District Says 'Anyong' to Korean Teachers

[Editor's note: The following is a release sent by the Ridgewood Public Schools.]

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 coursework at 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, four elementary 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 language and 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 and Orchard elementary schools participated in the program. “It was a very positive partnership,” said Ms. Regina Lemerich Botsford, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. “It was an opportunity for our students to experience multi-cultural traditions, and for our teachers to share ideas across continents.”

The Korean visiting teachers will be formally welcomed at the Ridgewood Board of Education meeting 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 at www.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 for more advanced training in English and pedagogy through a total immersion experience. All teachers have Bachelor degrees and many have Master of Arts degrees; all are certified public school teachers with at least five years of teaching experience.

For more information, contact Ms. Regina Lemerich Botsford, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, atrbotsford@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or 201-670-2700, ext. 10532. The individual school principals may also be contacted during the period of the Korean teachers’ stay: Anthony Orsini, Benjamin Franklin Middle School Principal, at aorsini@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or 201-670-2780; Jean Schoenlank, Ridge School Principal, at jschoenlank@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or 201-670-2740; Margaret Loonam, Orchard School Principal, atmloonam@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or 201-670-2730.