Question:
i am thinking about getting my certification to teach and i would
appreciate ANY advice on the subject. i am interested in teaching
kinder, 1st or 2nd... OR teaching english as a second language to K-6
students.
is there anyone who teaches esl? do you like it? what do you not like
about it?
Answer:
I don't teach ESL, but I took a class on it and tutored ESL adults. I also
subbed in elementary schools as an ESL teacher, but my certification is as a
science teacher, which is what I now do.
ESL is a job that is underappreciated and underfunded in most places. In
Colorado Springs where I subbed, ESL teachers never worked at a single
school but rather spent half their day in one school and then drove across
town to another. Sometimes they only worked with one or two students at a
time, sometimes they had classes of 15 or so. The hardest thing about it
for me was that a lot of the kids were very mobile. They would move in from
Mexico, be there two months, and then leave to another school, stay there
two months, then leave and so on. Depending on where you go, it really
helps to know the language most of your students will have as a first
language. But those who have a different first language than what is the
most common one tend to feel isolated culturally and socially and may be
disadvantaged in your classroom unless you are really careful.
Teaching ESL is not hard on the brain, almost anybody who gets the training
can do it. You really have to love the kids. If you want to live in a
certain area, check into the need for ESL teachers first. In Colorado, many
districts are searching for them. Other places may not be wanting any at
all at this time.
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