Pennslyvania Teacher Certification

Posted by Dorit Sasson Apr 27, 2008

I'm just at the very beginning of understanding this entire issue of teacher certification and frankly, it's much more complex than I imagined. I understand the requirements for meeting teacher certification vary form state to state, but I'm also learning that certificaton of teacher education programs offered at colleges and universities are not enough for me to be "qualified" to teach at a public school.

In Israel for example, where is a growing dearth of English teachers every year, the requirements for meeting English teaching have become virtually nonexistent. The standards for keeping English teachers are disappearing, and many teachers are still not certified!

I checked the website on ESL certification in Pennslyvania. It's still forever confusing to me. When reading about the requirements for ESL certification, the website wants teachers whose degrees come from an accredited institution of higher learning (like my own) to complete a TOEFL (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language) test. Now, why would I need to do that?? I've prepared students of English to take standardized tests for 12 years and I'm a native English speaker. Sounds strange! I've tried to ask this question more directly, but without much success.

So, if anybody has any experience about teacher certification and ESL certification in Pennslyvania, I'd love to hear it. You can either send me your insights in an email or, via the comments section of the teacher certification article above.