Coursework

As an undergraduate at Clark University, I began taking courses that would prepare me for the M.A.T. year. These included Complexities of Urban Schools, Literacy Across the Curriculum, and Human Development and Learning. These courses allowed me to explore various aspects of public education that shaped my mindset to become an educator. I was able to observe a Worcester Public School classroom to get a sense of what urban schooling is like, discuss what reading and writing issues affected students in disciplines across the curriculum, and hone my understanding of developmental psychology as it pertains to students’ learning.

During the summer before and throughout my M.A.T. year, I took courses that expanded my knowledge of what it means to be an educator in an urban classroom. These courses were: Understanding Best Practices, Curriculum and Knowing in Art, Teaching English Language Learners, Ways of Knowing in Art, the Teaching & Learning sequence (I, II, and III), and a full-year Practicum in Secondary Education. Through the practicum I was able to log upwards of 800 hours at South High Community School, nearly 300 of which were as a full-time teacher. The teaching practicum gave me the opportunity to experience a valuable year teaching art at South High, through which I was able to foster meaningful relationships with the students, faculty, and staff.