Help Jen get a master's at Oxford!

Thank you for reading about my fundraiser! My name is Jennifer Ingerson, and I have embarked on a grand adventure this year: At age 60, I am a graduate student at Oxford University, earning a Master of Science in Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching.

I feel so privileged to be part of this program, and it is already bearing fruit in my work with adult English learners in Chicago. However, I am finding that my ability to earn and save money has been outpaced by the cost of my education.

Before applying to Oxford I saved up for years, and I was able to pay my first tuition installment of $17,900 at the beginning of the course last October. However, the cost of the program has increased considerably since I decided to apply. My second (and last) payment due this coming October will be over $20,000, and at this point I've managed to save up nearly half that much.

I live simply, and my work at a shelter for people experiencing homelessness only covers my regular living expenses. Although I took a second job to help with school funding, I will be about $10,000 short when the rest of my tuition is due. (This is because of a combination of scholarships not materializing, yearly tuition hikes, and changes in the pound-dollar exchange rate.)

It's not possible to work any more hours and still manage the intense academic workload, and so I am asking for your help. A contribution of any size would be tremendously appreciated.

You can learn more about Oxford's MSc in Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching here. It is a primarily distance-learning master's for working language teachers around the world. My 14 classmates are from 10 different countries, and it has been such a rich experience learning with this cohort.

What I am learning at Oxford can make a real difference for my students. Oxford's program is especially exciting because of its focus on research. The coursework primarily consists of the exploration and analysis of a broad range of scientific studies and linguistic theory, and culminates in a dissertation based on our own research – all with real-life implications for adding to the collective understanding of language learning/teaching, and improving our own classroom practices.

At the beginning of my first term at Oxford last fall, I also began working at the City Colleges of Chicago, where I tutor adult ESL students from all over the world. I took the position in order to pay for my schooling and practice what I was learning.

My coursework and tutoring complement each other perfectly: I have already been able to apply so much of what I'm learning as I work with my students, and my experiences with them have brought my Oxford coursework to life.

In three decades of informal teaching, I have so often wondered what approaches were truly helpful, and how to use my students' time more effectively. I am now becoming equipped to seek out evidence-based practices that can meet the needs of an incredibly diverse student population.

Our tutoring center supports students at all levels, and I am eager to learn more about how to align my instruction with their needs and goals.

In two recent sessions I practiced writing the letters of the alphabet with one student, and helped another with a journal article he is writing in English about his PhD research (carried out in his home language). Both students (and all of my others) are amazing people, and it is a joy to work with them. I love my work, and the master's program at Oxford is already helping me become much better at it.

Studying at Oxford is the realization of a dream that has been a long time coming. My love of language and language teaching took root when I was a very young child – perhaps for the first time when my sisters and I helped a Finnish girl who'd moved in next door learn English.

I remember holding lessons at the little picnic table in our yard, working with Tina to pronounce the difficult "r" sound when we'd probably just learned to pronounce it ourselves, and feeling proud of her growing ability to talk to us. We learned a fair bit of Finnish from her family as well. That friendship brought the teacher in me to life, and I have been drawn to people who want to learn English ever since.

Our friend moved back to Finland and I forgot all my Finnish before kindergarten, but since then I've learned four other languages and found many other opportunities to teach English to newcomers to the U.S.

I did not officially become a teacher when I grew up, but where I live and work, I've encountered many people to teach. For the past 12 years I've maintained a regular schedule of private tutoring, free of charge, for students from countries like Congo, Russia, and Colombia.

My day job is at a shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and I feel the two vocations go beautifully together: helping people gain the tools they need to thrive in our community. After graduating, I hope to put what I've learned into practice by creating on-site English and Spanish programs at the shelter. We plan to offer Spanish instruction to our coworkers, as there is a tremendous need for bilingual staff, and we also plan to offer English instruction for new arrivals.

Although English courses are available at the City Colleges, residents often find it difficult to participate in an ESL program while beginning to establish their lives in Chicago. At the shelter we are already in conversation about how best to support English learners in our context, and I am very excited about the possibilities.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my studies, work, goals, and dreams, and thank you for any support you can give toward my education. If you can't contribute financially, I'll be grateful for any cheerleading, proofreading, coffee, or prayers you would like to offer.