A summer teaching English in Thailand helped Lara Zanotti discover her passion for and future in TESOL.
When Lara Zanotti (Linguistics, ’26) boarded a plane to Thailand last summer, she wasn’t sure if teaching English was in her future. She was hoping the trip would offer clarity as to whether or not she should pursue a minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and she figured at the very least, she’d get to experience Thailand. A year later, Zanotti is now fully immersed in the world of TESOL. What originally began as a study abroad teaching English in Thailand became an experience that taught Zanotti just how much she could discover about herself if she embraced opportunities that took her outside of her comfort zone.
From Student to Teacher
The seven-week study abroad in Thailand combined learning, teaching, and exploring. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Zanotti spent time in class learning how to teach English. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, she taught English classes at a nearby university. And on the weekends, she joined with students at the university to explore Thailand beyond the classroom, visiting glow-in-the-dark temples and getting up close with elephants.
Before the study abroad, Zanotti had no teaching experience. The TESOL minor typically requires students to complete several courses on teaching skills and the English language before completing a practicum experience. However, the study abroad program allowed students who had not yet finished these courses, like Zanotti, to take them concurrently while teaching. The program directors wanted to explore whether giving TESOL students teaching experience early on would better help them develop a teacher identity, or the confidence to see themselves as teachers.
From Coursework to Classroom
For students like Zanotti, the study abroad provided their first opportunity to step into a classroom as a teacher. They were paired with a co-teacher—a more experienced student who taught alongside them. Co-teachers helped create positive experiences for new teachers, drawing on what they’d learned about what does and doesn’t work in the classroom. Zanotti found this approach helpful as it allowed her to apply what she was learning without having to manage the classroom alone. She says knowing that “you had somebody that can step in” created “a safe environment to try different things and grow in my confidence as a teacher.”
Though they were on their own in the classroom, the student teachers were still guided by professors through their concurrent courses. In fact, Zanotti felt that taking TESOL classes while in Thailand may have been more effective than taking them beforehand. “I think we took our classes much more seriously,” she says. Because she went straight from classes to teaching, she paid close attention while her professors gave guidance on how to teach, knowing she would need those skills in her own classroom the next day. And with the confidence that came from her co-teacher, it became easier to apply those new skills.
From Thailand to TESOL
After returning home, Zanotti felt inspired to find more opportunities for hands-on learning. She joined a research team led by her program directors exploring how the approach of the Thailand study abroad impacted the development of teacher identity. They sorted through data from surveys, reflection journals, interviews, and focus groups—all collected from students while in Thailand—to identify what helps or harms confidence as a new teacher. The research confirmed that the very aspects that Zanotti appreciated, co-teaching and concurrent curriculum, were two of the most significant factors. If new teachers were able to take what they were learning and immediately apply it in the classroom with the help of a co-teacher, they developed confidence in their ability to teach.
With the help of a Humanities Undergraduate Mentoring (HUM) Grant, Zanotti and her research team recently went to Korea to present their findings at the 2026 Korea TESOL International Conference. Their presentation, “Developing TESOL Teacher Identity Through Innovating the Study Abroad Practicum,” explored the Thailand study abroad program and how the program’s new approach could shape how future students develop teacher identity early on.
The work isn’t over, either. Her team is interested in following up with students to explore long-term effects, and Zanotti plans to look into how her own experience compares to the overall trends. “Because there’s so much data, there are so many different ways we can take this,” she says. Although she left for the study abroad feeling uncertain about her future in TESOL, her experience in Thailand as well as her recent research has helped her find confidence in the world of teaching.
“In the last year, my confidence and my ability to see myself as a future researcher, future graduate student, and future professor has skyrocketed,” Zanotti says. With so much more to learn, Zanotti plans to continue her research as she begins BYU’s MA program in TESOL in the fall. Though she didn’t know it then, boarding that plane to Thailand would shape not only her identity but also her future—and she’s glad she took a chance on TESOL.
Learn more about the TESOL minor on the Linguistics Department website.