No matter how long you’ve been in New York City, you probably know that New York City celebrates practically everything, and we practice everything in a BIG way. That’s why when October rolls around, everything turns spooky with Halloween, and people get excited about the cooler temperatures and all the outdoor activities that come with the month of October. From pumpkin and apple picking to hayrides and haunted houses, even the most adult-like people here in the Big Apple turn into the biggest excited kids.

The great part is that everything that’s available in New York City offers you the chance to put your English language skills to practical use while you’re taking advantage of all these great activities. Be sure to gather all your friends to figure out what’s the most appealing to everyone, and get out there! Interact with other event-goers over the weekend, and find out what they’re checking out. It’s a great way to learn new social phrases, you can learn new hashtags to find out what’s trending in your area, and best of all, you’ll learn more about the city and the English language than you even imagined! While October has plenty to do thanks to the cooler temperatures and the excitement in the air, here are just a few things to check out this month – and you’ll probably see me there, too!

1. 2^nd Annual New York Pizza Festival, Saturday, October 5^th – Sunday, October 6^th, Crescent Avenue, Bronx

If you’ve got this weekend open, be sure to make your way to this amazing, pizza-filled event. With over 25 pizza makers in attendance (five are from Italy!), you’ll be sure to get as much pizza in your belly as possible. With tons of options available as well as drinks and entertainment, you won’t want to miss this amazing event. This is also a great time for you to test out your English skills with other event-goers, but if you have your translation app out, you also may want to add Italian to your rotation this weekend—surely you’ll be hearing a lot of Italian phrases, so this is a great way to test your skills in another language, too!

2. New York City Wine and Food Festival, Thursday, October 10^th – Sunday, October 13^th, various areas in Manhattan

If you’re a foodie and looking to mingle with the best of the best in the culinary world, this is your event. This is the largest food and wine festival in New York City, with over 80 spots around the city taking part in this huge event. This event is wildly popular and attracts people from all over the world, so if you’re interested, be sure to save up and plan ahead if you want to get your money’s worth. Come prepared with some of your most common English phrases, but since there will be plates from all over the world being features, it also might just be helpful to have your translation app set to multiple languages just in case!

3. Harvest Fest and Pumpkin Patch, Sunday, October 13^th, Queens Botanical Garden

It wouldn’t be October without something to do that’s related to pumpkins! Halloween tends to take over the city for the entire month of October, but in this location, you can catch a break from the scaries and just enjoy the fresh air with the pumpkins. Take part in live music, join nature walks, and even enjoy some beer or cider in the field. It’ll give you a break from the day-to-day bustle in the city, and you’ll truly feel like it’s autumn here. Bring your friends for a day of fall, and be sure to practice your favorite English phrases about lovely weather, autumn happenings, and even questions about features the garden has to offer.

By now, you guys should know that the fall is my favorite time of the year, and there’s something so wonderful about it while in New York City. My mood is lifted, and I’m much more apt to get outdoors and experience the fresh, autumn air. Central Park is beautiful this time of year, and it’s a great opportunity for a picnic in the field or a long walk along the paths. You’ll love watching the leaves change color, and as always, the scenery is wonderfully Instagram-worthy – and what better way to practice your English than seeing what kind of clever hashtags you can include! Happy Fall, readers!

Furthering your education and advancing your foundation for your future has tremendous benefits. Not only will it guarantee you a long-lasting career, but it can also fulfill you in ways beyond just your job and what you ultimately end up doing for a living. Bettering yourself will provide you with confidence you may not have known you had, and it will change the way you consume news, interact with others, and ignite change. Your story may even inspire someone else to pursue a new academic path or even to encourage someone to simply stay on the path.

Individuals that choose to enroll in New York Academy’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program more than often decide to do so because they want to help others and inspire learning, education, and personal fulfillment. No matter the reasons these students choose to learn American English, the inspiration is almost always derived from wanting to enrich and better their own lives as well as perhaps their families’. Those that enter the TESOL program appreciate their role in this drive towards self-enrichment, and in most cases, the people in this program have been in the students’ shoes before.

This experience only helps achieve a better learning experience and ultimately, a more thorough take-away for the students in the classes.

1. Incite change

Across the board, whether teachers are involved in TESOL or any other kind of program, educators enter this field because they want to help their students arrive at better versions of themselves. They value the wealth of knowledge that is capable of their students, and they also hope to learn about themselves in the process by engaging with their students and immersing themselves into the process. More than anything, teachers want their students to walk away with not just the tactical knowledge that comes with a classroom setting, but they want their students to walk away with patience, compassion, empathy, and a better understanding of the human emotional experience. These are only some of the reasons people enter the TESOL program at the New York Academy.

2. Learn from one another

A common misconception about education overall is that the teacher is all-knowing, and the students will learn solely from that instructor. But part of the overall learning experience is that we, as humans, are meant to teach one another at all times. Beyond the tactical approaches to the education part of the TESOL program, as a student in the TESOL program, you’ll learn that your future students will of course learn from you, but you’ll learn from them. Each of your students will have a different background story, and you will learn and absorb each individual journey as you go along. This will help your teaching methods as you adapt your instruction to fit each learning level and each life experience.

3. Value in your day

It’s a common occurrence for many adults to leave their career to fulfill their true passion. Some individuals may enter the work force with the ultimate goal of getting a paycheck and a steady schedule. After some time, however, some people find that they’re not emotionally fulfilled with what they’re doing. Some claim that they don’t feel that what they’re doing is making a difference in the world, and this so very often inspires people to search their soul and seek something that provides them emotional, mental, and psychological value. Those in the TESOL program will always have that fulfillment once the program is complete, as your job as an instructor will be to help these students enrich their lives with a language that will help them develop their future and their future careers. You’ll come home every day knowing that you’ve made a difference in more than one person’s life on a daily basis. It’s that value that so many are seeking, and you’ll have it right at your fingertips.

Ultimately, the TESOL program at New York Academy is designed to not only help you achieve your goals on a personal and professional level, but it is meant to truly engage and enrich the lives of your future students that come to this institution to learn and adapt their language skills. The gift you’re bringing to the table will not only settle your own soul, but it will help others reach their own goals for personal and professional development as they learn English. And truly, there’s no better gift than that!