Baltimore City is hiring more Filipino teachers
I first heard about it from my mother-in-law in California, who called to tell me she read this from a newspaper. I didn’t know about it. Not that I should, but I’d like to know about these things.
See, I live in Baltimore, and I’m surrounded by awesome Filipino teachers that the city has recruited in the past three years. So, I am all for welcoming more in!
Here is the press release from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs -
Baltimore City Public School Board officials announced that by summer, Baltimore City schools will be hiring an additional 178 new public school teachers from the Philippines.
Currently, there are 1000 Filipino teachers around the Baltimore-Washington DC area who have been hired from the Philippines to teach public schools in Maryland. Yes, there is a shortage, and our Filipino teachers are filling in the gap.
13 Comments
I hope they know what they’re getting themselves into. The money may be better but the Baltimore Public School system is among the worst in the country. Many kids are confrontational, disrespectful and in some cases violent. Many of the teacher contracts are dropped after 3 years, rendering these teachers as illegal aliens. Of course there was the case of the one filipina teacher committing suicide because the conditions were so tough. That being said, I wish them much luck.
Ajax – I won’t gloss over how difficult it can be the first year. I’ll let a teacher relate her experiences herself and we’ll know better what life in Baltimore is really like. stay tuned in a week or two.
As a teacher working overseas, I know that it’s not going to be easy for them, especially since they’ll be teaching in public schools. They will be thrown into a classroom and will be asked to teach an unfamiliar curriculum and they will be expected to speak perfect “American”.
And what’s worse is that sometimes, the recruiters in the Philippines will charge the applicants an arm and a leg to process their papers. And so even if working conditions for the Filipino teachers in the US are unhealthy and too stressful, they won’t be able to come back to the Philippines because many of them will have used up all their savings and pawned/sold their assets to cover the expenses. In truth, these expenses should be shouldered by the recruiting schools.
I live in Baltimore and my wife and children are from Bicol. They attend an excellent high school in the city and are A students. I’ve met several of our teachers from the Philippines, mostly at the Asian grocery stores. I’m really proud of the work they are doing for the students here and have never heard any criticism of them. Most that I have spoken to are in some really difficult areas but are making progress with the students. I found this site as I read that two of the teachers have comitted suicide. There were no real details about their deaths. It is possible that there were problems unrelated to teaching. My daughter and I met two of our teachers at the WalMart a while back and they thought I was born somewhere else because they understood my English. I guess here in our city we have a difficult slang for others to understand. I am very grateful to our teachers from the Philippines for all the work they do to prepre some of our neediest children for the future they will have to face.
hi Chuck, thank you. It’s good to know someone notices their hard work. They put their life into their profession you know and the students love them. It’s a difficult life and for whatever reason made them come here, in my book they’re heroes for even teaching at Baltimore, and changing our students too.
in a few months i’ll be in baltimore and i will be one of the filipino teachers who will be filling in the shortage of teachers.
i’m aware of the difficulties but im sure it’s really different if it will be i who will really experience it first hand.
i just pray to God that i will survive in all the endeavors i have to face.
Very true guys,
I think Ajax hit the nail on the head…and its not just 1 but 2 suicides already. The details show they were alienated and suffered depression with a very small support system not akin to the filipino culture. I think this exploitation of teachers from 3rd world remote areas should stop.
At the end of the day, its not as rosy as it sounds. Its just a form of legalized slavery- similar to that where chinese laborers are stowed away and made to work arm and leg in harsh conditions in foreign lands with little or no pay to themselves. The difference here is its is legalized.
The reason behind the suicide of the two Filipino teachers were not because of the difficult classroom experience. It has something to do with their heartaches. Bolado commited suicide because his husband left him for another woman after she brought him to the US. and Apao also had problems with her relationships.
ok let me see if i have this right teaching has become a job americans wont do?
is it because teaching mutts in public schools could be dangerous last year at this time 14 cases of arson 12 stabbings 300 act’s of violence and 13 rapes. all in one district i have chosen home school.
they call us murderland for a reason
the great liberal movement get non americans to teach americans
…i feel sad when i come across this web page… i am presently a department head in one of the public schools here in the philippines… though my job is lifetime (at least, up to the time i retire) and i am earning just enough to survive, i had plans of applying for a teaching job in Maryland to provide a greener pasture for my family… but with all these, i’d rather not…
…i hope all those who have decided to take chances there would be strong… so strong to face challenges… i wish them luck…
I have a couple of question for any Filipino teachers that are teaching in the U.S.
Are you provided cultural transition regarding american students?
What understanding/information would have been helpful in making the decision to teach in the U.S.?
Baltimore School District is in an urban area. Possibly a more rural school district would be a better setting. I am a special education administrator in a less urban area. Were there any choices, other than Maryland? I am trying to understand the recruiting process. It doesn’t appear to be open and fair for the prospective teacher.
EDZ,
Hi, despite the negative write ups, sometimes the fear and difficulty of the hard times in the philippines is graver than any difficulty that may face us abroad.
At any rate, MR. EDZ, may we know where you applied and how you applied for the job at Baltimore. I am really praying for a chance to get a teaching job in the US for this may be the last chance for my family to get their heads above water.
Could you kindly , so kindly help me please sir.
Thank you very much
Leo