Time off?
So, this is my first summer experiencing a true summer vacation – ie., not teaching summer school – although I am taking a class required for my MA. I am enjoying it, but whoever thinks that teachers are, like, totally “off” for the summer are wrong. My brain thinks all the time about what my class will be like next year, what it will be like now that I know I’ll be teaching fourth grade, and what kind of teacher do I want to be. It’s like I’m constantly on watch.
My professor in my current class (on bilingualism which, frankly, is depressing – more on that later) suggested we sign up for NYCORE (NYC’s radical educator’s group), which I did. I have no interest in being an on-the-streets activist again, and had avoided NYCORE b/c of folks who I’d rather avoid and I imagine are members, but I do want to keep abreast of what progressive teachers are up to… you just never know… There’s sort of this expectation in certain circles that the best teachers are the progressive ones and the progressive ones are the most forward-thinking an innovative (and always seem to be in high school….).. Anyway, it makes me long for teaching in a school where students are all being trained in bilingual/biliterate/multicultural classrooms. Do such public schools even exist?
I just found your blog today and I just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying. Well done!
There are a lot of public schools in NYC that have dual language programs that aim to educate children to be bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural. In fact, New York City is one of the few places that actually has nurtured such programs. This is a link from the DOE that lists many of the programs although I can already see that they have not added the new French dual immersion school in Carroll Gardens.
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/90EC9B10-88FF-4A06-98BC-23CC495032C9/53260/NYCDualLanguage2009FINAL.pdf
Yes, you’re right… and my school has dual language in grades K-4 (i’m assuming they’ll add grade 5 next year), as sort of a school within a school – but I still wouldn’t characterize the environment as pro-bilingualism overall there, or supportive of multiculturalism in its curriculum. I mean, we are 90% ELL, 99% Latino… you’d think there’d be some aspect of the curriculum to support or celebrate the kids’ heritages.
Dual language programs are definitely the most exciting thing out there in my opinion. I really wish there were some where I live for when I have kids. ESL teachers, though, actually aren’t certified to teach it (since the English part is basically gen ed, and the other language is, well… not English ha!), so if I want to do that I’d have to figure out if there’s such a thing as a gen ed extension or what I’d have to do :)
It really depends on the school. Any good dual language program will have a strong multicultural element. There are a lot of schools out there that say they have dual language, but actually do not. I’ve met teachers who say that they teach the “dual language” part for the second half of the year. That is completely unacceptable. Many are transitional models as well, that do not have outcomes of bilingualism or biliteracy, but say that they are dual language.
A good dual language program will have a clear language allocation and a commitment to privilege the minority language so that bilingualism and biliteracy are real goals. If you want to teach in dual language, you have to get your bilingual extension even if you are the English component (if the DL model is side-by-side). If you already have the ESL extension, I think it is only 9 more credits of coursework for the bilingual one and you have to be proficient in a second language. I have both licenses and it wasn’t that difficult to get one after already having the other.
that’s really wonderful information. thanks. i had no idea — how do they measure proficiency? i mean, is there a test, or are the university classes in the other language? did you get yours through a local school? i would love to get a bilingual extension – that’d be awesome! you’ve given me hope :)