Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1470295
" This residency program makes beginning teachers so much more successful and more confident than they would've been otherwise." —Scott Holm, Fresno Teachers Association relationships b etween a n ew t each er an d th e p e opl e an d re s ourc e s in th e district," she says. "A residency program that is intentional about m a i n t a i n i n g n e t w o r k s for residents is better for stu d e n t s a n d it 's b e tt e r for teachers." S e a s o n e d m i d d l e s c h o o l m a t h t e a c h e r Maria Sanchez and resi- dent teacher Ayo Adedeji a r e p a i r e d t h i s y e a r a t Aptos Middle School . In addition to daily discus- s i o n s a b o u t m a t h a n d lesson plans, Sanchez and Adedeji have deep conversations about social justice and how to center it in their students' experiences. "I wanted to get as much assistance as I can for the rst couple years of teaching and have a strong group of people I can have a connection with," says Adedeji. "It has allowed me to grow a lot just in this one year of teaching." San Francisco native Nick Hom wanted to teach where he was raised and says he had heard about a program that spoke to the culture of community and would prepare him for teaching in the city. Along with the high ratio of sup- port for resident teachers, Hom was certain teaching in his home district as a p a r t o f S F U T R w a s t h e right decision. "I wanted to have that impact and give back to t h e c o m m u n i t i e s t h a t r a i s e d m e ," s a y s H o m , a n A P c a l c u l u s t e a c h e r at Burton Academic High School and UESF member. Now in his sixth year teaching, Hom is paying it forward, serving as a coop- erating teacher in SFUTR. He enjoys the everyday experience of collaborating with his resident teacher, Emily Lam, who also took over all of Hom's classes when he went on paternity leave earlier this year. Characteristics of Effective Teacher Residency Programs 1. Equity and justice is defined and advanced at all levels of residency work. 2. Authentic partnerships among local educational agencies and institutions of higher education exist. 3. The residency system is financially sustainable. 4. Formative and outcome data are collected, analyzed and used for continuous improvement. 5. Specific hiring needs are defined and filled each year with the recruitment of resident candidates who reflect the district and community 's unique diversity. 6. Residents engage in a full year of clinical practice teaching alongside an accomplished mentor teacher, who also reflects the district and community 's unique diversity. 7. Coursework and professional learning opportunities are tightly integrated with clinical practice. 8. Clusters of mentors and residents support and learn from one another at residency partners' "teaching schools." 9. Residency graduates are supported to continue their professional learning and develop as leaders. Adapted from the California Teacher Residency Lab Jade Munoz 23 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 2 Scott Holm