Beyond yoUrself In Language Development

Beyond yoUrself In Language Development (BUILD) is a student-run organization that provides low-level language classes to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) and Monterey community. All of our classes are completely free, informal, and fun! They are taught by students of all programs at MIIS and members of the Monterey community with the support of students from the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Teaching Foreign Languages (TFL) and International Education Management (IEM) programs.

BUILD was started in 2009 on the MIIS campus with two goals in mind. Our first goal was to provide TESOL and TFL students with a low-risk environment to gain experience in front of the classroom. TESOL and TFL students are encouraged to try out new teaching techniques each week with BUILD, giving them valuable time to hone their teaching skills. BUILD’s second goal was to provide the MIIS community with low-level language classes that are both fun and rewarding. Students may begin learning a new language, practice skills that have become rusty over the years, or just play around with a variety of languages!

Since its inception in 2009, BUILD has grown beyond the TESOL/TFL programs and beyond the MIIS community. BUILD classes are currently taught by students of all programs and community members who are interested in sharing their languages and cultures with others. One of our main goals is to continue to expand BUILD to reach the greater Monterey community in order to share with them the unique diversity of MIIS’s international culture through language education. We hope for BUILD to be the medium in raising linguistic and cultural awareness to create an intercultural competent environment by putting together the efforts of the MIIS and the larger Monterey communities.

All of BUILD’s classes are entirely free and open to everyone! Come try out a class today, and together, we will BUILD something beautiful!