Education: Looking Abroad For A Few Good Teachers

Espiritu has adjusted fairly easily. But Roliza Aguilar, who is teaching sixth, seventh and eighth grades at Dickey Hill Elementary and Middle School in Baltimore, has had a more difficult time. "Everyone needs a lot of attention," she says. "If you asked me to tell you how many of them are disciplined, I could count them on five fingers. In the Philippines we only had mild behavior problems, and they're easily addressed because of the culture, the family and value given to adults." In addition, she taught only two periods a day in the Philippines, and she now has to teach six. "It's been rough," she says. "The only two things helping me are my prayers and the support that the principal and teachers give me."

Aguilar's principal, Joyce Hughes, says that the transition has been rough but typical. "With any new teacher," says Hughes, "whether you're from the Philippines or whatever, the kids will try you. She's really done a fantastic job."

Teachers' unions are divided over the newcomers. "All we are concerned about is getting highly qualified teachers," says Richelle Patterson, a senior associate with the Association of Federated Teachers, one of two national teachers' unions. "To date, the Filipino teachers have been highly qualified. We haven't heard any complaints." But local unions remain skeptical about bringing in teachers from abroad, even though many of the foreigners have become union members. "I think that [school officials] did not seek out American teachers," says Marrietta English, who heads the Baltimore Teachers Union. "The problem the urban teachers have is retention. Last year we were losing 40 teachers a month. No one is looking at ways to retain the teachers we hire. They don't offer the teachers the support they need, and they don't treat them like professionals."

But Baltimore officials are pleased with the early feedback they're getting on the Filipino teachers. At the end of this month a recruiting team will return to Manila for four days of interviewing. They hope to bring back 50 new teachers.