, but I had a dream to teach in higher ed in Japan, so I was able to get a job at Nihon University (which at the time had about five people from UH) in Shizuoka. On a good day, you could see Mt. Fuji from the school. They limited international faculty to three-year contracts, so after that I went to a small two-year college in Yokohama. I was there for four years and during that time I met my yet-to-become wife and we had a long-distance relationship between Osaka and Yokohama. I had got a job in Osaka and had planned to move there when I saw an ad for a job as Director of the Intensive English Program in at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. I probably wouldn't have looked much further, but my parents had actually gone there and met there, so I knew about it. I asked my then fiancé if she thought it was OK if I applied to a job in the US. She said yes, but later told me she thought I wouldn't get it! After I did get the job, we had to get married very quickly as a spouse visa is much easier to get than a fiancé visa. While at Juniata, my wife took ESL classes in my program (but not my classes as the other students might have wondered how she really got her A, hehe) and eventually earned her BS in Educational Studies (in between, our son was born!). She had agreed to move to the US and support me to further my career. After her graduation, she had received a job offer in California, so I wanted to support her. Luckily, I was able to find the job at USC after we arrived in CA. While we were able to save money (even with the outrageous rent), but we both eventually realized we are east coast people. So when I saw the ad for the job at Reynolds I applied right away. We have since bought a house in Mechanicsville, have two young puppies, Cody is now seven and starting second grade!
You have lived in Japan, in the US in Hawaii, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and in the UK. What is your favorite place to live and why?
So far, Hawaii has been my favorite place to live, even though I was living on a Graduate Assistant's pay. It is very cosmopolitan, which I really enjoy. The people are very friendly, the food is great, and the natural features are incredible. There's actually a lot you can do there that doesn't cost a lot (as long as you're willing to live in a smaller place than you would be able to get for the same price as in Richmond). It's not perfect, by a long shot, but it was a great place to live. I would absolutely love to retire there as it would fit my wife like a glove with all the Asian food and culture.
You've been working in ESL for about 25 years. What got you interested in ESL?
When I was an undergrad at JMU, I had applied to join the Peace Corps and went to an informational meeting. I wasn't accepted because I didn't have a teaching degree/experience and the recruiter told me they had English teachers coming out their ears. He told me I should study ESL and look into getting experience in the field. I took a class to finish my last three credits at JMU in an ESL teaching methodology course and got interested in it. I was hired by Eastern Mennonite College (in the same town as JMU) to teach two ESL classes. Almost all the students were Japanese and that got me interested in teaching in Japan. I wonder if I could get into the Peace Corps today?!
How have you seen the study of ESL change over 25 years?
That's an interesting question. There's been a (good) shift in using more and more advancing/emerging technology in and out of the classroom. Some people (students and teachers) are reluctant to use it, which is a shame, in my opinion, because they could expand either their learning opportunities for students or their teaching repertoires for the instructors. Of course, as with any field, weeding through so many websites/programs to find the gems can be daunting, so I understand some of the reluctance. Also, institutions must be willing to support instructors in terms of using technology, both in terms of hardware/software and training.
What was the most challenging aspect of teaching ESL online during the pandemic? What did you find most rewarding?
I was a full-time administrator in California, so I wasn't teaching there. My first online teaching experience during the pandemic (I had taught online during grad school) was in Spring 2021 for Reynolds. I think the most difficult thing was I had several lower-level classes and I think many of those students didn't have as much exposure to technology previously, so that limited what I could do in the classes as far as fully utilizing the available technology. I admire them greatly for working their jobs, raising kids, and taking classes (often at the same time) to learn English. I also felt disjointed from them as they were "boxes" on my computer. I hope they come by my office and say hello (a few have). The most rewarding thing is basically the same as F2F classes--seeing your students achieve their goals, realizing they can do something they thought they couldn't, and seeing those "light bulb" moments.
You, your wife Megumi, and your seven year old son were looking forward to exploring Richmond when you moved here. In spite of covid restrictions, have you been able to discover some interesting spots around Richmond?
We've seen some of Richmond, but we'll be happy to see more. We did enjoy going to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm in CA, so we got passes for King's Dominion (which is owned by the same company as Knott's Berry Farm). We're looking forward to getting our son involved in some organized activities like sports so we can meet more people through that. Of course, my wife has found the Asian supermarkets and just found one with what she considers the best kimchi she's had in a while, so that makes her happy. I have been golfing a couple times. I still play horribly, but I enjoy it. Cody has made a lot of new friends in our new neighborhood and we're sure he'll make more when he starts school in person.