Mount Students Find Their Calling Through the Teacher Residency Program
5/17/2018
Riverdale, N.Y. – Mount Saint Vincent graduate students furthering their careers through the College’s 14-month Teacher Residency Program consider teaching more than a job. To them, it’s a calling to become role models who inspire the children and adolescents in their classrooms to lead better lives.
Established last fall by the College and the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice (CHSLSJ)—the result of a unique partnership between the Mount and New York Law School—the Teacher Residency Program allows students to work alongside mentors in grade-appropriate classrooms, attend school-based staff meetings and professional development seminars, and assume instructional responsibilities.
Based on the medical residency model, the program integrates practice and theory. Students attend CHSLSJ during the day, acting as teaching assistants or even teaching classes to ease their transition into the teaching profession. During the evening, students complete coursework in the Mount’s Department of Teacher Education.
“Our Teacher Residency Program blends critical experience and a rich curriculum,” said Mary Ellen Sullivan, Chair and Associate Professor of Teacher Education at the Mount. “Students are placed for a full academic year at either a local elementary or high school depending on their area of certification.”
The dual certification program leads to a master’s degree and two teaching licenses in childhood and special education for grades 1 through 6 or adolescent and special education for grades 7 through 12.
Only seven months ago, Philip Verona ’18 was a paralegal applying to law school, looking to change career paths, when he stumbled upon the Mount’s Teacher Residency Program. Graduating this May, Mr. Verona has found a new calling and continues to benefit from the field experience he has been conducting at the CHSLSJ.
“This program is different from all other masters’ programs I looked into,” he said. “I have been able to witness what I am learning about in real time and have implemented strategies while teaching in the field. I was welcomed into the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice as a normal member of the faculty, which is massively beneficial to my growth and helping me launch my new career.”
James Linehan ’14, M.S. ’18 has also found a new focus for his career through the program. “I started my degree at the Mount as an undergraduate in history with a concentration in education, but I switched majors because I felt that it wasn’t for me at the time,” Mr. Linehan said. “About two years after graduating with a communication degree, I felt my career choice was not as fulfilling as it could be. It was then that I realized that teaching was definitely a missed opportunity for me and I don’t think I ever liked something so much in my life. This opportunity has absolutely changed my life.”
Veronica Polanco, Dean of Students and Instructional Coach at CHSLSJ, appreciates the opportunity to work with Mr. Verona and Mr. Linehan, who inspire their students to meet and exceed academic expectations. “Both students are such amazing people—they are more than willing to do anything that needs to get done,” she said. “All of my students love them.”
In addition to the admission requirements mandated by New York State’s Department of Education, prospective students interested in the Teacher Residency Program must be willing to dedicate themselves to 14 months of a rigorous yet rewarding experience.
“Students must have the heart and disposition to take one step every day, to be able to listen openly to feedback, to be reflective of one’s strengths and areas of growth,” continued Dr. Sullivan. “They have to recognize that the work they do is truly noble and needed because through their chosen profession they’re going to serve a population in our schools, which in large part has been underserved, and who need a just and equitable education in order to be successful and productive individuals in our society.”
For more information about the Mount’s Teacher Residency Program, please visit mountsaintvincent.edu/msineducation.
—Dorian Fann ’18
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.