Filipino teachers happy with Caddo jobs, lives after recruiting fiasco

With two suitcases in hand, they left their homes, families and the lives they knew in hopes of living the American Dream.

The opportunity seemed almost too good to be true and in some ways was.

The 43 highly qualified and experienced Filipino teachers had spent years working in public and private schools in their native country. They hoped to help themselves and their families by applying for hard-to-fill positions in math, science, English and special education in Caddo public schools.

They saw it not only as an opportunity to use their talents in the United States, but also as a prospect for a better life for their families.

"I prayed for this," said Ireen Rivera, one of the nearly four dozen Filipino teachers Caddo hired in 2008. "It was the opportunity to come to America and live the dream I had always imagined."

Full story here at Shreve Port Times......