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

Overview

Russian is the ninth most popular language taught in the United States. The most common language taught in public schools is Spanish, followed by French, German, Latin, and Chinese. During the cold war, the government pushed for Russian to be taught in school. However, the government is now pushing for different languages such as Chinese and Arabic, and the demand for Russian is decreasing. The duties of a Russian teacher include creating lesson plans, planning activities, creating and grading tests or assignments, and engaging students. Russian teachers must immerse students in the language by constantly speaking, writing, and reading Russian, while encouraging students to do the same. Most importantly, however, a Russian teacher must be fluent at Russian and English. A Russian 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

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 1% of elementary schools with foreign language programs teach Russian. 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 Russian that will be built upon in high school.

High School

The survey also found that only 3% of high schools with foreign language programs offer Russian. A typical Russian high school course instructs reading, writing, listening, speaking, and culture. A Russian 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 Russian, students will be more immersed in the language and are expected to retain each of the levels before.

Russian teachers must earn a Bachelor’s degree in Russian, and must be fluent in both English and Russian. They must also obtain a teaching certificate in the state they wish to teach in. It is also highly recommended to obtain a foreign language certificate. Currently, only 31% of elementary level foreign language teachers have this certificate, but 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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