Teaching Hula to Speakers of Other Languages
October 13, 2008
Growing up in New Zealand, Danielle Huysmans always hoped to attend BYU-Hawaii. In 2005 that dream became a reality, and today Huysmans is a senior preparing to graduate with a degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).
Huysmans' decision to major in TESOL was influenced by her work at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where she has worked in the Hawaiian Village for more than two years. She teaches hula, gives poi demonstrations, and performs in the dance shows. Through her work, Huysmans shares the Hawaiian culture with people from all over the world.
"I think that interacting with a lot of people and finding it hard to interact with people who can't speak English influenced me. I wanted to teach, I wanted to travel, and I wanted to communicate with people, so I decided on TESOL," says Huysmans.
She particularly enjoys teaching hula because it is such an enduring legacy and visitors are eager to learn it. "There are people who are on their honeymoons from India, and we get lots of Japanese people who come through, and they always want to learn the hula. I get to try and teach them, and I test out my English teaching skills too. We get to share each other's cultures," Huysmans says.
"Also, it's kind of an escape. It's fun because you get to work with everyone at school and you get to meet people from all over; it is pretty awesome," she says.
Attending BYU-Hawaii is possible for Huysmans thanks to the scholarships and financial aid she has received.
"I just received a university scholarship for this semester and next semester, and I'm really grateful because it's my senior year, and I'm kind of struggling to buy books. Plus, for my major, we're going to go to New york for a convention, and if I didn't have that scholarship, I could not have that experience," Huysmans says.
Huysmans says she is excited to go to the convention to meet others from around the world and to have opportunities to discuss TESOL with those already in the field.
After graduation Huysmans wants to teach English in Japan or Korea. She hopes that the network she has been building, both through the university and through her campus ward, will help her find a teaching job in Asia.
