Introductions

Greetings!

My name is Rachel, and I'm excited to be writing this blog about the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). I'll start off by telling you about the Teacher Education Program, why I chose it, and then close with some information about myself. 

The Teacher Education Program at Penn is divided into two strands: the Elementary and Middle Level strand, and the Secondary strand. I am studying Early Elementary Education, and will eventually be certified to teach PreK through 4th grade. My friends who are pursuing Middle Level certification will be able to teach 4th through 8th grade in a specific content area like Science, Social Studies, Literacy, or Math. The Secondary certification is also in a specific content area (Science, Social Studies, Literacy, Math) for grades 7-12.  

A little over a year ago I began researching different graduate programs for education and was originally drawn to Penn GSE's Education Policy program. After a lot of reflection, I realized that policy was absolutely NOT what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have always loved teaching and working with students in the classroom, so the Teacher Education Program at Penn was a great fit. Here are the top reasons why I chose Penn's TEP:

• Full year of student-teaching: Most student-teaching experiences take place over the course of one semester. At TEP, I get to student-teach two days a week from the first day of school until the last day of school before winter break, and then four days a week until the end of the year. 

• Penn Mentor: Every student-teacher works with a Penn Mentor, who is a retired teacher from the Philadelphia area. My Penn Mentor taught for over 30 years at an elementary school in West Philly, and is a huge source of advice and inspiration. As I progress through my student-teaching, she will be observing me and giving me feedback on how to improve.

• Cohort Model: I am one of 27 students in the Elementary/Middle Level strand, and we take all of our classes together. Needless to say, we got to know each other pretty quickly, and I love learning from my classmates' diverse educational backgrounds and experiences. It is important to have an academic community, both as a student, and as a teacher, and the cohort model gives me just that. 

• Location: I love Philadelphia and the students that live and go to school here each day. It was important for me to find a Teacher Education program that was steeped in the context of Philadelphia and its unique school district. My student-teaching placement is a public elementary school in the School District of Philadelphia, therefore I am learning how to teach in an environment similar to one I hope to teach in. 

Why do I love Philly and its students so much? So glad you asked. 

Two years ago I moved to Philadelphia to serve with City Year as an AmeriCorps volunteer. City Year is a national non-profit that places diverse teams of 17-24 year olds in high-need urban schools. City Year Corps Members tutor students who are off-track in attendance, behavior, and/or course performance (math or literacy), provide after-school programming for all students, and work with teachers to help keep students on track in school. 

During my City Year, I served as a Corps Member in a 6th grade classroom at a public K-8 school in East Germantown. I cannot overstate how much I LOVED working with my 6th graders. Everyday presented new challenges and opportunities, and since I wasn't the classroom teacher, I had a lot of freedom within the classroom. I was able to work with individuals and small groups, to create and implement a positive behavior management system, and to form unique relationships with all of my students. 

Being a City Year Corps Member was a life-changing experience, and it put me on the path to becoming an elementary school teacher. I continued to serve another year as a Team Leader with City Year, in which I was able to co-lead a team of 18 Corps Members at a public middle school in North Philly as they worked with their own students.  

Before I moved to Philly for City Year, I attended Lebanon Valley College in my hometown of Annville, Pennsylvania. I studied Music Education, and I come from a family of musicians. I have two musical parents, two brothers, and three sisters - all with enough musical talent to put together a family band (which I've always wanted to do, but the idea never took off). Philly isn't too far from home, which is another reason why I love being at Penn. Sometimes those weekend trips home take can help take my mind off of all the homework I should be doing! 

Hopefully this post introduced you to the Teacher Education Program at Penn GSE and gave you a little bit of background knowledge about who I am. 

Until next week!

- Rachel