>Ridgewood Schools host Korean Teachers
November 4, 2011 – The Ridgewood Public Schools will act as host this fall to several visiting English teachers from Korea. The visitors will be mentored by Ridgewood teachers as part of a Bloomfield College total English language immersion program called TICKET.
A total of 10 visiting teachers will be placed in classrooms at Benjamin Franklin Middle School(BFMS), Ridge Elementary School or Orchard Elementary School upon completing courseworkat Bloomfield College. Six teachers, all graduates of Seoul National University, will be hosted at BFMS from November 2 to December 23 and will be mentored by either Ridgewood teachers of
English or English as a Second Language (ESL). From November 21 to December 2, fourelementary school teachers from Incheon, South Korea will be hosted at two district schools,three at Ridge and one at Orchard.
While in the district, the Korean teachers will have the opportunity to enhance their languageand teaching skills under the direct supervision of the Ridgewood teachers. They will act as observers, assistants, and teaching partners in English and/or ESL classes.
The upcoming visits mark the second time that the Ridgewood Public Schools has hosted Korean teachers through Bloomfield College’s TICKET program. In 2008-2009,Hawes andOrchard elementary schools participated in the program. “It was a very positive partnership,said Ms. Regina Lemerich Botsford, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction andAssessment. “It was an opportunity for our students to experience multi-cultural traditions, andfor our teachers to share ideas across continents.”
The Korean visiting teachers will be formally welcomed at the Ridgewood Board of Educationmeeting on Monday, November 21, at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3. Viewers
may watch the meeting on their computers via the “Link in Live” tab on the district website atwww.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, or on FiOS channel 33 or Optimum channel 77.
The TICKET program brings experienced English teachers from Korea to the United States formore advanced training in English and pedagogy through a total immersion experience. Allteachers have Bachelor degrees and many have Master of Arts degrees; all are certified publicschool teachers with at least five years of teaching experience.
