UNC Charlotte's TESOL minor trains any major to teach English learners in K-12 schools. You get classroom techniques, lesson writing, and teaching practice. Principals want these graduates because they can serve diverse students.
TESOL is an acronym that stands for Teaching English as a Second Language, and what that means is that the candidates are trained to specifically work with English learners who are in our public schools, K-12, learning English as a second language or a third or a fourth. depending on who they are. All of the teacher candidates who are coming through our program, regardless of their major area of emphasis, will work with English learners in their classroom. We do a lot of hands-on activities, whether it's techniques we'd use in the classroom or writing lessons and going out and teaching them to English learners. One of the biggest benefits that we have seen with TESOL minors is their marketability. Principals are very, very encouraged when they know that a graduate from our program can come in and work with a very diverse population of students.
With the supports through training us in ESL and to help these children and give them the resources and the scaffolding that they need, we can make that barrier and that frustration a little bit less and soften the load a little bit.
All of the strategies and all of the learning theory that we have you apply in the program really works well with all students.
You should definitely join and consider taking on TESOL as a minor.
