The Path from Former Participant to In-service Urban Teacher

• In Event: STEP-UP (Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Preparation): An Innovative Program of Urban Teacher Preparation Through Cultural and Community Immersion

Abstract

The problems that face urban schools and beginning teachers are sufficiently complex that four years of traditional undergraduate study is not enough for a young teacher to step in and make a change immediately. It may take decades for large-scale progress to occur in certain schools or communities. As a former STEP-UP participant and current urban teacher, I speak to the dynamic influence and invaluable experience of this program. STEP-UP gave me was the vocabulary and vision that was necessary to take charge in my first urban classroom. As a first year teacher, I was vastly more prepared to contribute to my school’s community. I was willing and able to push community-relevant science content in my classroom and tailor education to the actual issues within the local community of my school. STEP-UP gave me the knowledge that the community is what drives desire, education, and support for the future of our city.

STEP-UP was like a good teacher itself, modeling positive behavior so that it’s students could learn and create their own visions. There is no single method to becoming a good urban educator. Instead of force feeding the participants one method that may not work, STEP-UP instead shows pre-service teachers where the resources are (community organizations, other schools, community members, etc.) and how they can be used. The knowledge that each community is different is what drives STEP-UP and its fellows to use these resources in varying ways to maximize educational efficacy.

Additionally, STEP-UP also allowed me to realize that the qualities I posses can benefit my school outside of my role as simply a teacher. I have been driven to get involved with curriculum building and pacing, Response to Intervention practices, educational data analysis, and long-term school improvement plans. STEP-UP also taught me to ask for help and look to others as resources. Besides the nineteen other Fellows who I constantly look to for ideas, advice, and encouragement, I also met several principals, pastors, and various other community members that I turn to for help. This vast network of help is not only useful but extremely rewarding. I am not an in-service teacher on my own. I am part of an urban education movement that is steeped in community relationships and quantitative educational growth.

Author

• Mitch Staroscik, Chicago Public Schools