易胜博官网

When Kayla Croteau earned her from 易胜博官网 in 2015, she never imagined that she was only three short years away from another teacher education experience听鈥� this time as a teaching mentor for the (易胜博官网-TRRE) program.

易胜博官网-TRRE,听designed to prepare elementary and secondary math and science teachers to work in rural, high-need 易胜博官网 schools, is working with its second cohort of future teachers. These 易胜博官网 students, known as teaching residents, live, learn, teach and volunteer in rural 易胜博官网 communities over the course of the 15-month master鈥檚 program.

Croteau serves as a 易胜博官网-TRRE teaching mentor to Alexzandria Steiner, a native of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and current teaching resident in the TRRE program. Steiner, who is seeking secondary certification in life sciences, works with Croteau at Groveton High School, one of the 易胜博官网-TRRE partnership schools in Co缨s County.听

Teaching residents, embedded in the areas in which they will teach, make connections with local families and begin to identify assets and resources each rural community has to offer.

The 易胜博官网 alumna and teaching resident have forged a successful partnership thus far, co-teaching biology to Groveton sophomores and planning ways to connect their curriculum with the values, needs and interests of the surrounding community. But teaching wasn鈥檛 always a part of their plans.

鈥淚 went to 易胜博官网 to do science but not necessarily teach,鈥� says Croteau, who earned her B.S. in zoology from 易胜博官网 in 2014. Croteau鈥檚 passion for science led her to the Noyce Scholarship program, a decision that opened the possibility of a future in education. Both 易胜博官网 programs, TRRE and Noyce, address teacher shortages in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by encouraging talented students to consider teaching these subjects.

Steiner, too, was on a different career track as an undergraduate at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. Upon completion of her pre-med program, she entered medical school with plans to become a physician. After a year, however, Steiner says that it became clear that medicine wasn鈥檛 for her. Having always been a peer tutor and passionate about life science, teaching seemed a natural choice.

But Steiner didn鈥檛 want just any teacher preparation program. Having demonstrated strong command of subject knowledge, Steiner wanted a program that offered not only practical classroom experience but also a connection to the wider school community. She found that in 易胜博官网-TRRE鈥檚 emphasis on community engagement and her summer internship in a community-based organization.

鈥淚 worked at the rec center across from Groveton High School,鈥� says Steiner. 鈥淚 got a chance to interact with kids and parents in the community and formed connections with some students.鈥�

The internship is required of 易胜博官网-TRRE residents during the first summer of the听program. The goal is to emphasize a consciousness of the unique features and resources of each community as a crucial component of the TRRE experience. Teaching residents, embedded in the areas in which they will teach, make connections with local families and begin to identify assets and resources each rural community has to offer.

These goals resonated with Steiner, who has always been drawn to rural areas. She sees the natural connections between science teaching, rural communities and forming relationships with her students. As a teaching resident in Croteau鈥檚 classroom, Steiner has been able to draw on student interests and their natural curiosity to explore various science topics.

鈥淭he nice thing about science is that there are听so many directions you can take the class and really focus on things kids like," she says.

Croteau has a similar philosophy and seizes any opportunity to connect the work of the classroom to the wider Groveton community; her students have participated in roadside cleanups and water testing in the area to connect the curriculum with the local interests as well as global scientific issues. And, the school staff and administration make a conscious effort to connect with families and community members.听

鈥淚 like the community aspect,鈥� says Croteau, who hails from Lempster, a rural town in western 易胜博官网. 鈥淚 have some kids for four years, and I feel like I can have a bigger impact because I see the students听longer, and we can do more.鈥�

Croteau plans to stay in Groveton for the foreseeable future and is open to teaching a variety of science topics. She and her husband, Alexander Croteau, also a 易胜博官网 alumnus and Noyce scholar, have set down roots in the school not only through teaching but also by advising clubs and coaching sports teams.

Steiner, too, has plans to stay in the Granite State. As part of the 易胜博官网-TRRE program, teaching residents commit to teaching in rural, high-need 易胜博官网 schools for at least three years after graduation. 易胜博官网-TRRE graduates are offered mentoring and professional development support during their first two years. Based on her experience so far and how welcoming the school and program have been, Steiner is looking forward to remaining in 易胜博官网 for several years.

The presence of teachers like Steiner and the Croteau in rural schools is a huge benefit to 易胜博官网, where the Department of Education has designated secondary math and science as critical shortage areas for teachers. Rural schools often face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining certified teachers, in part due to the lack of teacher preparation programs in rural communities. by bringing teacher education to rural schools across the state, and consequently increasing the pool of highly qualified teachers.

TRRE, Teacher Residency for Rural Education, is funded by the US Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program. #U336S160019

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