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[scholarwrite]

I taught full time at the university level in ESL and Linguistics all my life until the cutbacks came around 2004 and I was laid off. I attempted to find a full time position at community colleges in my state, but they were none. I did not want to get on the adjunct treadmill, nor did I wish to move to another state. I'd also done my share of teaching abroad and enjoyed it.

Seven years ago I bit the bullet and became certified to teach K-!2. I taught at a wonderful high school for about five years, and then came the restructuring and declining enrollments. Being a "tenured" teacher I did not lose my job, but was transferred to an elementary school ( after a couple of stressful months in a middle school) and learned that I'd be teaching kindergarten!

Somehow, I've made it through two years,but feel totally like an outsider looking in. I enjoy the teaching. That is, when we're not busy doing other "duties." But I'm now weary and ready to retire from public school teaching. However, I'll need to supplement my retirement income, so have been thinking about a part time position at a university or community college. I really have missed teaching older students, and just campus life itself. I don't mind moving now, especially to a warmer climate.

I was reading another post which seemed to warn that it might be difficult for people over the age of 60 to find even adjunct work in higher ed. I have no problem with keeping up with technology and have taught on-line courses (university level), and used technology in the classroom in high school.  Instead, I admit that I'm arts and crafts challenged which is a real drawback as a kindergarten ESOL teacher.

It's time to move on, for I can only manage elementary for another few months. If I can't adjunct, then what?

[compdoc]

In Houston, Texas there is plenty of work for ESL adjuncts. But there are also hundreds of adjuncts in the field. Age isn't a problem for adjuncting here, at least not at any of the colleges (n=4) I have taught at.

Here the lowest pay is at public CCs. The highest is at private SLACs. The public unis are in the middle. I don't know if that holds true across the country, but it is something to think about.

The warmer climates in big cities have more competition for adjuncts.

[prytania3]

I didn't know you could be certified from K-12. I've always thought it was either K-6 or 7-12 (give or take a year). I taught high school, and I was not certified to teach kindergarten. That is very odd.

[wellfleet]

ESL certification for K-12 isn't unusual--in my state, it's the only credential you can get.

[msparticularity]

I'm confused, too, because the OP seems to be describing having been moved from high school to middle school to kindergarten. While there is K-12 ESL certification in most states, this would NOT consist of being a full-time kindergarten teacher.

Taylorv1027, can you give us a bit more detail about your actual qualifications and experience? Among other things, this will very definitely affect what kinds of adjuncting opportunities you might find.

[cj405]

I'm confused, too, because the OP seems to be describing having been moved from high school to middle school to kindergarten. While there is K-12 ESL certification in most states, this would NOT consist of being a full-time kindergarten teacher.

Taylorv1027, can you give us a bit more detail about your actual qualifications and experience? Among other things, this will very definitely affect what kinds of adjuncting opportunities you might find.

It seems clear to me that OP is teaching ESOL to the kindergartners ("Instead, I admit that I'm arts and crafts challenged which is a real drawback as a kindergarten ESOL teacher").  So, there are probably enough nonnative English speakers in kindergarten in that district to warrent having someone teach ESOL full time.

[scholarwrite]

I hope I can clear up the confusion. I have a  Masters degree in Linguistics (theortical) and completed all requirements for the doctorate except for the dissertation. I studied in New York State and also at Mcgill University in Montreal. I began in this field and intended to complete my doctorate and contintue on teaching Linguistics.

But life happened and I took leave from my studies in order to gain some cultural and linguistic experiences abroad...with the intention of returning. So, off I went to teach ESL/EFL and Linguistics abroad. I'd had experience teaching ESL in the US and Canada, so had the credentials to teach in Saudi Arabia( King Saud University), Korea( Korea National University---I think it's called now, and finally I was offered a position to develop curriculum and teach American culture and English for Academic Purposes for an American program in Malaysia. There, I put down roots and remained for 13 years. My last two years there, I taught teacher education courses, linguistics and composition and related subjects at a Malaysian University.
I returned to the US about 12 years ago and took a position at a small southern religious college where I taught freshman comp and world literature. Loved the courses, but after being so long in Asia, It was a difficult adjustment.

[scholarwrite]

I am still trying to get to how I got here. The Pentagon post brought me to DC and I liked the diversity and the fact that it was home to many CCs and universities. After the summer position at the Pentagon, I was hired part time at the University of Maryland for one semester. To make ends meet, I also went through the process and did substitute teaching. Then the next semester, I was hired full time by the university. I remained for nearly five years teaching ESL. Then 9/11 happened and students left, then new ones could not get student visas to come, so our student population dwindled. Soon half the department had to be laid off.

I didn't want to face another move to another state, which I knew would be the case if I wanted a full time position. There was lots of adjunct work, but I feared that more than anything. The public schools were in great need of teachers in certain "critical shortage" area and ESL/ESOL was one of them.

I was hired full time to teach ESOL at a very good high school, the county paid for the 20 credit hours of grad coursework I had to take ( I only had to pay a small portion), I went to classes on weekends and in summer and completed everything in two years.

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

If you have comp experience, you will find adjunct work. 'Nuff said.

[oldadjunct]

If you have comp experience, you will find adjunct work. 'Nuff said.

Not with those writing skills.  What exactly is the timeline here?

Return to US 12 years ago: 1999-2000?
Teach 5 years at UM:  2004-2005
Two years K-12 certification: 2006-2007

Then came 9/11???

How does the Pentgon fit in?  Was this before or after Operation Treadstone?

[scholarwrite]

After the religious college in a small southern town, I applied for a Summer Faculty Fellowship at the Pentagon and was accepted.  Sorry, this sentence was the last one on my 10:28:58 PM post.

I finished coursework for certification and passed the required exams-Praxis I and Praxis II, all while teaching high school full time. Then enrollment declined at that level, but were increasing especially in elementary. Many high school teachers with many more years of experience were sent to elementary and middle school. I was sent to a middle school first. However, it was discovered that their numbers were incorrect and after two months was sent to elementary where I was told they had been waiting for a teacher for kindergarten. These are the kinds of things that teachers in K-12 go through these days. I teach six K classes and one small second grade group. We have six full time ESOL teachers.
To clarify, after September 11th many ESL departments and progams suffered a loss of students, as did graduate programs. Our students were from other countries and as security increased, it became difficult for students to get visas to come here to study.

[scholarwrite]

Thanks to all who replied and understood my  question and the advice I was seeking. I had some difficulty  posting one long entry, so the short ones were out of order. I am worn down and burnt out trying to stick to elementary school.  I may have to try to search for a full time CC position if any exist. The issue is that I really want to just teach without the cafeteria duties, filling in for classroom teachers, door duty, being pulled to administer exams. I'd like to maintain a teaching relationship  with my own students on a regular basis.

[seniorscholar]

Quite a few CCs, expecially in big cities with a lot of recent immigrants, have full time slots for ESL faculty. One of our recent PhDs, whose degree was in literature but who was from China and had been teaching English there in a teacher's training college for a number of years, had more than one offer and took the one which also promised a non-TT positionfor spouse.

[tee_bee]

I've had some colleagues that were retired long before they left higher ed.

/hijack