 Letter
from Lisa Geraghty
Candidate, Master of Arts in Teaching
US Public School K-12 ESL Certification, 2003-2004
Before coming to SIT, Lisa taught English in Poland, Japan, and the US
and has taught high school students, children, and adults. She also has
worked in publishing, preparing English language materials for use in
the classroom. Lisa is currently in France doing the SIT elective course
on language and culture. She will teach at a summer school in England
before returning to the US for a teaching internship at an international
high school in New York City. After completing her degree, Lisa plans
to teach children at an international school in Europe.
Dear Prospective Students,
Hello. My name is Lisa Geraghty. I am a student in the academic year
Master of Arts in Teaching program at SIT and have recently completed
the on-campus phase of the program. Like many of you, I found myself this
time last year faced with a difficult decision. I was trying to choose
a graduate school program and was considering a dizzying array of options.
I know how challenging it is to choose a program that is right for you.
Graduate school is a huge investment of time and money and can be life
changing. I posted messages on websites and sent e-mails to students at
various programs to try to get a sense of each school I was considering
and what each program had to offer me. I know how much I appreciated the
honest replies from students telling me why they had chosen their programs
and the pros and cons of each. I have been corresponding with a couple
of prospective SIT students this year who have echoed the same questions
I had when I was deciding on a program. I was approached to write this
letter because the admissions counsellors, who worked closely with me
during my own decision-making process, knew that the concerns I had back
then were the same that many of you harbor now. I hope this letter will
address some of the questions you may have.
Firstly, SIT has an excellent reputation in the field of TESOL. I worked
as an editorial assistant for an ESL/EFL textbook publisher before coming
to SIT and everyone there assured me that SIT's program is well known
and one of the best in the field. I also taught English with WorldTeach
in Poland and JET in Japan and heard about SIT from other teachers who
praised its reputation and approach. The only criticism I heard was that
SIT's program is considered by some to be too 'touchy-feely.' I suppose
this critique partly stems from the school's focus on students becoming
more reflective educational practitioners. Some may look at this as 'touchy-feely,'
but I have to say that if I succeed in becoming a more reflective, committed
instructor who is better able to advocate for her students as a result
of this pursuit of self-awareness, then I am happy to embrace this 'touchy-feely'
approach. I did joke from time to time with fellow students that some
of the group work discussing our feelings on various topics seemed like
expensive therapy, but I am amazed at the wonderful network of thoughtful
teachers—a supportive community of colleagues I will have for life—this
'therapy' produced.
Also, the 'touchy-feely' critique could also possibly be attributed to
SIT's grading policy. SIT operates on a pass/fail system. The idea behind
this is that there is less competition between students and therefore
a lower-stress learning environment that encourages cooperative learning
rather than competition.
I applied to twelve graduate schools and was accepted by eleven. I did
extensive research and contemplated the many different paths I could choose.
SIT is different from other programs in that it focuses more on the practical
application of teaching. I have to say that there isn't as much focus
on linguistics as there is in the more theoretical programs and that if
you're interested in doing extensive research on linguistic theory and
language acquisition, SIT might not be the place for you. I worried that
this might be a liability, but then realized that I didn't really want
to go on for a Ph.D. in linguistics. If and when I pursue a Ph.D., it
will most likely be in education and I do think that SIT will serve me
well in that pursuit, since SIT's focus is on social justice in education
and reflective, informed practice. (However, if you do wish to concentrate
more on linguistics, professors at SIT are always willing to help students
with their research and there is the possibility of doing an independent
study while you are here.)
In fact, I would be remiss if I didn't write more about the professors.
They are instrumental in helping to foster that wonderful learning community
I mentioned earlier. The professors work with SIT students as colleagues.
They encourage our individual passions and truly seem to care about our
questions and pursuits. We are all on a first-name basis. They share their
interests with students with enthusiasm and inspire us to do the same.
There are two tracks at SIT, generalist and certification. I am in the
program for K-12 public school certification, which has reciprocity with
approximately 37 U.S. states. Certification students take three additional
courses and do both a practicum (in the winter term) and an internship
(in the fall after the on-campus coursework). It takes a few extra months
to complete and costs more. Being able to obtain K-12 certification while
I was here, though, was an advantage in SIT's favor. Programs at other
schools require that you do additional work outside of the TESOL program
to become certified. Even if you don't want to teach in the U.S., certification
is excellent to have, since you can work in international schools abroad,
which is my goal, and receive a salary that is more in keeping with what
is offered teachers in the U.S. (You can't really expect that if you go
to teach in a private school in Poland, for instance.)
I chose the certification track not only because it seemed practical
career-wise, but also because I wanted to gain more experience working
with children. I had a rewarding practicum experience working as an aide
in a 2nd-grade classroom at a public school in Massachusetts. I think
it was probably my most rewarding time at SIT. Those two months reminded
me just how much I love being and working with children. It was a mainstream
classroom with approximately four ESL students. I worked closely with
all of the students and had the pleasure of working with an incredible
mentor teacher. I was excited to put into practice and consider further
the ideas and approaches we were studying in our classes at SIT.
This fall, I will have the opportunity to do my internship at an international
high school in New York City. The internship involves more teaching than
the practicum. I love that SIT's program gives me the opportunity to work
in two different classroom environments in two very different locations.
I do have to say that SIT's program is intense. This sometimes doesn't
seem to allow time for the reflection we're supposed to be doing, but
the approach is interesting and I can see how useful it will be when I
go to apply it during my internship this fall and later in other classrooms.
Another positive attribute I considered was that there's a great balance
of U.S. and international students in the MAT program. This year there
were students from Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Nepal, Venezuela,
Singapore, Spain, etc. Many of the U.S. students in the program have lived
abroad for many years. Besides being interesting, it makes for great networking
opportunities. Other schools I considered did not reflect the same diversity.
Our group is small, too, which makes for a close-knit learning community.
I can't finish this letter without mentioning that I am writing it while
staying for a month in the south of France. I am doing an elective course
on language and culture that MAT students can choose to do in the summer.
There are five of us in different countries teaching ourselves the language
of each country while learning about the culture. It's an excellent way
to spend the summer and challenges me as a language learner and teacher
to determine how I can best learn a new language while examining my reactions
to and observations of another culture.
One other point I should mention regards career options. I went to the
annual TESOL convention in March with a few other SIT students. I interviewed
for a number of jobs and was told by a few recruiters that they love to
hire SIT graduates. So even if your friends and family haven't heard of
SIT, be assured that it is known in the field and will serve you well
when you look for employment later.
So, I will leave you now to make your decision. I hope I have answered
some of the questions you may have had about SIT. Please feel free to
contact me directly if you have any other questions. I can be reached
at lisageraghty@hotmail.com.
Good luck with your decision! Have a wonderful summer!
All the best,
Lisa Geraghty
MAT 35
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