iTAGs

Something I haven't written much about in this blog, but which has been a big part of driving my interest in teaching in Philly, is the city's wealth of activism and advocacy around school reform. Community organizing in the city involves student groups, parent groups, religious and ethnic groups, unions, and coalitions that bring them all together. And that's on top of some really amazing school-focused journalism, research, legal, and other advocacy groups.

(I may or may not have thrown a wildcard somewhere into that list, just to see if anyone paying attention.)

I'm bringing this up not just because it's awesome and important -- it's also because, if I am able to get hired in the city after leaving this program, then there's definitely some awesome organizations out there that I'll want to be connected with, not to mention some great resources to take advantage of.

Last night, I took a step in that direction, going to an event hosted by the Teacher Action Group (TAG), a coalition of educators in the city who do advocacy, teacher education, and more.

Field placement: Kindergarten

I wrote a bit in the fall about my student teaching placement experience, but I haven't yet written about my placement for the spring. Short version: I'm working in kindergarten, with an amazing teacher, at a very privileged school. Long version: let's dissect!

1. I'm working in kindergarten...

Going into student teaching, I was pretty clear about my preferred age range for teaching: mostly interested in 3rd grade, still very interested in 2nd or 4th, open to 1st grade, and probably not so much in kindergarten. So why did I accept a placement in kindergarten - and my spring placement, the one where I'm teaching five days a week and doing my full-responsibility two-week takeover?

First, a reminder of how the placement process works. Under new PA regulations, people getting elementary or middle grades certification must do multiple fieldwork placements, to ensure that they are getting broad experience within their certification range. So, in the elementary program, we had a pre-K placement in the summer, and then one semester in K-2 and one semester in 2-4. Since I did my fall in 3rd grade, I was supposed to do my spring in K-2.

We got a lot of input into our spring placements, and while I didn't rule out kindergarten, I wasn't exactly communicating enthusiasm. Over the course of multiple meetings with NancyLee, our program coordinator, though, we ran in what felt like circles discussing my general preferences, and it wasn't until fairly late in the process that I saw a lightbulb illuminate over NancyLee's head. It was a kindergarten classroom, she explained, but if I was open to that, she thought it would be a great match for me. An opportunity to see in practice many of the methods we'd studied, particularly for literacy instruction. To watch an extremely experienced and respected teacher manage a classroom. To work as part of a relatively collaborative team of teachers. I was sold. I was going to kindergarten.

And, to my (partial) surprise - I've loved it.

Trolley Tour

This weekend was PhD Weekend - which meant it was all hands on deck in the Admissions department, from arrival to departure. Some of that time I was legitimately helpful - I handed out at least a dozen name tags! - and some of that time I was basically getting to take part in the events of the prospective PhD students, and/or do homework.

And on Sunday, that put me on a trolley for a tour of the city.

Pictured with fellow GSE student bloggers Rebecca and Andrea