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

Overview

As of 2008, less than 100 schools in the United States taught Portuguese. Hopefully, with the continuing growth of language courses in the school system, the number of schools that teach Portuguese will grow as well. The duties of a Portuguese teacher include creating lesson plans, planning activities, creating and grading tests or assignments, and engaging students. Latin teachers must immerse the students in the foreign language by constantly speaking, writing, and reading Portuguese, and encouraging students to do the same. Most importantly, however, a Portuguese teacher must be fluent at Portuguese and English. A Portuguese teacher must often teach the history and culture of the language, so knowledge and interest of these topics is important as well.

Elementary and High School

In 2008, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) conducted a nationwide survey of elementary and secondary schools to collect data on foreign languages taught in the United States. According to the survey, only 31% of elementary schools offer a foreign language, and less than 1% of these schools offer Portuguese. 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 Portuguese that will be built upon in high school.

High School

The survey also found that 95% of high schools offered foreign language courses, and less than 1% of these offered Portuguese. A typical high school Portuguese course instructs reading, writing, listening, speaking, and culture. A Portuguese teacher can teach anywhere 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 Portuguese, students will be more immersed into the language and are expected to retain each of the levels before.

Portuguese teachers must earn a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese, and must be fluent in both English and Portuguese. 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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