Coursework

The M.A.T. program provided me with the opportunity to take 10 valuable, relevant, and engaging courses, which individually and collectively gave me myriad tools to tackle a year as a teacher intern. These classes were: Literacy Across the Curriculum, Human Development & Learning, the Teaching & Learning sequence (I, II, and III), Ways of Knowing: Humanities, Curriculum and Knowing: Humanities, Understanding Best Practice, Teaching English Language Learners, and a full-year Practicum.

The professor whom I spent the most time time has been Heather Roberts, associate professor of practice and humanities extraordinaire (OK, the second part is not official). Heather is amazing and has helped the seven of us in her cohort evolve and mature into exceptional first-year teachers of humanities, both English and Spanish. I spent time with her in Teaching & Learning classes conducting mock lessons, reading literature and talking about it, thinking about how English teachers teach in their discipline, writing weekly reflections, and exploring what it means to be an English teacher.

Application

Clark University has shown me time and time again (as an undergraduate and graduate student) that education is not simply about learning, but also about application. After all, Clark has spent so much time devoted to its LEEP philosophy…Liberal Education and Effective Practice. My effective practice this year has developed from my coursework at Clark combined with close to 800 hours of work at Claremont, over 350 hours as a full-time teacher with an additional 200 hours devoted to ELL and SPED support.

I have been fortunate to have had the full attention that an intensive, accelerated degree program can provide. I have learned a lot this year in my coursework and in engaging with my full practicum.