Thinking about becoming a teacher? You should!
Abbi Harkness, a resident of cohort eight, shares her experience with The Educator Academy’s residency program. If you are considering becoming a teacher, this blog will give you insight into the experience in our program.
What brought you into the education field?
What brought me into the education field was working as an AmeriCorps member in City Year. During my time, I was immersed into a school setting and doing peer 1-on-1 tutoring and doing social emotional learning. I just found absolute joy in working within the education field.
Why did you choose the Educator Academy as your pathway to becoming a teacher?
I chose The Educator Academy to be my pathway to being a certified teacher because of the location and cost. I am from Kansas City, and getting to pursue my certification here was a huge plus. The Educator Academy is also an extremely affordable pathway, considering other masters or certification programs, you also are able to get a [stipend] and then salary by working directly at your clinical site.
What would you say to someone who is considering becoming a teacher? Why should they consider teaching in Kansas City or with The Educator Academy?
Do it. If you’re even considering it, do it. I was considering it all throughout college and my first job post-grad working in education switched my career trajectory tremendously. The Educator Academy is a perfect program for career switches, and also to have as a support base. Becoming a teacher is not for the weak, but The Educator Academy will not let you drown.
What would you say is the most important thing to understand before becoming a resident teacher?
The time commitment is a huge adjustment for your resident year at The Educator Academy. With juggling the masters program (if you choose that track), all the certification work, and working full-time at a clinical school site. However, you get so much time given to you to balance your workload. The Educator Academy completely understands the work life balance, so it has been extremely easy to have both, thus far into the year.
What’s been the most rewarding experience you’ve had in education so far?
The most rewarding experience I have had has been my immersion into my school clinical site. As an AmeriCorps member within the school, I didn’t know how well I would be accepted into the culture and the staff relations. But my clinical site has done nothing but embrace me into the family. They have welcomed me at data meetings, and value and listen to [my input]. To also have the freedom to grow within my educator journey, and being trusted to implement and try different things, [has been wonderful]. They are dedicated to helping me find my own as an educator, but to also fail but know there’s someone to pick me back up.
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