Emily Sullivan is one of four in the newest cohort of seniors completing Apprentice Teaching this semester in a partnership between the GWTeach program and DCPS. A biophysics major pursuing high school physics licensure, Emily is teaching at Jackson-Reed High School this semester for her apprenticeship where she’s gained experience in spur of the moment adjustments and flexibility within her lesson plans, and has become known for her quick turnaround times in the creation of lesson materials.
Apprentice Teaching is a rather unique GWTeach experience as it is a semester-long internship that occurs daily for 16 weeks. The second longest field experience prior to this occurs through GTCH 3103: Project-Based Learning, which features 6 consecutive days of teaching in one classroom. With the start of this new internship came unfamiliar challenges to overcome, namely, the challenge of asserting herself as a new authority within the classroom. She reflects on this by articulating that, “It has certainly been an adjustment for the students to fully realize that I am their teacher even though I am a student teacher. It’s fair that the students needed to make the adjustment since I arrived halfway through their school year, but just ensuring that they realize I will be in the lead in the classroom for another few months is an obstacle that I’ve had to overcome.” The shift in environment has created many new learning opportunities and stressed the importance of time management to Emily, which in turn taught her how she best operates when scheduling (lists are of the utmost importance) as well as reinforced how collaboration in unit planning is essential to the success of both the educators and students.
Despite these expected challenges, Emily continues to thrive within her apprenticeship as she gets the opportunity to fully realize her teaching philosophy and place it in action over a long period of time, especially as, “a big focus of [her] teaching philosophy is on building relationships with the students and in my past field experiences, it has been hard to really develop that when it’s a short term placement. Apprentice teaching allows [her] to develop these relationships over a longer period of time and truly get to know the students as individuals.” Through the experience of Apprentice Teaching, Emily has also had the pleasure of establishing herself as a valued member of the classroom and school community, rather than just a special guest.
“Gratifying moments for me are any time that students say “Hi Ms. Sullivan!” in the hallways, on the Metro, or any time that a student asks where I was if I couldn’t make a class due to having class on campus at GW. These moments just show me that the students are appreciative of me and respect me as their teacher.”
As she enters the second half of her tenure as an Apprentice Teacher at Jackson-Reed, Emily has gained significant insight into the profession of teaching - including her classroom must-haves, which include post-its/notepads, colorful pens, and turn in trays to keep organized. Finally, Emily’s advice to prospective Apprentice Teachers is to, “Take the leap of faith! I was so nervous that I was biting off more than I could chew but truly committing to Apprentice Teaching has been such a rewarding experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for support and be resourceful– there are plenty of peers around you that are willing to help! Also, even if you don’t think you’ll become a traditional K-12 teacher as your career, the number of skills that you’ll develop (oral communication, collaboration, leadership, time-management, etc.) are useful for whatever career path you choose to follow!”
Best of luck to all of the GWTeach Apprentice Teachers this semester!