XueQing L.

Ready to take the next step?

Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Extension, Class of 2020
M.A. in Teaching, Adolescence Science Education, Grade 7-12, Class of 2021

I chose Brooklyn College because of its location and tuition advantage. Brooklyn College is close to mass transit which makes it an easy commute. Beside this, my Principal and Assistant Principal nominated me to attend Brooklyn College. Through Brooklyn College's partnership with the Department of Education (DOE), my tuition while pursuing the Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Extension (Birth-12) was partially covered through the DOE's Subsidized Bilingual Education Program (SBEP).

The Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Extension (Birth-12) prepares certified teachers in multiple ways. The program provides a foundation of bilingual education history. principles, and methods. We are introduced to the most current theories in bilingual education such as translanguaging, Funds of Knowledge, culture responsive pedagogy, etc. Most importantly, professors guide us to understand theories and apply these to methods in both languages, specific to our content area. For example, we prepared lesson plans with language objectives across the content areas and dissected a learning activity in terms of language support, prior knowledge, and outcomes. Through this program we learned how to adapt theories and make them work in our classrooms. This program has prepared me well to become a bilingual chemistry high school teacher and I will have a bilingual extension through the Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Extension (Birth-12) that not applies to my certificate in Adolescent Science Education but to any other valid certificate that I get in the future.

One of the program highlights was my bilingual adult interview which I did in the Puerto Rican Latino Studies 7145X course. I conducted cogenerative dialogue research with a hermeneutic approach to analyze the factors that shaped my interviewee's bilingual language development. This research incorporated and integrated so many things that I learned in the program - bilingual principles, history, models, policy, theory and outside factors - which expanded my understanding of bilingual education in general.

I also think the professors make this program special. Professors are energetic, passionate, engaged, and deliver rigorous content. I am so honored to have had Professor Ascenzi-Moreno, Professor Stevens and Professor Alvarado as guides in my development as a bilingual professional. My professors are accessible easily with emails, after-class conferences, and even phone calls. I really appreciated their flexibility and professionalism.

When you are at different stages of your life, your focus/goal are different. I usually arrived at Brooklyn College in the late afternoon after work. While I was tired, I still loved to walk through the tree lined, well manicured lawns on my way to my classroom. After a breath of fresh air, my brain would reset to learn the material. I love the campus because of the harmony outside the buildings, tranquility in the library, respectfulness in the classroom, and tolerance of new ideas. I am a part-time graduate student and my goal is extending my knowledge. If you are on a similar pathway as I was, I also strongly recommend you to subscribe to Brooklyn College eAlerts. They email you all types of job, internship, and volunteer opportunities with updated requirements. Beside this, you will receive the updated conferences, workshops, and hiring fair information.

This bilingual program is intense and rigorous, but you will learn and accomplish a lot upon completion. Being a teacher requires strong determination, and being a bilingual teacher requires even more. If you are ready, this program will guide you in the right direction!