Washington Post Magazine: Lessons Far From Home

Outsourcing Our Schools

Desperate for qualified teachers, Prince George's County has imported hundreds from the Philippines. It's good for the county's students, but what about the teachers' own children?

Writer Phuong Ly was online Monday, August 4 to discuss her Washington Post Magazine cover story, "Lessons Far From Home."

Phuong Ly is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

A transcript follows.

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Phuong Ly: Thanks for reading the magazine article. I look forward to your questions!

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Silver Spring, Md.: Although it is not common in this country to leave your children to work so far away, in the past it was not unheard of for a parent to leave to find work. My thought about this story is whether bringing her family here is really the best idea. Although a teacher's salary is generous for one person or when sent to a lower cost country, it won't go very far to support a family here. The article notes that the teacher's husband doesn't speak English which would be isolating and stressful for him.

I would really advise Ms. Ventura to think carefully about uprooting her family to come here and to consider fully what it will cost to support a large family on one salary in this area. While getting along without a car or house may work for her alone, once her children arrive the list of things that they need/want will explode.

As a parent of teens I do not know that I would want to uproot them from their home and family and deal with the emotions and behaviors that will crop up. It might be better to visit home more frequently than to let them loose here.

Phuong Ly: You bring up good points, and Mabel has been considering all of them this past year. She realizes that it will be a struggle for the family to start over in the United States. At the same time, she feels that her children will receive more educational and career opportunities here. She's facing tough choices.

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Fairfax Co. Virginia: The "imported teachers" you are mentioning have been an unadulterated disaster in Fairfax. They don't speak the language correctly!

Phuong Ly: According to a Fairfax County schools spokesman, there are no "imported" teachers in the county. Fairfax does not recruit overseas.

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Waldorf, Md.: Baltimore is going to The Philippines for teachers with marked success. What if the Baltimore City Public Schools went to The Philippines and got students and enrolled them in Baltimore City Public Schools would the schools excel? The real concerns are the students, not the teachers. Good Luck!

Phuong Ly: I understand your points, but I disagree with some of them. I think that good teachers can make a difference in a student's life. In the story, there was a little boy who had a horrible family life and threw tantrums at the beginning of the year. However, he showed remarkable improvement over the year as Mabel worked with him. He was one of the best readers in the class. But I agree with your point that there is only so much that a teacher may be able to do, given a child's home environment.

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Fort Washington, Md.: The teachers you mentioned sound fairly isolated after school hours. There are many Filipino families in the southern part of Prince George's County. Do the teachers meet other Filipinos who live in the County?

Phuong Ly: Some of the teachers do meet with other Filipino immigrants. There are social events, and some of the older immigrants even donate winter coats and other goods to the newcomers. However, during the school year, teachers like Mabel are very busy with school work and the adjustment to their new lives. Mabel spent most of her weekends preparing lesson plans. Also, their transportation options are limited since most don't drive or have cars.

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Rockville, Md.: Hello, What a terrific article! I thought that Mabel was an inspiration and it's amazing that she made it through the year. One thing that I recall Oprah saying about why she built a school in South Africa and not the U.S. -- third world countries will value this educational opportunity more. Did Mabel express that she felt the kids and parents were squandering one of the best opportunities in America -- free education? Thank you.

Phuong Ly: Mabel was very impressed with the school facilities here. She couldn't believe that a school serving low-income children boasted computers in every classroom and new textbooks for each student. She did feel that not everyone was taking advantage of these great opportunities. However, she also realized that some of the children faced severe disadvantages in their homes and neighborhoods that prevented them from realizing their full potential. When I observed the class, I saw children eager to learn. But I also saw that by mid-day, some of them were acting out partly because they had not had breakfast that morning or were sleepy from staying up all night.

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Falls Church, Va.: Obviously Mabel has high standards and high expectations for education. Based on that, does she have any concern about putting her kids through the PG Cty schools should they emigrate to the US and to PG?

I am Asian also and left PG Cty specifically for that reason... the schools. Half the families on my street were sending their kids to private school which doesn't jive with the high taxes that the residents are already burdened by. The Post has reported many times how private schools are thriving in PG, but seeing lower attendance elsewhere due to the economy.

Phuong Ly: She didn't express any specific concerns to me about sending her children to PG schools. She hasn't yet researched where she would live if her family joins her in the United States.

Another teacher mentioned in the story, Annie Arches, told me that her kids were attending Prince George's schools. The oldest is enrolled at Prince George's Community College. Annie and her family have even bought a townhouse in the county.

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Bethesda, Md.: The article was excellent. We've lived there and traveled extensively in the islands. Wonderful people. Glad U.S. Congress has had the foresight to have such a facility in the immigration code. Wish they also had such an unlimited facility for caregivers for the elderly. If there are male teachers who have wives who want to care for seniors that would be very interesting and something to keep them busy. It is really outstanding for the Philippines to train their people with English and with skills with global demand.

Phuong Ly: Interesting comment.

Many Filipinos have been recruited by hospitals. It's similar to the schools situation. Some of the husbands of the teachers I met were studying to be nurses or health aides.

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Waldorf, Md.: As the husband of a Special Education Teacher. I truly question the manner in which the article was written. Are you trying to say that based upon the finding of recruitment efforts of Filipino teachers, that any other teachers in the system are not as credible? Do not work on their lesson plans outside of the school time, and do not share a mutual love for their profession? Are all students "loud"? What are you trying to say? The article is full of stereotypes of students who are underachievers. So what are you saying about the colleges? Are they not preparing future teachers?

Phuong Ly: Prince George's school officials did not say that other teachers in the system were not credible. There just aren't enough certified teachers available for all the job vacancies, particularly as baby boomers retire and fewer young people want to enter the profession. The issue is supply and demand -- not as to whether local teachers were effective.

Many good veteran teachers in Prince George's served as mentors to the newcomers.

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Alexandria, Va.: Great article; thanks so much for writing it. Mabel Ventura and others like her are to be commended for entering this new environment without prejudices, and with an outsider's appreciation for the advantages children have here. It was depressing to read about the abysmal turnout of parents at the parents' night at the PG school.

If nothing else, the Filipino teachers are contributing to a great cultural exchange of benefit to both sides. I was impressed with her sense of professionalism, evident in the work she put into her lesson plans, and in her attire, as compared to many native-born U.S. teachers. Hope the U.S. teachers are learning something, too, about what it means to be a professional.

Phuong Ly: Thank you for your comments about the Filipino teachers. However, I believe that many non-Filipino teachers are just as professional and hard-working. I saw that at Samuel Massie Elementary and at the seminar where retired Prince George's educators advised the newcomers.

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Bowie: Do the imported teachers not want to teach the higher grade levels because it's too rough?

Phuong Ly: Some of the Filipino teachers do teach in high school and middle school. Annie Arches, who is mentioned in the article, teaches math at a middle school. Mabel's roommate Georgie is a middle school gym teacher and Leah teaches English for Speakers of Other Languages at a high school.

Mabel just didn't feel prepared to teach the higher grades. She did think that she couldn't handle discipline problems of older children. Also, all of her experience in the Philippines was with elementary-age students.

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D.C.: What does it say about the Philippines and its economy that they have to export their white collar workers out of the country to find jobs?

Phuong Ly: This is an issue of great debate in the Philippines.

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D.C.: What kind of picture does it paint for PG residents when the kids only understand "shut up," and parents only show up for PTA meetings for the free pizza?

Phuong Ly: This is an issue of great debate in the United States.

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Wheaton: I'm curious to know if there is an excess of qualified teachers in the Philippines? And if there is not, isn't PG County taking away teacher resources that are probably more greatly needed in their home country?

Phuong Ly: Yes, there is an excess of qualified teachers in the Philippines. Ironically, that's largely due to the great schools and teachers colleges set up by the United States during the early 20th century when the Philippines was an American colony.

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Phuong Ly: Thank you for all your great questions and comments!

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Washington, D.C.: We should be grateful for good teachers, regardless of where they come from. A key advantage for the school system, like every other employer of foreign workers, is that sponsored foreign workers like Mabel have to tough it out whereas a local teacher could more easily transfer to other more desirable schools. The other issue of great debate that WaPo does not cover is the influx of illegal immigrants into our school system. And please don't lump them with legal immigrants because children of legal immigrants learn English, as do their parents. Are the teachers from the Philippines fluent in Spanish? Is that a critical reason why they're recruited?

Phuong Ly: Thanks for your comments. Most teachers from the Philippines are not fluent in Spanish.

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Chapel Hill, N.C.: Regarding the question of excess supply, I am not sure of the situation for teachers, but I know that in the case of nurses, there are more nurses than available positions, but many of these have relatively little experience. Most of the best qualified and experienced nurses are overseas. Also, the health system could really use many more nursing positions than it has, but is severely underfunded. (I am not sure if a similar dynamic applies in the case of teachers, but it is worth considering when we think about what it really means to have "excess" supply.) It's a complicated issue to be sure. Thanks for taking such an in-depth look.

Phuong Ly: We'll end on this comment. Thanks!

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