Maine schools have until Feb. 1 to apply to host a Chinese guest teacher during the 2012-13 school year.
Now in its fifth year, the Chinese Guest Teacher Program is the largest national Chinese visiting teacher program in the U.S., and has brought nearly 600 experienced Chinese teachers to classrooms in Maine and across the nation.
The program provides an experienced language teacher from China to work full-time in the host school or district for a period of one to three years. The guest teachers have at least three years of teaching experience and go through a rigorous selection and training process. Participating institutions are responsible for providing a partial salary to the guest teacher, which is subsidized by a stipend from Hanban, the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.
Schools can also apply to host guest trainees, who serve as classroom assistants in K-12 schools for one year, where they support authentic Chinese language and culture learning. Trainees have recently completed TCFL (Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language) post-graduate programs in China, and in their U.S. placements, they share their enthusiasm for Chinese language learning with the school community. Host institutions are responsible for providing guest trainees with a structured training plan, complimentary housing and transportation.
The program is the result of a collaboration among schools, state departments of education, the College Board, and Hanban.
To apply, visit www.collegeboard.com/guestteacher.
Resources and more information
- Don Reutershan, World Languages Content Specialist
Maine Department of Education
207-624-6826
don.reutershan@maine.gov - Program information and application
- Chinese guest teachers meet with LePage, Maine DOE Newsroom, Aug. 24, 2011