Teachers in Massachusetts have to become certified in teaching English Language Learners. The state set up a course to cover this, but by all accounts it's a nightmare and a lot of work. So one workaround is to pass a teacher test on Sheltered English Immersion. And if the choice is to give up my Mondays all fall or spend half a summer half-studying in my hammock...So I took (and passed) the test, but because I thought the provided study materials were WILDLY insufficient, the next day I decided to harness the power of the WORLD WIDE WEB and write a comprehensive blog post about what was on the test and my advice for preparing yourself. I had looked for prep materials, but because I was among the go this route, there was nothing out there. Yes, I was a trail-blazer! And my post became the only game in town. And soon my post went viral, or least teacher-viral.
At Back to School Night, a parent and colleague Arlington told me that in Arlington's test prep course, they had given out my blog post as a resource. I also heard this from a friend in Brookline, so I think it's only fair to assume every town in Massachusetts is using me as a resource. Maybe not, but if I'm to believe the comments thread (49 and counting), it is in fact aiding some people's studying.
So as is becoming a theme here, I have many claims to fame in life. I've told you about Vince Neil and Matt Hasselbeck, now we cover my contribution to the world of teaching. Maybe next time I'll tell you about the Wikipedia page for Beavis.
I'm an ELL teacher who hasn't had to take RETELL or the SEI MTEL and your blog is a great resource for me! I will be pointing colleagues towards it when they say they want to take the SEI MTEL instead of taking a RETELL / SEI class. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYour SEI blog post is definitely famous. I'm taking the SEI MTEL in two months, and everyone and everything links back to that. Now I have a game plan -- thanks :)
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