Michelle Tipton

Tell us a little bit about what you’ve been doing since graduation!

I continued my education and received my Masters of Science in Teaching in Spring of 2023 after teaching for two years in Knox County Schools (one of the classes I taught was Russian). I then moved to the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my family, where I’ve earned a teaching position in an Alternative Learning Environment school. I’m currently getting my second Masters in Creative Writing.

What made you decide to start learning Russian? And what motivated you to keep going with it? 

I started learning Russian in 8th grade through a Talented & Gifted program offered at the time. For some reason, it just clicked with me. I loved the sounds of the language and as I continued learning about the culture in high school, I fell even more in love with it. My introduction to Russian literature sealed the deal, and I’m still practicing today! There are a few local people who speak the language that I try to talk to when I can, but I’ve been keeping up the studies on my own.

What are some of the ways that studying Russian at UT has helped you in your post-graduate career? 

First of all, it looks great on a resume! It’s not a common language for native English speakers, so it definitely set me apart from other applicants. It has also given me a unique perspective for the multi-language learners I have in my classrooms. Going through the struggles of learning a language myself means I can more easily understand and help scaffold those students who are learning English in my classroom. The background helped me teach Russian 1 to my first World Language classroom, too! That was an amazing experience that I hope to repeat in my new school.

To what extent do you use your knowledge of Russian language and culture in your life and work today? 

When I taught Russian, I used it every day! There were so many things that I learned at culture nights and events that I could talk about to my students. Knowing how difficult it can be to learn the language gave me more patience and grace with my own students learning the language, too! I practice the language daily, whether with one of many apps or by reading some of the Russian books I’ve acquired. I don’t converse every day in it, but I’m at least reading or listening to a podcast in it every day!

Tell us about a particularly memorable moment or experience you had while learning Russian. 

The most memorable moments for me were definitely in the Russian Theater class while we were putting on our version of Master and Margarita. Not only was it so much fun (and I made some lifelong friends with so many inside jokes), but the act of memorizing the script itself was incredible. It was very difficult (and I’m pretty sure we never got that last scene fully memorized!), but being in that group of students with Masha was such an incredible time of my life. I will never forget it!

What advice would you give to students who are thinking about majoring or minoring in a language but aren’t sure how it will fit into their future plans? 

Foreign languages are always a good choice! Having minored in Russian has put me ahead of other applicants for jobs since graduation. Even if the job doesn’t have a language-necessary component, a lot of supervisors and hiring committees are impressed when candidates have a foreign language as part of their degree. This is true across most job markets! Even if you don’t want to go into education, it is still a valuable asset.

What would you tell someone who’s considering taking a language about why they should do it? And what advice would you give them for how to approach language learning? 

Go for it! You will never regret learning. Language-learning is so good for your brain. It is an interesting conversation starter, too! Even if you aren’t fluent, it’s still so cool to be able to talk to someone in pieces of their native language, too! When it comes to approaching language learning, the best way is through immersion. That can be hard to do here, but it’s all about finding the people–there are so many ways to talk to native speakers online now that there is no excuse not to! Don’t be afraid to speak. Even if you mess up, it’s okay. Trying is better than not trying at all, and you won’t get better if you don’t practice. Listen to podcasts! That has helped me so much since graduation. And, above all, be patient with yourself!