Why I Didn’t Get to Become an ESOL Teacher: Accessibility at VUW
Words by Teddi (he/she/they)
When I started my degree, my plan was to put my love of languages to use. I wanted to become an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher. As a foreign language learner and enthusiast myself, I thought learning about how English is taught would enable me to know about the best ways to learn and teach languages.
VUW has an extremely high-ranked program for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESOL. I mean, our previous lecturer Paul Nation literally wrote the world-renowned textbook.
In 2022, when I was taking TESOL, I was having a rough time with my health. I was housebound, often bed-bound, for days at a time. Studying while chronically ill or disabled is extremely difficult. You’ve got to balance lectures, tutorials, and assignments alongside weekly doctor's visits, specialists appointments, and prescription pick ups. It was nearing the end of the Trimester, and the practitioners I was seeing recommended getting an aegrotat pass. There was going to be no way I could finish to a passable standard without my health declining.
For those who don’t know, an aegrotat is an automatic pass grade certificate. It can be granted if you are unable, for whatever reason, to complete an assignment, attend an exam, or anything else needed to pass a class. According to the university’s assessment handbook, an aegrotat should only be used “in cases of last resort when it is not feasible to adequately accommodate the student’s circumstances by means of extensions.” It takes into account your situation, and acknowledges your past grades and the efforts you’ve made toward completing your work.
The process of getting an aegrotat, usually, is not difficult. Which is exactly what you need if you’re in a state that requires you to apply for one. If you’re applying due to health issues, then you’ll need a medical certificate from a GP that states you are unable to work for the rest of the Trimester. You also will need to have completed at least 30% of the total assessable course work to an okay standard, so that the Head of School can agree you were on track to pass the course and have a solid understanding of the subject. When I filled out the form on the VUW website, I was put in touch with a Disability and Inclusion advisor to help me with my supporting documentation.
I had submitted two out of three assessments for TESOL301 and it was my final year of taking TESOL courses. Unfortunately, in 2022, TESOL was not a subject that took to dual delivery well. It felt like the lecturers had never had any experience with teaching distance, disabled, or chronically ill students. I felt like a nuisance—the lecturer made remarks about how teaching online was terrible. They made comments about how it wasn’t not equal to being part of a classroom environment, with no sympathy that I couldn’t change my situation.
Dual delivery was first implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic to accommodate lockdowns and isolation periods. Even before 2020, disability advocates at the university had been campaigning for dual delivery in all classes. According to the university, they “no longer have the need to operate primarily in dual mode and are keen to reinvigorate its vibrant campus community.” They are still determining their future direction and updating their policy around both dual delivery and availability of lecture recordings.
The TESOL industry, for the most part, is one of great privilege. Language tutors can make a lot of money teaching ESOL and there are a number of high-profile roles in the private sector. Travel isn’t often overly accessible to disabled people, so while it wasn’t surprising to have a lecturer with a negative attitude to accommodating disabled students, it was deeply upsetting.
Lecturers should be uplifting. I should have been made to feel like, despite my health issues, I still had a shot at reaching my goal of becoming a teacher. Instead, there was no empathy, and I don’t think they even looked at my individual access plan (or IAP, which, for context, is a plan that describes the changes a student will need to be able to complete their study). My IAP stated I was a distance student so I could study while in hospital. Being mandatory at the time though, lecture recordings were extremely helpful in my other classes and were the reason I was able to complete my degree.
While dual delivery is available in some TESOL courses at 200-level where it is “appropriate”, the university told Salient, “as the TESOL major focuses on language teaching, online delivery is not possible in all courses and a limited amount of in-person attendance is required.” For TESOL301, the university explained that it was made clear that in-person attendance would be required. While they could not comment on my specific case, they did say that accessibility accommodations are made for students registered with disability services on a “case-by-case basis”. For TESOL301 specifically, they said, “In addition, for those who cannot attend courses such as TESOL301 in person, TESOL can be taken as a minor, rather than a major.”
When I went to the VUW disability advisors about my IAP, I was adamant it had to include that I needed to be excused from attendance requirements. I asked specifically about the TESOL attendance requirements and the advisor reassured me I could get them waived. I had a book of doctor and hospital certificates and I was reassured that this should be enough. I wish I had got that in writing. Any time something feels uncertain or complicated, get it in writing. Even now, I keep thinking that if I had the advisor’s statement I could have gotten an aegrotat.
But I didn’t.
I was denied the aegrotat. The two assignments over 30% of the coursework were considered moot due to my lack of attendance. It was a flat ‘no’ to changing the last assignment to be accessible for me. Changing the class requirements to become accessible for me was deemed ‘too much’. The lecturer’s ‘compromise’ was for me to do the assignment as it was given. My aegrotat request was valid and I should have been granted it, but instead I put in all this extra effort with such ill health.
This whole experience completely deterred me from returning to a language classroom. I doubt I will ever return to any classroom experience at VUW, especially if mandatory dual delivery fails to return. I’ve learnt that it’s a lot cheaper to study by myself at home. The only reason I now have a postgraduate certificate in TESOL is that I knew the postgrad lecturer well before the course started, and thankfully for me, he goes above and beyond for his students. Lecturers should know university is hard for any student. I’m not asking for above and beyond. All I was asking for was that my IAP be followed and my chronic illness and disability be acknowledged.
I loved my time at VUW, but unfortunately, I feel I’m not welcome as a disabled student. I shouldn’t have to use all of my remaining energy to stand up for myself. I shouldn’t have to shout out to every lecturer that I am disabled and convince them why I’m a valid and dedicated student. I shouldn’t have to justify to them why they should accommodate me. Unlike me, these lecturers have the power to say no.