Yeah elementary teachers certainly work hard, but try teaching math, science, and social studies in high school ESOL with kids who don't speak English and are barely literate in their native languages and trying to get them to graduate. It's a challenge for sure.

I have done this. The odds are not good at all. You have to keep a perspective on it. Most of them are not going to graduate (at least not within 4 years). Your goal becomes helping them become functionally literate. Many times you just have to console yourself with the fact that you have given them more than they had. I always hoped that they would have a better understanding of the system when their own children became involved with it (which is quickly for many of them since I had pregnant students too). The first generation doesn't always "make it". BUT the schooling has not been wasted. We do a much better job of socializing people here in America than the Europeans do. We are avoiding lots of social problems by giving them whatever education we can. In fact, ESOL teacher may be the most important job in the high school (for society as a whole).

It is tough. You have to love the students and ignore a lot of what is flying around outside of your room.

And, if you want to make money, don't go into teaching at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So ESOL teachers don't just teach English, they also teach Math, Science, History, etc? Seem like a lot to ask of a teacher. Math only need to teach Math. ESOL in't a catch all and shouldnt be.

You know that elementary teachers teach all these subjects? Plus health.
And, yes, it is a lot to ask of a teacher.
But most do it and do it well.

Yeah elementary teachers certainly work hard, but try teaching math, science, and social studies in high school ESOL with kids who don't speak English and are barely literate in their native languages and trying to get them to graduate. It's a challenge for sure.

Anonymous wrote:So ESOL teachers don't just teach English, they also teach Math, Science, History, etc? Seem like a lot to ask of a teacher. Math only need to teach Math. ESOL in't a catch all and shouldnt be.

You know that elementary teachers teach all these subjects? Plus health.
And, yes, it is a lot to ask of a teacher.
But most do it and do it well.

Whatever. I made some typos. ESOL teachers don't make what they're worth. I was offered a job for ESOL in FCPS and said no thanks.

So ESOL teachers don't just teach English, they also teach Math, Science, History, etc? Seem like a lot to ask of a teacher. Math only need to teach Math. ESOL in't a catch all and shouldnt be.

You are way, way behind the times. The students dictate what is taught. Their needs become the curriculum. Believe me, ESOL is way more than teaching English. If it were just teaching English, it would be a cakewalk.

You could use some English lessons yourself. The third person singular subject in the present tense requires the use of an "s" at the end of the verb.

Also: *isn't
*shouldn't

So ESOL teachers don't just teach English, they also teach Math, Science, History, etc? Seem like a lot to ask of a teacher. Math only need to teach Math. ESOL in't a catch all and shouldnt be.

One thing I'm noticing on here is that we can't assume esol = spanish speaking. Many of the esol students at my school are from the middle east or north Africa. They speak Arabic, Amharic, Dari, Pashto, Urdu. Thier cultural and educational experiences vary as well.

My school uses a model where the ESOL teacher co teaches alongside the classroom teacher and might pull out small groups to adapt the curriculum. This model requires a lot of co planning but it has been helpful for the students.

I have taught ESOL in FCPS in elementary, middle, & high school. In elementary, students are "mainstreamed" into regular classes. There are a handful of ESOL teachers to support all classrooms in the school with ESOL students, so they work as a combination of resource teacher, sometimes pull out students for individual work, or will lead a reading group or math group within regular classrooms.

I have to say, I love ESOL students, particularly at the high school level, where I am now. For the most part, they are respectful and kind. Don't get me wrong, they like to talk and goof around with each other as all teens do, but they are usually good natured and we always laugh in class. In high school, lower level students are "sheltered" in ESOL classes with a few mainstream classes, like PE or math, until they acquire more language and can be successful in regular World History or Biology. Many schools have team teachers to support those students, so there is a regular subject teacher in the class, but an ESOL support teacher who gives more individual attention/instruction to the ELLs. Biology, for example, is high in vocabulary. English speakers might breeze through it, but the ESOL teacher might need create additional activities for the ESOL students or provide some sort of remediation to help them master the material.

My school has about 825 students. We have one ESOL teacher, so I guess it depends...

I don't know what "most" schools have.

I am an ESOL teacher in a different state but I teach elementary level students. I prefer the younger students because there are fewer behavior issues and there isn't as much of a problem with limited schooling like some of the other students have. I teach pull-out so I have small groups for appr. 45 minutes each day. We are a high impact school so there are 3 other ESOL teachers in my school. I like my job for the most part. My students are sweet and mostly willing to learn (not so much with some of the older kids). They tend to make a lot of progress in the beginning. One of the reasons I love my job is that many of my newcomers who couldn't speak any English in Sept. now just talk and talk and talk and talk There is a ton of paperwork at the beginning and the end of the year. It helps a lot if your admin has experience in a school with a large number of ESOL students. Overall, my job has more plusses than minuses. But I am happy that school is almost over!

OP with a follow-up question:

Do most of the FCPS elementary schools have more than one ESL teacher? Are several grades in one class, or do the kids rotate in and out of ESL and regular classrooms? We had lots of ESL kids in my grade school (many, many years ago), and they would spend part of the day in the regular classroom and part in ESL classes. Is it still like that?

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies.