What is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

This chapter aims to provide critical retrospective insights into the extent to which education can shape one's views, practices, and identities. Focusing on sharing the author's graduate learning stories abroad, this autoethnographic chapter consists of the following five sections. The first section introduces the author's self-positioning as a multilingual speaker, an emerging teacher, an international student, among others, and also motivation to write about his life stories. The second to the fourth sections identify three main learning gains over the course of the author's graduate studies, including his heightened awareness of pluralism, improved socio-educational competencies, and increased sensitivity to equity and social justice issues. The final section summarizes the author's graduate learning gains and then highlights some recommendations and issues for stakeholders to (re)consider.