Another Option

Today my mom emailed me an article about a missionaries in Salt Lake who teach a special Sunday School class that combines ESL and basic gospel concepts for new members who are recent immigrants. I thought it sounded like a cool idea, and it tickled a thought that's been hiding in the back of my brain for a while: what about teaching ESL? I have thought of this from time to time, but never really done anything about it. I'm not sure why. I have enjoyed all my linguistics classes as well as my pedagogy ones, so I'm sure I would enjoy the curriculum to get my certification. And I would always be able to get a job, anywhere. I could even go work overseas if I wanted to. It also fulfills my inner need to "do something good". Not that teaching Spanish doesn't do that, but for some reason I feel a stronger desire to be more directly involved with those who really are struggling. I like academia, but for some reason the eliteness and esotericness of it has never sat well with me. Then again, I know at least two people who have grappled with some of the more difficult aspects of intercultural communication and have suffered emotional wounds from it.

So, Seattle U has a post-master's certification program in TESOL that would take me about a year or so to complete. The classes are geared towards working professionals and are held in the evenings. They also admit students every quarter, so I could start this January. I think I might look into this option a little more and then decide. If any of my readers have experience with ESL teaching, please let me know all about it (good, bad, whatever).

Comments

alishka babushka said…
i am not esl certified nor do i desire to do so, but i work in the linguistics and english department on byu campus, and we have TESOL certificate program that is also just a year, and if the program in Seattle is anything like ours then i say go for it. It really does make you pretty marketable and is really good for those who want to teach ESL in a community.
8/02/2007 6:36 PM
Vanessa Swenson said…
I think it'd be a great idea for you. I imagine teaching ESL would be like teaching anywhere else, it depends on the situation you're in, whether or not it's good for you. It'll definitely give you more options.
8/02/2007 7:43 PM
Snow Whiteley said…
I minored in ESL at BYU along with my English teaching degree, but the only time I ever really got to use it was during my practicum and student teacher. If you have the linguistics and pedagogy classes, I wonder if you could even test out of some courses, etc.

I really enjoyed it and it was very rewarding. I do have to agree with Vanessa, in that much would depend on the teaching situation including what a ESL position would involve. Adult ESL is quite different from teaching ESL in public schools. Different atmosphere and guidelines.

I'm by no means an expert, but if you have more questions feel free to email me. My address is vesper101 AT yahoo DOT com. Good luck making a decision.
8/04/2007 10:47 PM
Anonymous said…
The great thing about teaching ESL is that the high demand creates tons of both traditional and nontraditional options--more than I think exist in any other teaching field. In my limited experience (in the writing center and teaching high school), I've also felt like ESL students tend to be more motivated and grateful (also more needy...).
8/04/2007 11:27 PM
Carina said…
Forgive me for asking a question that most of your readers already know the answer to, but did you take a lot of Spanish courses at the Y?
8/09/2007 11:07 PM
FoxyJ said…
Azucar--

(I can't say your blog name without shouting it like Celia Cruz) I majored in Spanish Translation as an undergrad, so I took a lot of Spanish classes between 2001 and 2003. Then I just finished my master's in Spanish at the Y, so I took even more classes between 2004 and 2006. I assume from your name that you speak Spanish...
8/09/2007 11:14 PM
Carina said…
You should shout it like Celia, because that's how I say it in my head. Then again, the person who nicknamed me doesn’t know who Celia Cruz was or even speak Spanish.

My mom is a professor in the Spanish department. I should send you an email. I hope you didn’t hate her :)
8/10/2007 3:52 PM
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