On the Job

Name: Rhonda Naidich

Number of years in the field: 17 years adult education, mostly teaching ESL; two years coordinating an Amnesty Civics/ESL program for YMCA ELESAIR Program, a community based organization; 12 years adjuncting at LaGuardia Community College; a few years  teacher-training at The New School; 10 years teaching English Language Arts and ESL to middle and high school students in New York City (total =approximately 27 years).

First job in the field: I taught ESL at a proprietary school in Midtown Manhattan, SCS Business School. I was in an acting class and a fellow acting student told me there were job opportunities teaching ESL, so I applied, auditioned, and got the job. I liked it so much that I went back to school to get a master’s degree in TESOL at Hunter College and then was offered a job teaching ESL at LaGuardia Community College where I taught ESL as well as an acting workshop for ESL students. I directed students in original theater productions staged for a live audience in the college theater.  Hence I began to specialize in teaching ESL through drama techniques.

Current job position: Instructional Facilitator, Office of Adult and Continuing Education, New York City Department of Education

Current place of employment: Brooklyn Adult Learning Center, School 7, 475 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn ,  NY 11216

Student Population: Adults 21+ who are either studying ESL or basic education in order to get their GED.

What are your job duties? I conduct and assist in organizing staff development workshops; do demonstration lessons for teachers; order books and materials for both ESL and basic education and GED classes; test and place students; train teachers and paraprofessionals in testing;  teach one ESL class.

What do you like about the job and/or program?  I like being able to apply what I do in my class to my staff development work.  I believe all professional developers should maintain a teaching schedule as well.  It is definitely the best research for being a trainer.

What are the challenges you face? The program is huge, so I can’t reach all the teachers who need help.  Many teachers are resistant to change so I have to be very sensitive in how I work with each individual teacher. Sometimes they see me as part of administration and therefore a threat, rather than a fellow teacher who is willing to help.  I need to assure teachers that my role is to help, not to hinder their teaching practice. Reform is hard when working with teachers who have been in the Department of Education system for a long time.  Evening teachers are tired from teaching all day and may not be trained in the area in which they are teaching at night.

How has this job affected you professionally and/or personally?  Prior to this job, I was teaching over one hundred high school students and it was really invigorating, but exhausting.  Now I have time for my family again and I have the time to catch up on the latest developments in adult education.

How has the transition from teacher to supervisor affected you? My title is instructional facilitator, so while I work closely with administrators, I am still on a teacher line.

Additional comments: I am currently involved in evaluating proposals for system-wide initiatives and I find that process empowering.  As a teacher, I did not participate in making decisions affecting staff development.  Now I am given that opportunity and I find it to be very stimulating.