Three or four times a year, I teach a CBEST essay preparation class at the state university near me. The CBEST is the test require for someone to teach in California, whether substitute or fully credentialed. (There are many many more tests you have to take for your credential, and it ends up being quite a financial burden for a job that pays very little. But I digress)
The CBEST is not actually very hard, on the surface of it, and I know plenty of people who are surprised that I teach a class, wondering why people need help passing it. There are three main reasons the essay portion of the test is hard for people: First, there are people taking it who have just been out of school so long that they have forgotten what taking tests is like and get really nervous. They usually do just fine once they practice. The second group is made up of people who have test anxiety and often the practicing helps much of the time. The third group is those who do not speak English as their native language, and that is the overwhelming majority of the students that I teach.
In my class this week, I have eight women trying to learn how to pass the essay, and only one speaks English as a first language. The others speak Hindi, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and sign language. The Deaf woman interestingly has learned a few different types of sign, so can't really identify what her native language is.
I am so grateful to see these women working so hard to be teachers. They are from India, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and California, and they are all clearly very giving people who love teaching and love working with children. Many of them are teaching in their native language, not using English at all, but they have to pass this writing test in English. Some of them have tried five or six times so far and are working hard to not give up.
It's a little scary to teach this class to people who have already failed the test so many times. I hear "this will be my sixth time taking it" and think that I have no chance of teaching them enough to pass. But it's so important. Over 83% of American teachers are white, and teachers absolutely must reflect the communities they serve. It's important for the kids to have examples who look like them and have had similar experiences. It's important to have teachers fluent in the languages of the community. And it is essential that the teaching force is not all from one culture or ethnicity, or valuable insights get lost.
So I'm working as hard as I can to help these women get their teaching credentials. And I'll explain to anyone who doesn't understand why this seemingly easy test might be tough if you're taking it in your second (or third or fourth) language.
The CBEST is not actually very hard, on the surface of it, and I know plenty of people who are surprised that I teach a class, wondering why people need help passing it. There are three main reasons the essay portion of the test is hard for people: First, there are people taking it who have just been out of school so long that they have forgotten what taking tests is like and get really nervous. They usually do just fine once they practice. The second group is made up of people who have test anxiety and often the practicing helps much of the time. The third group is those who do not speak English as their native language, and that is the overwhelming majority of the students that I teach.
In my class this week, I have eight women trying to learn how to pass the essay, and only one speaks English as a first language. The others speak Hindi, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and sign language. The Deaf woman interestingly has learned a few different types of sign, so can't really identify what her native language is.
I am so grateful to see these women working so hard to be teachers. They are from India, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and California, and they are all clearly very giving people who love teaching and love working with children. Many of them are teaching in their native language, not using English at all, but they have to pass this writing test in English. Some of them have tried five or six times so far and are working hard to not give up.
It's a little scary to teach this class to people who have already failed the test so many times. I hear "this will be my sixth time taking it" and think that I have no chance of teaching them enough to pass. But it's so important. Over 83% of American teachers are white, and teachers absolutely must reflect the communities they serve. It's important for the kids to have examples who look like them and have had similar experiences. It's important to have teachers fluent in the languages of the community. And it is essential that the teaching force is not all from one culture or ethnicity, or valuable insights get lost.
So I'm working as hard as I can to help these women get their teaching credentials. And I'll explain to anyone who doesn't understand why this seemingly easy test might be tough if you're taking it in your second (or third or fourth) language.
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