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It is a great time to become a World language teacher! The job outlook for candidates is excellent! Principals contact our program regularly to inquire about soon-to-be graduates in Spanish, French, and German. We have a 100% placement rate.
A major in Spanish or French or German with Teacher Licensure prepares you to teach at the K-12 levels. Our courses give you the linguistic and cultural knowledge you need to share your passion for your language with your future students.
More information is available here in the EIU undergraduate catalog.
We also offer a Spanish, French and German Minor for Teacher Licensure. More information is available here in the EIU undergraduate catalog.
At EIU, dedicated faculty will mentor you throughout your coursework and licensure exams.
Get ready to PASS with excellence!
Prepared
Our teacher education program is nationally recognized and accredited by ACTFL/CAEP, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the American Council for the Teaching of World Languages (ACTFL). You will take language and culture courses in our program while also taking education courses in the College of Education. Experienced faculty will guide and advise you when preparing for the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Illinois Content Area Test for licensure. Our teaching methods follow the standards of the American Council on the Teaching of World Languages (ACTFL) to give you both linguistic and cultural proficiency.
Authentic
Our content courses will get you ready. You will engage your future students in exciting and meaningful ways. Master the basics of grammar and conversation, then move on to advanced classes in language, culture and literature.
Polish your Spanish language skills in our courses on Spanish Conversation and Pronunciation, Spanish through Latin American Narrative and Film, Latinx Identities and Cultural Diversity, Civilization and Culture of Spain, Hispanic Short Story, Culture and Literature of Argentina, and other intriguing Topics courses. Indulge your love of culture by participating in the Spanish Club, Spanish Honors Society, Latin American Student Organization, or the co-ed Latino-interest fraternity Alpha Psi Lambda!
Practice and strengthen your French skills in our Advanced French Expression course. Study authentic examples of French and Francophone media, short stories, and music. Practice and polish your French in our course on Francophone cinema and French film movements. Explore the themes of race, colonialism, and immigration. Join our fabulous French Club events and practice your French skills outside the classroom!
Practice your German by learning about the past and present of a constantly evolving Germany. Polish your German by studying fairy tales, myths and legends. Delve into and discuss popular music, contemporary film, and the latest trends in the EU. Get to know some of Germany’s literary classics and find out more about their famous Dichter und Denker. Participate in our great German Club events and hone your German skills at our game and film nights!
And to gain the ultimate authenticity: Study abroad for a semester (or year) at our great partner universities in Europe and Latin America.
Skilled
Can’t wait to get classroom experience? Get credits, gain confidence and put your passion for teaching to work in a real-world setting. Our candidates teach our after-school program in Spanish, French, or German in area elementary schools. You will have your own group of about 10 young learners.
Want to practice your speaking skills? Our dynamic faculty and small classes will make sure that your interpersonal and presentational communication skills grow. Outside of class, practice your speaking at our Spanish, French, and German Conversation Tables and Club events.
Use your language doing community service learning. Check out our service learning opportunity in Spanish with “Amigos and Friends.” Work as a counselor in our EIU Spanish Immersion Camps for high school students. Participate in "La Petite Ecole," another great way to practice those French teaching skills and create rapport with your learners. Work as a Spanish or French or German tutor in our lab and practice explaining verb conjugations to beginning students…
Supported
Our faculty are master teachers who are engaged in professional teaching organizations statewide and nationwide, such as AATSP, AATF, AATG, ICTFL and ACTFL. We guide you towards taking the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Illinois Content Area Test for licensure. We mentor you while you are building your professional record.
Our program provides you with many opportunities to round off your resume: Participate in the ICTFL conference, EIU World Language week, EIU’s Student Research and Creative Activity Conference, Culture Days, GlobalFest, Latino Heritage Month, or La Petite Ecole. Tutor in our language lab.
We also help with applications for scholarships to go abroad. Teacher candidates can apply for the prestigious Livingston Lord Scholarship and many other scholarships at EIU.
Alumna Liz Arreola proudly shares her heritage with her Latino students on Día de la Independencia
Liz Arreola (BA Teacher Education Spanish, 2016)
Spanish teacher at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, Illinois
"The best part about teaching Spanish is seeing how my students discover new things every day about their Latino roots. I love to listen to their stories and experiences. I enjoy being their teacher because they can identify with me, and I hope that will motivate them to be successful. Each day that I am in the classroom, I learn something new about life, about my students, and about education. Being a teacher is a difficult job, but each day offers its own reward."
Kenneth Micks (BA Teacher Education Spanish, 2015)
Spanish teacher at Providence High School in New Lenox.
"What I love about my job is how much fun I have with students on a daily basis. They have a great sense of humor and are able to joke around in Spanish. They are always actively engaged and make coming to school something to look forward to."
See what some of our other teacher education alumni are doing…
Unique to Eastern Illinois University and our department is the course FLF/FLG/FLS Cadet Teaching. As a teacher candidate in this course, you have the opportunity to work with a faculty member and a team of other Teacher Licensure candidates to design a program to introduce French, German or Spanish to young learners. The culmination of this experience is to go into an area elementary school on a weekly basis for six to seven weeks to deliver the program you have designed.
In addition to the thousands of dollars the department distributes to our own majors each year, the university regularly bestows its most prestigious award, the Livingston Lord Scholarship, to a World Language Teacher Education Major.
Matthew Wilkie
Livingston Lord Scholarship 2016
Matthew is now a high school Spanish teacher in Paris, Illinois. In the spring of 2016, Matthew studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain, for an entire semester. He worked in our World Language Lab as a Spanish tutor and also as counselor in our EIU Spanish Immersion Camp. He participated in such activities as Sigma Delta Pi, LASO, Amigos and Friends, and Education Scholars. Spanish is Matthew's passion, and he is sharing that passion with his students.
Coleman Hall, First Floor
217-581-3021
Fax: 217-581-3113
ckeydt@eiu.edu
