Introduction: Pre-service TESOL Teachers Speak Out About edTPA

Abstract

We are stalwart advocates of public school education, and not just because we hold dear the notion of all citizens having access to the body of knowledge and critical thinking skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. We support it because we love it. There is nothing quite like walking through the doors of a bustling public school, and immediately being hit with the slightly musty smell of aging linoleum floors, seeing the sometimes crumbling but often lovingly decorated walls, and hearing what sounds like the chaotic noises of the students. When we step closer, however, we usually hear and see something that isn't so much chaotic, but rather, remarkable: growth-in-action. We see children-- younger or older-- who represent a plethora of cultures, speak many languages, and come from all walks of life. Within earshot or line of vision of these children, we see someone else, too. We see someone who cares deeply about learning, someone who has probably spent hours upon hours drawing up lesson plans and grading papers, and most importantly, someone who sincerely cares about these children, and thinks and worries about them far beyond the confines of the classroom.