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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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 Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Did you go to school in PA if you don't mind me asking? |
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Ixchel
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 156
Location: The 7th level of hell
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:46 am Post subject: Re: Teaching ESL w/ a single-subject credential (K-12) |
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| go_lightly wrote: |
| Hello ~ I am looking for insight on teaching ESL (particularly in California), but in the public school setting. To date I have a BA & vocational TESOL certificate & am currently finishing a year teaching in Taiwan. Knowing how competitive it is to teach ESL in CA, i'm planning to obtain a single-subject credential in English with an ESL emphasis, which requires a 2nd BA in Linguistics. This is the program currently offered at San Jose State University. While this would qualify me to teach English in jr. highs & HS, i am more interested in teaching ESL or language development ~ even for K-6. But so far, it seems that the closest educational program i can find to qualify me for this is getting another BA in Linguisitics w/ the single-subject credentialing. Does anyone have any insight on teaching ESL for K-12??? Is it fair to say that one can make a full career out of it? Thanks... |
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I have been teaching in California since 1989. I have Multiple-Subject w/BCLAD and Single-Subject Spanish credentials. In order to teach in California you need teaching credentials-not certificates. In order to teach Eng. Lang. Learners (ESL students) you need the CLAD (or if you are bilingual in a needed language such as Spanish, Vietnamese or Farsi, the BCLAD)
The Multiple-Subject credential is elementary level. You cannot teach secondary with a Multi-subj. credential. And the Single-Subj. cred is for grades 7-12-you cannot teach elementary with a Single-Subj. credential.
In addition ESL as a separate subject has not been taught in most of California since the end of the bilingual program about 8 years ago. This is because of the huge number of non-English speakers. The state decided it was more practical to simply teach the needed subject matter in "sheltered English" because students were never transitioning out of ESL classes into regular academic subjects needed to graduate.
I grew up in Cali and both my mother and I have taught here, I'm pretty familiar with all the larger districts in the state and don't know why SJSU is misleading you by telling you that once you finish their program you'll be able to teach secondary ESL. We'd all love that job!  I'm currently teaching ESL and Citizenship at adult school but it's only 4 hours per day and it took me 18 years to get it!! |
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rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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Hi, Ixchel!
A couple of comments:
1) Yes, they do tell you you can't teach elementary with the single subject and vice-versa (secondary w/multiple subject). But I completed SS and got a K-12 certificate for both English and ESL. I can teach anywhere in CA, and in most states.
2) I went through the hell of getting my credential while teaching ESL full-time. It was a separate 'subject' at my school. There is some division statewide between bilingual and ESL.
It's an evil system. I left. |
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Ixchel
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 156
Location: The 7th level of hell
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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| rusmeister wrote: |
Hi, Ixchel!
A couple of comments:
1) Yes, they do tell you you can't teach elementary with the single subject and vice-versa (secondary w/multiple subject). But I completed SS and got a K-12 certificate for both English and ESL. I can teach anywhere in CA, and in most states.
2) I went through the hell of getting my credential while teaching ESL full-time. It was a separate 'subject' at my school. There is some division statewide between bilingual and ESL.
It's an evil system. I left. |
What is a "K-12 certificate for both English and ESL" First of all there is no such thing as a teaching "certificate" here, they are called "teaching credentials." Second, (unless you are Nationally Board Certified) each state's teaching cred/certs are only good in that state and the one or two states with which that state has reciprocity-in the United States there is no such thing as a teaching credential which allows one to teach "in most states."
I just applied for my 3rd credential Single-Subject English and nowhere on there does it say I can teach ESL. In Cali you can only teach ESL with CLAD/BCLAD but those are not teaching credentials-they do not stand alone and must be used along with a SS or MS credential so after 18 years in the system I'm quite curious what credentials you have that allow you to teach ESL??? |
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rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:40 am Post subject: |
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| Ixchel wrote: |
| rusmeister wrote: |
Hi, Ixchel!
A couple of comments:
1) Yes, they do tell you you can't teach elementary with the single subject and vice-versa (secondary w/multiple subject). But I completed SS and got a K-12 certificate for both English and ESL. I can teach anywhere in CA, and in most states.
2) I went through the hell of getting my credential while teaching ESL full-time. It was a separate 'subject' at my school. There is some division statewide between bilingual and ESL.
It's an evil system. I left. |
What is a "K-12 certificate for both English and ESL" First of all there is no such thing as a teaching "certificate" here, they are called "teaching credentials." Second, (unless you are Nationally Board Certified) each state's teaching cred/certs are only good in that state and the one or two states with which that state has reciprocity-in the United States there is no such thing as a teaching credential which allows one to teach "in most states."
I just applied for my 3rd credential Single-Subject English and nowhere on there does it say I can teach ESL. In Cali you can only teach ESL with CLAD/BCLAD but those are not teaching credentials-they do not stand alone and must be used along with a SS or MS credential so after 18 years in the system I'm quite curious what credentials you have that allow you to teach ESL??? |
To clarify linguistic confusion:
The term certificate is used analogously on the East Coast as the word "credential" is on the West Coast. Unless you need to make a highly technical distinction, the words mean the same thing. In New York it's called a teaching certificate, in CA it's called a credential.
The validity of a credential depends entirely on the state - whether to recognize it or not, and what process to go through for equivalency (I hadn't heard of total reciprocity - that would certainly be nice). The teachers I know that moved from state to state had little difficulty getting equivalency acknowledged. NY and CA credentials may be among the most "fluid", or convertible, whereas one from Vermont might not be so easily recognized (elsewhere) but that's what I know. Officially, of course, a credential is only good in the state it is issued. But I know NY has an equivalency process and realpolitik in CA has forced them to accept equivalency.
Certainly there were teachers at my school from other states and they had to submit their certificates (uh, credentials), along with transcripts and whatnot, the district handled pushing the equivalency, and there they were - teaching!
In California there IS NO ESL credential - you have to get a general English credential with CLAD. This automatically qualifies you to teach both - although ESL is not an acknowledged field (in public schools), many districts have ESL rather than bilingual classes. This is the paradox of California politics.
Like I (tried to) say, I've got SS w/CLAD. Went through hell to get it. While on emer cred I got the lay-off letter every June, and the re-hire in August, and after a few years of that, and dealing with the monstrosity called education there, finally left (got my SS in the mail and shipped to me overseas - whoooh-hah! Better late than never!) |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Second, (unless you are Nationally Board Certified) each state's teaching cred/certs are only good in that state and the one or two states with which that state has reciprocity-in the United States there is no such thing as a teaching credential which allows one to teach "in most states." |
Most states requirements to get certified are similar. If not you would see Education majors only studying in the state that they want to teach in after graduation. If not, someone who studied in Flordia but wanted to return to teach in New York would be fu#cked! |
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