Pinoy teachers get plum U.S. posts

Filipino educators are still among the most sought-after professionals in the world following the employment of 57 Filipino special education (SpEd) teachers from all over the Philippines to the Clark County School District in southern Nevada in the United States.

A shortage of educators in the US forced the Clark County School District to look for candidates from other countries like the Philippines for three years now, although this is not the first time that SPEd teachers were hired by Nevada.

In 2017, 84 SpEd teachers from the Philippines made southern Nevada their home, while in 2018, 105 more were recruited.

“We were accepted last January so we had six months to prepare so we prepared all the paperwork and licenses. Its tedious but all the processes were worth it when we got here in Las Vegas,” said SPEd teacher Lucienne Marie Andres, who was one of the lucky Pinoy educators to get hired.

Sarah Mae Ruiz Panisan, another Filipino SPEd teacher, said she and her fellow teachers are excited to start the school year.

“We feel everyone’s support,” said Panisan — who is included in the third batch of Filipino SPEd teachers between the ages of 23 and 30.

They said that their training not only includes classroom management but also individualized planning for students with special needs.

“We had an accent reduction program. I believe that the Filipinos are the best speakers of the English language but still they have different accent here that’s why some terms and some accents they cannot understand that’s why we undergo such training,” Marie Aileen Nesperos said.