Bilingual teachers fill rising need
Expanded
state program trains professionals to teach in high-need
areas
By Madhu Krishnamurthy | Daily Herald Staff
12/12/07
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Andrea Cohn of Arlington Heights needed to
find a more rewarding profession.
So, the 40-something Cohn decided
to end her 15-year career in international marketing and put her Spanish skills
to better use.
She's in her first year of a joint federal/state
program, known as Bilingual Transition to Teaching, to put her language skills
to work at becoming a teacher.
"It finally got to me and I needed to
do something where I felt like it was more fulfilling," Cohn said. She attends
classes at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and is a bilingual resource teacher
at Mark Twain Elementary School in Des Plaines.
The program, launched
in 2004 to address the growing need for bilingual educators in the Chicago
region, is set to expand to the Lake County area.
The state board of
education is looking for 30 bilingual college graduates or professionals from
Lake and McHenry counties, who are interested in switching careers. They can get
a nearly free ride to earn a Master of Science degree in literacy education from
Northern Illinois University.
Classes start in January at the
University Center of Lake County in Waukegan. The application deadline is
Friday.
The program started with Chicago Public Schools as its
primary partner. As the suburbs have diversified, the demand for bilingual
teachers has increased in school districts.
Anyone can apply as long
as they have a bachelor's degree, are eligible to work in the United States, and
are bilingual in a targeted language, such as Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Urdu,
Cantonese, Korean and Gujarati.
Those who complete the program earn a
teacher certification and are qualified to educate bilingual and English as a
Second Language students.
Participants can student teach during the
course.
Program graduates must work in one of the 12 partner
high-need school
districts for three years. That includes North
Chicago, Waukegan, and
Zion in the northwest suburbs.
"When you're
done (with the three years), you can go anywhere you want to go," Cohn
said.
People from a variety of career fields have enrolled in the
program, said Naomi Velazquez Greene, Bilingual Transition to Teaching program
project manager.
The course takes a little more than two years to
complete. A group of 30 students will attend evening classes together in
Waukegan.
"There is a national demand for bilingual teachers," Greene
said. "Almost every state has a Transition to Teaching grant in which they try
to attract people who are either recent graduates or career
switchers."
The primary language of need is Spanish, as 80 percent of
English language learners in the Chicago region are Spanish speakers, she
said.
By the time the $2 million grant is exhausted over five years,
Greene hopes 180 elementary-level bilingual teachers will be qualified in the
Chicago area.
"There aren't that many (programs) where they are
getting either a large majority or the whole training paid for," she said. "With
this program, it's about 85 percent paid for."
Looking for a
career switch?
Details on the start of Bilingual Transition to
Teaching program classes in Lake County.
Who can apply: Fresh
graduates and people looking to switch careers from Lake and McHenry
counties.
How many in a class: The Lake County section has room for
30 students.
Location: Classes start Jan. 28 at the University Center
of Lake County, 1 N. Genesee St., Waukegan.
Cost: It's 85 percent
paid for by a federal grant. Participants must pay for 18 hours of specialty
bilingual and ESL courses on their own.
How to qualify? Applicants
must be bilingual and have a bachelor's degree in any field except education
from an accredited institution; pass the target language proficiency test to
enter the program; be able to work legally in the United
States.
Visit www.transitiontoteaching.com.
Application
deadline is Friday, but can be extended as long as space is
available.