I loved teaching my own classes and having the freedom to tailor the curriculum to my students' needs. This job provided exceptional professional development training, and I felt excited for work every day. This role provided me with enough structure (meetings with my instructional coach and a loose curriculum) to succeed while giving me enough space to develop independently as a leader and teacher.
What I wish was different
I wish the program had set clearer expectations of what professionality looks like in this work environment. Not all teachers had the same ideas of what professionality looks like, which made the work experience feel very frustrating at times.
Advice
Approach every day and every class with flexibility! Be prepared to think on your feet, and make time for connecting with your students and helping them connect with each other.
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One person found this helpful
Teaching Fellow
June - August 2019 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I loved teaching middle schoolers and collaborating with my colleagues to produce high quality lessons and lesson plans. Getting to know my students was certainly the highlight of the summer.
What I wish was different
The pay is scant for the work that is required. $2000 for a minimum of 450 hours over 9 weeks (50 hours/week), paid via monthly stipend, plus a ~$1500 educational award upon completion of the working period is not enough to appropriately reward the work that goes into the experience.
Advice
Make friends with your directors, your instructional coaches - all of them, not just in your subject area - your fellow teachers, and, perhaps most importantly, your students. Earning their respect will make your time as a teacher infinitely easier. Sweat the small stuff at first, but as the summer progresses, relax a bit and allow your students to get to know you better. It's much easier, after all, to go from strict to lax than vice versa.
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One person found this helpful
Teaching Fellow
June - August 2019 • Austin, TX
What I liked
Being able to see what it will really be like teaching
What I wish was different
Organization of the company
Advice
Go in there having fun with your students!
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One person found this helpful
Teacher Fellow
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
The experience, training, and the whole summer was full of learning lessons.
What I wish was different
Shorter trainings, it was two weeks of forty to fifty hours.
Advice
Pull through! The experience is worth it, and the connections with both the other staff and students is once in a lifetime.
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One person found this helpful
Summer Teaching Fellow
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
As a future educator, this opportunity to gain over 100 hours of classroom teaching experience and professional development was absolutely invaluable. Moreover, Breakthrough provides a supportive and nurturing community that continues to shape my personal and professional goals.
What I wish was different
Advice
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One person found this helpful
Teaching Fellow
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I like being able to learn more about problems specific to Austin concerning education and being able to work students who want to go to college.
What I wish was different
I wish I would been able to have more time to work another job aside from the internship.
Advice
Don’t fake it. Be genuine with everyone you meet through this organization.
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One person found this helpful
Teaching fellow
June - August 2018 • Austin, TX
What I liked
I fostered invaluable relationships with students and my fellow teachers.
What I wish was different
Advice
I would recommend this position to anyone considering teaching, particularly in underserved communities.
