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Hey.

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Hola, Piper! How are you?

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Good. How are you?

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Good. Do you want me to put my headphones for this?

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or, can you hear me okay?

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I can hear you okay.

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Okay.

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It should be fine.

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I am already recording. 
So, I have never done this before.

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So I guess you can start.

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You can just give like a brief 
introduction of yourself,

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and then we can get
into the questions.

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Okay. My name is
Courtney Benjamin

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and I originally come

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from North Dakota,
Fargo, North Dakota.

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I studied Spanish
Literature and

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Culture at the
University of Iowa.

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And the last few
years I've been

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teaching at the University
of Akron in Ohio.

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And I arrived here to teach

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Spanish classes in

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the humanities
division at UMF,

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a little over a month ago.

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Wow, that's a crazy move, I bet.

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It was, it was, it
was interesting,

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but better than
I thought it

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would would be in
the end.

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That's good.

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Yeah. All right.

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So I guess that draws
into the first question

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which is what drew you
to working at UMF?

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Yeah. When I originally

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started looking
at UMF, I think

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what first drew me

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was, um, kind of the
smaller campus size.

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I knew I wanted
to be in a place

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where faculty could really

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get to know students,

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not just, so-and-so has a

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B in my class, you know,

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but but really what

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that student's plans
are after college,

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what they're interested in

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outside of my class.

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What other their classes
they're taking?

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And, it looked like UMF,
you know, really fit the bill.

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And when I first came
here for my interview,

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I just noticed how involved

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students were in

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the whole interview
process, even.

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It seemed like

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students really have

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a strong voice on
campus, which,

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which I really liked,

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you know, and,
and, you know,

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Piper you're on
committees with,

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with faculty
members and staff.

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And I just think
it's, it's, um,

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it's great that faculty,

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staff and students seem to

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work as a team on campus

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to, you know, create

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educational experiences
and meet goals.

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You know, students seem to,

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seem to have a big role in that.

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Yeah, I agree.

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That's like one of
my favorite parts

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about going to school here

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is being able to take

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on more of a
leadership role.

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Kind of working with
faculty as kind of like

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an equal instead of

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a teacher student
relationship.

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I think that's a
really good resource

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to have for the
future as well.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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And it creates
a nice sense of

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community on campus and

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in Farmington as well.

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You know, everyone
reaches out to help each

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other and reaches
out to ask for help.

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I think, I think there's

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definitely get that now
that I've moved here.

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And, you know, everyone

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has been so welcoming,

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reaching out to see
if I need anything.

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Students and
professors alike

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is a very nice
community. Yes, I agree.

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Alright, So
switching gears, um,

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how did you get involved

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with the Spanish language?

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I guess, like, what's
your background,

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when and why are you
so interested in it?

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Yeah. So I actually
wanted to study French.

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When I, when I first got
to study a language,

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I was really excited
to study French,

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in, in middle school.

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My mom kind of pushed

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me towards Spanish
because she

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thought it might
be more useful for

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me in the future
where I was living.

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And so I decided
to do both.

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And, it just became

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a passion of mine
and learning

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about other languages,

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learning about
other cultures

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that I continued
as an undergrad.

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I studied both French and

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Spanish as an undergrad.

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And, I um, almost chose

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French to specialize
in French,

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but I ended up

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studying abroad in
Bueno Ares.

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And, that kind of sealed
the deal for me once I,

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once I studied abroad
and was able to

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use my Spanish every day,

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go to museums and look at

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these wonderful
works of art,

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read literature
in the language.

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Um, I really, I really just

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knew that it was
going to be part

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of my life going forward.

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And then I took a class in

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grad school that focused on

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early modern Spanish
literature and

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the way that Professor
approached the class,

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looking at the
intersections

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between religious
identity and

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gender identity and
sexuality and class.

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I just loved that approach.

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And I thought the
early modern period

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offered, you know, so much

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to explore and to study
and so much that was

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still relevant to what's

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going on in the
world today.

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So that's kind of how I, it

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was a windy path to
get to where I am. But,

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Wow, that's really
interesting that you

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did both Spanish
and French.

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I feel like most people,

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that's not common
for a lot of people.

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Well, my French is a
super-strong anymore,

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to be honest with you.
I can still read it fairly

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well and I can
understand, you know,

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I like to watch films and,

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and listen to music in
French once in awhile.

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But speaking it is,

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is I am a little out
of practice.

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Alright, what do you think is

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the most challenging aspect

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of teaching online?

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Because they know that I

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don't know if
it is for you,

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but it's a new
thing for a lot of

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teachers and students
learning online.

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It's pretty difficult
so, I don't know if you have any.

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Yeah. So we're only
a couple of weeks

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in, but there are

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certainly a few
difficulties. Um,

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A few areas where I have to

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adapt and um, kind of

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go with the flow
a little bit.

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I think one of

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the biggest challenges
is I don't have

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as much control
over the course.

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You know, when we
meet face-to-face,

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I know that almost all of

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my students are
going to show

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up at a certain time.

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Everyone's going
to be able to see

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and hear everyone else.

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Um, you know, we have,
we're going to have

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a learning environment that

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was made for this purpose.

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But with the addition
of technology

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things kind of slip
out of your control.

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Maybe someday your,

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your internet connection

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doesn't work as well.

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Or your students
can't see you,

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or they don't have
the same access

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to technology that
you have, you know.

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So things are a little bit

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more out of
control that way.

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Yeah.

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and it makes it

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more difficult, I think,

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to create connections
with students,

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you have to be a
little bit more

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creative, I guess.

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Creating connections

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with students and helping

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students create connections
with each other.

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So certainly a process

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of trying new
things and seeing

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what works and seeing
what doesn't work.

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And we're kind of at

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the beginning of
that process.

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So hopefully by
the end of the

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semester we'll figure

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out, you know, what works best for us.

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Yeah. So what
Spanish classes

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are you teaching right now?

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I'm, I'm teaching

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the Hispanic film course
that you're in, right?

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That's completely online.

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And then the
elementary Spanish two

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course and the
intermediate Spanish

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courses I'm
teaching hybrid.

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Okay? Just because I
know perhaps some of

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those students aren't quite

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as motivated about,

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about the language or have

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more doubts about,
you know, speaking Spanish.

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Um, so having them in
class once in a while,

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I think will hopefully

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make them feel more
comfortable speaking.

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Yeah, imagine for

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the more
introduction classes

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at a lower level,

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that must be hard to do
if it was all online,

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I can imagine the
challenges there

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and would be a lot higher, right?

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Yeah, exactly. But even

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if it were all
face-to-face in

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a socially
distanced classroom

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with masks and everyone

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is keeping a distance.

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It's hard to still,

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even if you're
face-to-face,

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create those connections

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and practice the language.

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So this time has certainly

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presented difficulties

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for the language classroom,
I think.

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00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:56,230
Yeah, I think
for, as a student,

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from a student perspective,

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it's been hardest to,

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00:09:00,305 --> 00:09:01,490
what you're saying making

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00:09:01,490 --> 00:09:02,840
connections not only with

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00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,510
your teacher, because now
I'm in I'm a senior,

242
00:09:05,510 --> 00:09:08,255
so I've mostly all,
except for you,

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00:09:08,255 --> 00:09:10,385
I've had all my
teachers before.

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00:09:10,385 --> 00:09:12,620
So that's not as bad,

245
00:09:12,620 --> 00:09:14,000
but definitely I
feel like I don't

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00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,890
know the people
in my classes,

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which is that's
always hard.

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00:09:18,065 --> 00:09:20,600
Are you taking all
of your classes online?

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00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,720
I'm taking
all but one online.

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00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:28,610
So, and the face-to-face
one I have is, of

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00:09:28,610 --> 00:09:30,410
course ,that I know
everyone in cuz

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00:09:30,410 --> 00:09:33,770
it's at an upper-level
class, so that's nice.

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00:09:33,770 --> 00:09:34,910
But the ones
that are online,

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00:09:34,910 --> 00:09:36,514
I feel like I'm
very disconnected

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00:09:36,514 --> 00:09:37,865
from everybody.

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00:09:37,865 --> 00:09:40,658
Right. Yeah. Yeah.

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00:09:40,658 --> 00:09:43,450
Alright. So, um, coming

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00:09:43,450 --> 00:09:46,450
from a person who was
in intro to Spanish,

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00:09:46,450 --> 00:09:49,090
I know a lot of students
are nervous about

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00:09:49,090 --> 00:09:52,180
taking a foreign
language, um, in college.

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00:09:52,180 --> 00:09:53,890
I've noticed that because
they're like, well,

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I don't want to take

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00:09:55,150 --> 00:09:56,170
a class and get a bad

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00:09:56,170 --> 00:09:58,000
grade and ruined my GPA. Um,

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00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,460
but, do you have any advice

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00:10:00,460 --> 00:10:02,470
or kind of
suggestions for kids

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00:10:02,470 --> 00:10:04,270
who might be interested but,

268
00:10:04,270 --> 00:10:07,105
are still on the
fence about it.

269
00:10:07,105 --> 00:10:09,460
Yeah, you know I
think some students

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00:10:09,460 --> 00:10:11,245
get this idea in
their head that,

271
00:10:11,245 --> 00:10:12,714
oh, I'm bad at languages.

272
00:10:12,714 --> 00:10:14,620
You know, I'd love
to speak Spanish.

273
00:10:14,620 --> 00:10:16,300
I love to learn about
other cultures,

274
00:10:16,300 --> 00:10:17,665
but I'm just bad at it.

275
00:10:17,665 --> 00:10:19,570
And I think we have
to kind of move away

276
00:10:19,570 --> 00:10:22,155
from, from that mindset.

277
00:10:22,155 --> 00:10:24,110
It's a learning process
and it's really

278
00:10:24,110 --> 00:10:26,030
a lifelong
learning process.

279
00:10:26,030 --> 00:10:28,355
I still learn
new things about

280
00:10:28,355 --> 00:10:29,660
Spanish language

281
00:10:29,660 --> 00:10:31,429
and Spanish
speaking cultures.

282
00:10:31,429 --> 00:10:32,960
I don't say everything

283
00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,480
100% correct all the time.

284
00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:36,980
So, I think I
would just tell

285
00:10:36,980 --> 00:10:38,660
those students, you know,
 we're not

286
00:10:38,660 --> 00:10:40,700
looking for
perfection at all.

287
00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:42,110
If you, if you
were perfect,

288
00:10:42,110 --> 00:10:44,150
you wouldn't have to
take the course, right?

289
00:10:44,150 --> 00:10:45,635
We're all learning
together.

290
00:10:45,635 --> 00:10:47,480
We're all making mistakes

291
00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:48,740
together and we'll laugh

292
00:10:48,740 --> 00:10:50,810
at the mistakes sometimes.

293
00:10:50,810 --> 00:10:53,510
Um, but being willing to

294
00:10:53,510 --> 00:10:56,165
put yourself out there and,

295
00:10:56,165 --> 00:10:57,650
and say something
that you know,

296
00:10:57,650 --> 00:10:59,150
maybe isn't a 100% correct,

297
00:10:59,150 --> 00:10:59,840
but you think you're going

298
00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:00,560
to get your message

299
00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:02,780
across that, that's  brave and
you're going to

300
00:11:02,780 --> 00:11:04,370
learn from the
mistakes you make

301
00:11:04,370 --> 00:11:07,580
and it's really going
to serve you long-term.

302
00:11:07,580 --> 00:11:09,575
I think in our
classes we give,

303
00:11:09,575 --> 00:11:11,960
we try to give
students the tools to

304
00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:14,675
keep learning
after the class, and

305
00:11:14,675 --> 00:11:17,510
to keep practicing
their Spanish and,

306
00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:19,310
and resources to keep

307
00:11:19,310 --> 00:11:21,500
learning about
people who come

308
00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:23,285
from other places and

309
00:11:23,285 --> 00:11:25,850
other perspectives
and other cultures.

310
00:11:25,850 --> 00:11:28,775
Yeah, I think that's
really good to hear.

311
00:11:28,775 --> 00:11:30,950
Um, because I took Spanish

312
00:11:30,950 --> 00:11:32,180
high school and there's

313
00:11:32,180 --> 00:11:35,180
kind of this weird
culture in high school,

314
00:11:35,180 --> 00:11:35,870
and I've heard it from

315
00:11:35,870 --> 00:11:38,450
other students,
from other schools, um

316
00:11:38,450 --> 00:11:40,160
that like you have to be

317
00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,320
perfect at the language and

318
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:43,850
you can't really
make mistakes,

319
00:11:43,850 --> 00:11:45,290
and that the teachers
always push you.

320
00:11:45,290 --> 00:11:47,525
But from my
experience as well,

321
00:11:47,525 --> 00:11:50,750
in the intro classes
here, there is,

322
00:11:50,750 --> 00:11:53,210
it's more of like a sense

323
00:11:53,210 --> 00:11:56,870
of just try it and if
you don't do well,

324
00:11:56,870 --> 00:11:59,165
then we can just go
back and rework it.

325
00:11:59,165 --> 00:12:00,995
And it's a way more laid

326
00:12:00,995 --> 00:12:03,620
back and definitely
easier to put

327
00:12:03,620 --> 00:12:04,340
yourself out there in

328
00:12:04,340 --> 00:12:06,140
those situations than
the ones where you feel

329
00:12:06,140 --> 00:12:07,640
like there's so
much pressure

330
00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,275
on you to do perfect

331
00:12:09,275 --> 00:12:10,558
right away.

332
00:12:10,558 --> 00:12:11,840
Yeah, exactly.

333
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,740
Yeah. Um, so I guess
similar to that,

334
00:12:15,740 --> 00:12:18,635
but also back to
COVID related.

335
00:12:18,635 --> 00:12:20,689
How are you
handling stress or

336
00:12:20,689 --> 00:12:21,949
stressful situations.

337
00:12:21,949 --> 00:12:23,300
Do you have any tips for

338
00:12:23,300 --> 00:12:26,000
students or other
faculty members?

339
00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,225
Well, luckily I moved
here with my dog.

340
00:12:29,225 --> 00:12:30,770
And she seems to make

341
00:12:30,770 --> 00:12:34,730
all stressful situations
a little bit better.

342
00:12:34,730 --> 00:12:36,935
Um, I'm also loving

343
00:12:36,935 --> 00:12:41,330
the green spaces
around Farmington.

344
00:12:41,330 --> 00:12:43,010
So, you know,  getting out into

345
00:12:43,010 --> 00:12:45,350
nature and going on
hikes with my dog has

346
00:12:45,350 --> 00:12:50,150
been a huge help
as far as well,

347
00:12:50,150 --> 00:12:52,070
one kinda just exploring,
you know,

348
00:12:52,070 --> 00:12:54,965
the city where I am
since I can't, you know,

349
00:12:54,965 --> 00:12:56,090
grab a coffee or

350
00:12:56,090 --> 00:12:58,115
a drink with a
colleague after

351
00:12:58,115 --> 00:12:59,690
classes are or get to

352
00:12:59,690 --> 00:13:02,285
know people that way
because of Covid. Um,

353
00:13:02,285 --> 00:13:05,720
you know, exploring the
outdoor spaces has,

354
00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,615
has really helped as
far as the stress goes.

355
00:13:08,615 --> 00:13:12,140
And, um, and then sometimes
I like to do things

356
00:13:12,140 --> 00:13:13,400
that aren't quite
as healthy for

357
00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,485
me to relieve stress,

358
00:13:15,485 --> 00:13:16,850
like zoning out in front of

359
00:13:16,850 --> 00:13:19,040
Netflix for a little while.

360
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,980
So, so, I try to
balance, you know,

361
00:13:21,980 --> 00:13:24,740
how I comfort myself
when I'm stressed with

362
00:13:24,740 --> 00:13:27,440
some healthy things
and then some netflix.

363
00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,585
Yeah. Yeah, I think
that's a good thing.

364
00:13:29,585 --> 00:13:31,070
Just knowing like
let your body

365
00:13:31,070 --> 00:13:32,960
wants and be like yeah,

366
00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,045
today I guess today 
I just wanna lay in bed?

367
00:13:35,045 --> 00:13:36,731
Yeah. Exactly.

368
00:13:36,731 --> 00:13:38,420
Yeah. Yeah. I really

369
00:13:38,420 --> 00:13:40,610
like coming up
here cuz there's

370
00:13:40,610 --> 00:13:43,475
just so much to do outside.

371
00:13:43,475 --> 00:13:45,860
Um, and then even in the
winter when you can't

372
00:13:45,860 --> 00:13:48,110
really, you know, go outside

373
00:13:48,110 --> 00:13:49,640
as much, you can go skiing at

374
00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,020
Sugarloaf or Titcomb,

375
00:13:51,020 --> 00:13:52,655
so that's awesome.

376
00:13:52,655 --> 00:13:54,140
I don't know how to ski,

377
00:13:54,140 --> 00:13:55,310
so I'm really
looking forward

378
00:13:55,310 --> 00:13:56,930
to taking some lessons.

379
00:13:56,930 --> 00:13:59,840
Yeah, you definitely
yeah, should do that.

380
00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:01,280
There's so many
places to go up

381
00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:03,245
here and then
running, Of course.

382
00:14:03,245 --> 00:14:06,470
I talk to you a little
bit about running.

383
00:14:06,470 --> 00:14:08,810
Yeah. Yeah, that's
a great way

384
00:14:08,810 --> 00:14:10,355
to release some stress.

385
00:14:10,355 --> 00:14:13,295
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

386
00:14:13,295 --> 00:14:15,515
Um, so do you have
any hobbies or

387
00:14:15,515 --> 00:14:17,945
interests outside
of academics?

388
00:14:17,945 --> 00:14:19,190
Yeah. Well, I mean,

389
00:14:19,190 --> 00:14:20,540
we talked about
running, right?

390
00:14:20,540 --> 00:14:23,840
So, I actually was
never a runner.

391
00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,660
I was never super athletic, um

392
00:14:26,660 --> 00:14:29,270
but when I move to Ohio,

393
00:14:29,270 --> 00:14:30,905
I joined a running group.

394
00:14:30,905 --> 00:14:32,660
And the running group
was advertised

395
00:14:32,660 --> 00:14:34,460
as just a group for
people who had never

396
00:14:34,460 --> 00:14:36,410
run before who wanted to

397
00:14:36,410 --> 00:14:39,005
perhaps try to do
a half marathon.

398
00:14:39,005 --> 00:14:40,325
And so I joined the group

399
00:14:40,325 --> 00:14:41,420
just because, you know,

400
00:14:41,420 --> 00:14:42,380
it was a nice way to meet

401
00:14:42,380 --> 00:14:43,430
people and get to know

402
00:14:43,430 --> 00:14:45,740
the area a little bit
when I first moved.

403
00:14:45,740 --> 00:14:47,870
So this was about
four years ago. Um,

404
00:14:47,870 --> 00:14:51,380
so I took up running
and I I'm super slow.

405
00:14:51,380 --> 00:14:53,750
But, I really enjoy it it's

406
00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:55,730
a, you know,  good stress reliever, again.

407
00:14:55,730 --> 00:14:58,970
A good way to
take a break from

408
00:14:58,970 --> 00:15:00,890
academics for a
little bit and

409
00:15:00,890 --> 00:15:02,915
do something else
to kind of refresh,

410
00:15:02,915 --> 00:15:06,425
refresh your mind, and
then get back to work.

411
00:15:06,425 --> 00:15:09,125
Um, so that's been that's
been really fun.

412
00:15:09,125 --> 00:15:11,030
Yeah. Yeah, I,
love running. So,

413
00:15:11,030 --> 00:15:12,995
did you do a half marathon?

414
00:15:12,995 --> 00:15:14,630
I did a few, yeah.

415
00:15:14,630 --> 00:15:18,124
Did a few, um, in in Akron.

416
00:15:18,124 --> 00:15:20,210
It was it was like I said,

417
00:15:20,210 --> 00:15:22,910
I'd come in way
behind everyone else.

418
00:15:22,910 --> 00:15:25,760
But it's fine because, you  know,
I have so much fun with

419
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,005
my running group and

420
00:15:27,005 --> 00:15:29,105
my running group
back in Ohio,

421
00:15:29,105 --> 00:15:31,130
they weren't, you know, 
super competitive.

422
00:15:31,130 --> 00:15:33,425
Everyone just cheered
everyone along and

423
00:15:33,425 --> 00:15:34,700
I found that runners in

424
00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:36,005
general are like that.

425
00:15:36,005 --> 00:15:37,700
Runners just do you know,

426
00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:39,590
or a super welcoming bunch.

427
00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:40,670
They don't care
if you're super

428
00:15:40,670 --> 00:15:42,184
slow or super fast.

429
00:15:42,184 --> 00:15:44,000
Yeah, that's I really
like that, because I

430
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:45,080
I am like a

431
00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,420
really competitive
person in general.

432
00:15:47,420 --> 00:15:49,235
So it's kinda nice to be

433
00:15:49,235 --> 00:15:52,190
in an environment where
I'm not the best.

434
00:15:52,190 --> 00:15:54,905
And like, there's no way
I'm ever going to be

435
00:15:54,905 --> 00:15:56,330
super fast and 
I'm just like

436
00:15:56,330 --> 00:15:58,385
I'm like, okay,
that's fine.

437
00:15:58,385 --> 00:16:00,529
It's just about
like improving

438
00:16:00,529 --> 00:16:02,555
a little bit as you
go along, right?

439
00:16:02,555 --> 00:16:04,265
Maybe your run this
week was just a

440
00:16:04,265 --> 00:16:06,800
tiny bit better than your
run last week, right?

441
00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,320
Exactly. And that's kind
of like how I see Spanish

442
00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:11,900
and like I'm not
going to be perfect.

443
00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:13,430
But, it's just practice.

444
00:16:13,430 --> 00:16:16,565
Exactly! Our classes aren't
about, you know,

445
00:16:16,565 --> 00:16:20,090
who is the best and
it's just about,

446
00:16:20,090 --> 00:16:22,010
you know, practicing
to see what

447
00:16:22,010 --> 00:16:23,915
you can do each day
and do a little bit,

448
00:16:23,915 --> 00:16:25,640
a little bit more
each day and learn

449
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,170
a little bit a

450
00:16:27,170 --> 00:16:29,045
little bit more
vocabulary, each day.

451
00:16:29,045 --> 00:16:32,105
Exactly. Yeah, that's
awesome. All right.

452
00:16:32,105 --> 00:16:33,920
Well, that is all
the questions

453
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:35,165
I have for you.

454
00:16:35,165 --> 00:16:36,710
Thank you for answering

455
00:16:36,710 --> 00:16:38,345
them. That was 
really awesome.

456
00:16:38,345 --> 00:16:40,565
Thank you, Piper.
You did a great job.

457
00:16:40,565 --> 00:16:43,625
Thank you. Alright, well,

458
00:16:43,625 --> 00:16:46,370
I will see you soon.

459
00:16:46,370 --> 00:16:49,195
Have a good weekend.

460
00:16:49,195 --> 00:16:52,020
Yeah, you too. Bye.