Re: Teaching linguistics (through conlanging?) at high school?

Sai:
<<
One thing I've been thinking about lately is getting back into
teaching - high school or community college level, since that's all
I'd qualify for at present with only a BA.
 >>

You can't teach community college with a BA (this I know, since
I just got finished today filling out all my paperwork, finally).  You
have to have an MA, or a Community College Teaching Credential,
which they no longer award.  In case you got this idea from me,
I needed my English BA in conjunction with my Linguistics MA
to qualify to teach English at the community college level.  Plus,
the full time jobs usually go to Ph.D.'s (or those who've spent many
years teaching part time).

Sai:
<<
1. Any comment on how viable it would be to teach a linguistics class
in a high school, or better, *how* it would be viable?
 >>

I had actually thought of this once.  I would have really liked to
have taken a "linguistics" class in high school--one that, say, focused
on a different language each month, and allowed you to explore
differences and similarities--kind of like a practical approach to
linguistics, rather than an experimental or theoretical.  Of course,
conlanging would work well with this type of course.

This type of course, however, couldn't really get off the ground.
It would need to be designed by a committee of tenured teachers
and lobbied for within a school district.  School districts are
notoriously
picky about what classes they offer outside the core, because they're
business people--some of them even elected officials.  Innovation
doesn't really fly.

Where this *might* fly is a private and/or charter school, where
the director/operator has direct control over curriculum, and
doesn't really answer to anyone.  That might be a place to pitch
your idea--especially an expensive one where they like to offer
a wide variety of options to their clients.

Another really wild idea that you might consider is (and, yes, I'm
serious) opening your own school.  That would require more than
an idea for a class, but you'd certainly get to do everything your
way.  One book you might check out is _The Marva Collins Way_:

http://www.amazon.com/Marva-Collins-Way-Updated/dp/0874775728

She started her own school in her basement in Chicago with like
ten kids.  She was a teacher that felt that physical contact was very
important, and that kids should be reading things like Shakespeare
from first grade on.  This book explains not only her teaching
philosophy, but how she actually set up her own school, and made
it profitable.  She also has her own article on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marva_Collins

Sai:
<<
2. Any comment on teaching linguistics through conlanging, in a formal
setting (i.e. getting it approved by the various appropriate
commitees, possibly articulated to be equivalent to Ling 100, etc)?
 >>

You have to focus on the results.  It's going to be a hard sell, since
they don't teach any kind of linguistics at the community college
level, let alone high school.  I think trying to set up a mainstream
linguistics class would be tough--one that focuses on conlanging,
even tougher.  Parents don't care about anything except what
valuable information and/or skills their child will be getting from
a given class/school.  I think including natural languages would
be a good idea.

<<
3. (for locals) Any places I should particularly look at in the CA Bay
Area, or (for non) places that it'd be worth moving to?
 >>

Start checking links; calling numbers:

http://www.uscharterschools.org/
http://www.essentialschools.org/
http://www.petersons.com/pschools/

And start reading up on K-12 educational theory and methodology.

-David
*******************************************************************
"sunly eleSkarez ygralleryf ydZZixelje je ox2mejze."
"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."

-Jim Morrison

http://dedalvs.free.fr/

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