A Teacher’s Journey 
My interest in post-secondary teaching developed before I finished my master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 1987. At that time I thought that I would probably seek a doctoral degree in my field within the next few years and move on to teaching at the university level. But there was a turn in the road.
For the next 20 years, God took me on a path that took me to unexpected places. My husband and I left the United States in early 1990 for a 7- ½ year stint as missionaries in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There I was immersed in the Spanish language and discovered the fascinating reality of cultural differences. I had the opportunity to witness my daughter’s development as a bilingual/bicultural individual. I experienced education and health care systems that varied significantly from the ones to which I was accustomed. And as an unanticipated blessing, I was able to continue to practice as a speech-language pathologist throughout that time, working with English- and (eventually) Spanish-speaking children and adults presenting with a variety of communication disorders.
Our young family (at bottom left , with baby Alison) with our team members on arriving in Buenos Aires.
When I returned to the US in 1997, it was to a profession which in the interim had acknowledged the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country, and which had begun to value the knowledge and skills of bilingual speech-language pathologists. On moving to Houston I took my hard-won Spanish proficiency and entered into bilingual practice and consulting, from 1998 – 2008. In 2003 (while still maintaining a part-time private practice), I matriculated into a program of doctoral studies at the University of Houston, now as a professional and a scholar with specific questions about bilingualism and its implications for communication disorders (a fairly new subfield in the discipline). In 2007, I completed a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Individual Differences, with a research emphasis in bilingualism. I finally began my academic (second) career as an assistant professor at ACU in fall 2008.
Our time in Argentina and my subsequent 10 years of practice as a bilingual SLP were a particular blessing to me as a future teacher of speech and language professionals. Those experiences gifted me with more to offer to my field and to my students than I would have had if I had entered directly into a Ph.D. program on completing my master’s degree. In reflecting on my development as a teacher and a scholar, I can trace the impact of those life experiences on my current work as the threads of language, bilingualism, and cultural diversity are woven into each area of scholarship, teaching, and service.
The purpose of this portfolio is to document that development; it is an opportunity to self-assess and to invite evaluation from my peers of my growth from a newly minted Ph.D. to, I believe, an effective professor/scholar with a strong academic identity. In submitting this portfolio for review I am applying for tenure, having satisfied the requirements for tenure within the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, in the College of Education and Human Services of Abilene Christian University. I also submit evidence that I have satisfied the requirements for promotion to associate professor and by submitting this documentation, apply for promotion to that rank.
The time of reflection that resulted in this compilation of experiences and evidence has been well-spent, and has affirmed to me that working in this profession, at this time and in this place, is exactly my calling, and as such a source of great joy. This period of reflection has also been a time of challenge, as I have identified areas where I need to grow. New goals have emerged from this process, and I have a sense of renewed energy and purpose for the road ahead. I give thanks for having arrived to this moment in the journey.
Sincerely,
Dana Lynette Austin
Proverbs 3: 5-7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways submit to him,
And he will make your paths straight.
The Austin Family, 2012
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