Thursday, November 24, 2011

ESL Teachers in High Demand

There are so many people waiting for openings in English language classes and more teachers are needed. - - Donna Poisl

By Maya Horowitz/Fairfax Connection

English as a second language (ESL) classes and certification programs for ESL teachers are popping up around Fairfax to meet the needs of a diverse immigrant population.

“The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, including Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun Counties, has an extremely diverse population, speaking many different native languages,” write Steven Weinberger and Douglas Wulf, linguistics professors at George Mason University in Fairfax. “Indeed, the Nov. 2, 2006 Metro section of the Washington Post published the American Community Survey of 2005 that estimated approximately 33 percent of all Fairfax County households speak a primary language other than English. This percentage of non-native speakers continues to grow with the growth of the population overall in the region. Because a working knowledge of English is so highly advantageous to people who wish to find employment or educational opportunities here, the demand for knowledgeable, linguistically sophisticated ESL instructors in the Commonwealth continues to increase.”

At George Mason, the linguistics department offers classes in applied linguistics and teaching English as a second language.
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