A Day in the Life of a Polish Language Teacher Back to Top

Overview

Polish is not ranked on the top 15 foreign languages taught in schools. In fact, less than .3% of schools offer Polish in the US. The duties of a Polish teacher include creating lesson plans, planning activities, creating and grading tests or assignments, and engaging students. Polish teachers must immerse the students in the foreign language by constantly speaking, writing, and reading Polish, and encouraging students to do the same. Most importantly, however, a Polish teacher must be fluent at Polish and English. A Polish teacher must often teach the History and Culture of the language, so knowledge and interest of these topics is important as well.

Elementary and Middle School

Polish as a foreign language is rarely taught in US schools. Among elementary and middle schools, the most common foreign language program is the exploratory model, which provides introductory exposure to the language. Language focus programs are the second most common program for elementary schools, emphasizing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture. The remainder of elementary school programs usually use the immersion model, which provides students with the opportunity to attain high levels of proficiency in the foreign language. When a student reaches middle school, he or she is usually given the chance to choose which language to study. Middle school classes offer an introduction to Polish that will be built upon in high school.

High School

In most school systems, three years of a foreign language is required for a student to graduate. Typically, a few languages will be offered and will range from level one to five. High school foreign language classes move away from the simple translation of middle school and begin to instruct students on writing, reading, listening, and comprehending. At each level of Latin, students will be more immersed into the language and are expected to retain each of the levels before.

Polish teachers must earn a bachelor’s degree in Polish, and must be fluent in both English and Polish. They must also obtain a teaching certificate in the state they wish to teach in. It is also highly recommended to obtain a a foreign language certificate. Currently, only 31% of elementary level foreign language teachers have this certificate, so having one will certainly put you above the competition. The majority of high school foreign language teachers are certified to teach a foreign language. One quarter of elementary schools and nearly one third of secondary schools offering languages reported being affected by a shortage of qualified language teachers. The most affected schools were elementary schools in rural areas and high schools with a large percentage of students from a low-socioeconomic background. The need for qualified foreign language teachers is growing, and the average salary for the secondary level is slightly higher than that of the average teacher, $56,000.

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