UCDS Resident Program: Our Support for Faculty New to Teaching

We have developed our Resident Program specifically for new teachers. The Program offers a yearlong, intensive, hands-on teaching experience, designed for beginning teachers. In brief, Residents work in all levels throughout the two campuses. The Resident Coordinator is a member of our faculty who oversees the different components of the program, which include:

• In classroom teaching experience
• Mentoring from master teachers
• Professional development through workshops and career planning
• Resident meetings as a forum for support and encouragement from peers as well as a time for mini-lessons on teaching theory and practice

We believe that teachers learn in much the same way as the students they teach. The Resident Teacher Program allows young professionals to engage in all teaching and school-wide responsibilities with the guidance and support of master teachers. In addition to teaching experience and ongoing mentoring, we offer Residents a variety of workshops and other professional development opportunities.

Resident Teachers work fulltime in a classroom for one school year. They join our faculty in mid-August, starting with a week long in-service. During this same time they also work with their mentor teacher and other teachers on their level team to prepare for the beginning of the school year. From the start, Residents are included in all planning, preparation, discussion, and curricular decisions with their mentor teachers. This focus on collaboration and teamwork is reflected throughout the school. Our Resident Teacher Program balances the benefits of developing an in-depth understanding within one classroom with the importance of flexibility and building strengths across grade levels.

Residents work with teachers at all grade levels, serve on faculty committees, and help plan school-wide projects. Our focus on teamwork demands collegial, highly professional working relationships.

Teaching at UCDS is individualized and responsive to the talents of each student. The curriculum is emergent; themes are built around the strengths, interests and questions of the students. This makes education dynamic, exciting, relevant and useful. Classrooms are multi-age; children in our classrooms work at different levels, set individualized goals, take academic risks, and mentor each other. Residents are an integral part of this innovation. They bring new ideas and educational theories to school discussions, enriching not only their own experience but also the experience of the entire school community.

Our Resident Program provides a multi-layered support network. Residents meet regularly with the Resident Coordinator and weekly with their mentor teacher(s). In addition, our Resident Coordinator hosts Resident Meetings three Wednesdays a month at a location away from the school. Residents begin each meeting by writing about their current strengths and challenges in a journal. Then, they are encouraged to share concerns, vent frustrations, and gather support from their fellow residents. The Resident Coordinator often brings up topics for discussion. She also brings in special guests in response to Residents' requests or for general educational benefit. In a typical year, Residents will have meetings concerning various topics, which may include:

• A meeting with the School Counselor, concerning her role in the community and educational background.
• A workshop led by the Assistant Head of School on behavior management techniques.
• A Meyers Briggs assessment and discussion of different personality types. An assessment of learning/teaching profiles.
• A class on narrative report writing.
• An introduction to art therapy.
• Extensive career planning support for the next step in a Resident's professional development, including mock interviews and resume feedback.
• Participation in The Beginning Teachers' Institute sponsored by PNAIS.
• Readings and discussion of appropriate articles from national publications.

In addition to meetings specific to Residents, the professional development opportunities available to the rest of the faculty and staff are offered to Residents as well. Residents attend the Math Workshop, the PNAIS conference, and all in-service days and faculty meetings.