For many students at Carleton College, language learning is not limited to the classroom. It involves lunch tables and tea times where only the language they’re learning is permitted, tutoring appointments where students can hone their skills and cultural events organized by the college’s Language Associates (LAs). LAs are recent graduates and young scholars from around the world who spend a year at Carleton helping students learn both the language and the culture and perspectives tied to it.
This year’s LAs came from diverse countries and academic backgrounds. Although many faced a similar challenge of adapting to a new environment, they also grew to appreciate the rewards of teaching students and the unique sense of community at Carleton.
Calix Benstein, the French Language Associate, came to Carleton through a partnership between her university in France and the college. Benstein, who enjoys studying American history, said the opportunity appealed to her because it combined teaching with the chance to experience life in the United States. “I wanted to go to the United States specifically because of my specialization in American history,” she said.
Like many LAs, Benstein discovered that the role extended well beyond just tutoring. “My big role is to assist the TAs in their sessions,” Benstein said. “And also to organize cultural events on campus throughout the year, which are different events that relate to Francophone culture.”
The work, however, often hovers between the complicated grounds of student and instructor. Because LAs are typically close in age to Carleton students, they often occupy a role that is simultaneously professional and peer-like.
“The way the position was advertised to me was like, ‘Oh, you’re in between a professor and student,’” Benstein explained. “You’re closer to the students, but you also hold a position of authority. It’s a dual position because you’re still a teacher.” That balancing emerged as a common theme among the LAs interviewed.
Yara Jaber, the Arabic LA, emphasized the importance of maintaining “a delicate balance between friendliness and assertiveness.”
“I joke with my students a lot. We have a lot of friendly banter,” Jaber said. “When they come to conversation sessions, I let the conversations flow naturally. I have made it clear that they have to show up, and contact me if they can’t.”
Jaber came to Carleton through the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program, applying during what she described as a “stagnant period” in her life. The opportunity offered not only professional development, but also a new experience. “Combining this with my love for Arabic, my mother tongue, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me on many levels,” Jaber said.
Several Associates noted that one of the most surprising aspects of Carleton’s language programs was the level of immersion and engagement expected from students. Benstein said the French department’s approach differed significantly from language instruction in France. “It’s very focused on immersion,” Benstein said. “The instructors, the TAs, me — we speak French all the time, from 101. There’s little to no English in classes.”
Jennifer Wilkes, the German LA, expressed the same observation. Wilkes said that she was struck by both the rigor of the programs and the collaborative environment surrounding them. “Professors, TAs and students all invest a great deal of effort into creating a supportive and engaging learning environment,” Wilkes said. “Lunch tables, conversation partners and cultural events make language learning feel more interactive and community-based.”
Jaber also emphasized the intensity of Carleton’s language instruction, saying she was surprised “by how many languages are taught at Carleton” and by “how demanding and serious the programs are.”
The Associates repeatedly described their work as not just teaching vocabulary or grammar, but culture as well. “Language Associates bring their nuanced understanding of the geopolitical and social aspects in which their language is spoken, thus grounding language learning in reality,” Jaber said.
That cultural exchange extended in both directions. While the Associates introduced students to their own cultures, many said they themselves gained new perspectives through their year in Minnesota. Wilkes described one of the most meaningful aspects of her time at Carleton as the sense of community she encountered.
“People here have been incredibly welcoming, both within the college environment and beyond it,” Wilkes said. “As an international student, this has been especially valuable because it helped me feel included.”
Benstein similarly reflected on how meaningful it was to discover community in an unfamiliar environment.“My takeaway is that you can build a community everywhere,” she said. “When you go to an unfamiliar place and you’re kind of lost or unprepared, you can always find community and people to help you.”
For some Associates, adapting to Minnesota also meant adapting to the environment itself. Jaber, who had never previously experienced such severe winters, described the state’s changing seasons as one of the highlights of her year.
“The vivid colors of fall, the greenness of spring as it slowly envelops the earth and the bare branches of the trees — all of it feels magical and therapeutic,” Jaber said.
Gulzada Xan, the Russian LA, came to Carleton after finishing her master’s degree and wondering about her next steps. “I already knew that many private colleges in the United States typically begin recruiting Language Associates in the spring,” said Xan. “Then I saw an email from Professor Thorstensson saying that the Russian Department at Carleton was looking for a language assistant. I thought to myself, ‘maybe I should actually try.’”
Xan expressed her love for the opportunity to continue learning while teaching others. “One thing I really appreciated was that Carleton gave language assistants the chance to take classes too,” said Xan.
For many Associates, the experience also reshaped how they think about teaching itself. Before arriving at Carleton, Benstein said she primarily envisioned herself becoming a researcher rather than a classroom instructor. Working with students, however, changed her ideas. “Now that I know the perspective of the instructor, I would say that it’s very rewarding,” Benstein said. “It definitely opened my views on becoming a teacher.”
Benstein also said Carleton exposed her to approaches to accessibility and neurodiversity that were less emphasized in his previous educational experiences in France. “Here there’s really this emphasis on neurodiversity, on making students comfortable in their classroom and making them feel safe,” Benstein said. “That’s one of the things I want to bring back home if I ever become a teacher.”
Jaber similarly reflected on how teaching Arabic to non-native speakers deepened her own understanding of the language. “Working with my students made me think about my language more linguistically,” Jaber said, “[by] dissecting it phonologically and semantically.”
Wilkes said the experience made her more aware of the aspects of German that had once seemed instinctive or invisible to her. “It helped me recognize aspects of my language that felt completely natural to me, but may be challenging or unique for language learners,” Wilkes said.
As the academic year comes to an end, many of the LAs said they hope students remember more than just grammar rules or vocabulary lists. “I hope I have succeeded in making them love Arabic,” Jaber said.
Benstein said the most rewarding part of the experience was witnessing students’ progress over time. “The students that I have followed from 101 to 103 — seeing the insane progress that they’ve been doing is really rewarding.”
Though each LA arrived at Carleton from a different country and with different goals, their reflections were the same. The Language Associate program is as much about connection as instruction. In classrooms and conversation sessions as well as at cultural events and lunch tables, the LAs became not only teachers, but participants in the broader community life of the college.
