Dae Selcer

❍ Field of current or former occupation: Education
❍ Email: [email protected]

Question: What is your current occupation and where do you live? Please briefly describe your duties and responsibilities. How long have you been at this position?

Dae Selcer: Currently I am an English as a Second Language (ESL) Program Chair and Teacher at Harvest Network of Schools. I supervise 6 other ESL teachers and 300 plus students across four schools, K-8. I also teach 1st and 3rd grade ESL. In addition, I make sure our program is in compliance with state and federal laws, run our ESL database, and train ESL and content staff on techniques for working with ELLs. Before my current position, I taught in both Cambodia and Viet Nam as an ESL teacher for three years.

Question: Did studying German language and culture at Williams College help you in your professional and personal development? If yes, then how were German Studies useful to you? What opportunities and challenges did the German major open up for you both specific to your current occupation and more generally?

Dae Selcer: Studying German has been hugely helpful in my career! As an ESL teacher, I need a solid knowledge of how languages are acquired, as well as a deep understanding of grammar and syntax. Studying German gave me all of that. My knowledge of language learning and teaching made me very marketable as an ESL teacher overseas, and helped me a lot in my graduate level Linguistics coursework to get certified in the States.

Question: Please share your advice or recommendation about the German department at Williams to a prospective student who is considering taking courses or majoring in our program.

Dae Selcer: Do it. Studying language and culture makes you aware of how those forces shape our lives. Weirdly enough, it was my study of German and other languages that helped me relate to and teach my students, who are from Cambodia, Viet Nam, Somalia, and Ethiopia. You never know where studying German could take you! Also, Gail Newman is awesome, so there’s that.

Question: Would you be willing to serve as a contact person for current students of German about your career or life path? If so, how should students contact you?

Dae Selcer: Definitely! Students should contact me at my personal email, [email protected]