MA+

MA graduate Abigail Goldberg believes teaching leads to stepping stones for change

Anonymous — Wed, 08 May 2024 15:49:11 +0000

MA graduate Abigail Goldberg believes teaching leads to stepping stones for change Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/08/2024 - 09:49

When Abigail Goldberg graduated with her undergraduate degree in anthropology, she was set to pursue a career in death investigating. An unexpected job during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, changed her whole career course and launched her into teaching.

During the pandemic, Goldberg started a job teaching seventh and eighth grade humanities. She loved it so much that she decided to go back to school, so that she could be the best teacher that her students deserved. Goldberg pursued the master’s degree at ��ϳԹ� in curriculum and instruction and the humanities education track where she could develop her knowledge of theory, pedagogy and practice. Her commitment to teaching and building her knowledge shined and she was selected as the 2024 Outstanding Graduate in the program.

“At every turn, Abby has demonstrated commitment to her teaching, centering her high school students’ perspectives and building her knowledge of anti-oppressive pedagogy,” said Professor Elizabeth Dutro, one of her award nominators.

Goldberg’s capstone research project looked into the question: “What are the impacts of a no-homework policy on engagement, motivation and well-being in a ninth grade class?” Her project, which included collecting student-centered data such as interviews, focus groups and ethnographic observations, drew on the knowledge that she’s developed in the MA program.

“For me, graduating from ��ϳԹ� represents furthering my personal commitments to myself, my students and my community,” said Goldberg.

“I have always been passionate about creating change wherever I could. As a graduate from ��ϳԹ�, I have gained another stepping stone of my journey. Even if I am not able to enact big changes, I believe I have gained skills to make small changes in the lives of my students.”

In the fall, Goldberg will continue her teaching journey as a ninth grade human development and history teacher.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I am originally from the Chicago area. I started my journey with a bachelor's degree in anthropology. After an internship at a coroner's office, I had every intent to pursue a career in death investigating, until COVID-19 hit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was offered a job teaching seventh and eighth grade humanities. Although not my original career goal, I absolutely fell in love with it. I decided in order to be the best teacher I wanted to be, I needed to go back to school. Following my parents out to the beautiful city of Boulder, I soon applied and was accepted to ��ϳԹ�.”

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at ��ϳԹ� that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?

Of the many lessons I learned during my time at ��ϳԹ�, the most significant one was the importance of having a commitment to equity and promoting change. As members of the education community, it is important to use our knowledge to better our communities.”

What does graduating from ��ϳԹ� represent for you or your family/community?

For me, graduating from ��ϳԹ� represents furthering my personal commitments to myself, my students and my community. I have always been passionate about creating change wherever I could. As a graduate from ��ϳԹ�, I have gained another stepping stone of my journey. Even if I am not able to enact big changes, I believe I have gained skills to make small changes in the lives of my students.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

My advice for incoming students would be to really dive into what interests you, what excites you and what scares you. There are so many unique and thrilling experiences and courses at ��ϳԹ�. Step out of your comfort zone and follow your passions.”

What are your next steps after graduation?

My next steps include continuing my work as a ninth grade human development and history teacher!”

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MA+ graduate Marcus Williams wears many hats: IT professional, education policy advocate and now teacher

Anonymous — Fri, 03 May 2024 22:22:42 +0000

MA+ graduate Marcus Williams wears many hats: IT professional, education policy advocate and now teacher Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/03/2024 - 16:22

After working for the ��ϳԹ� Office of Information Technology for six years, Marcus Williams decided to switch careers and enroll in the one-year intensive MA+ Secondary Humanities Teacher Licensure program to become a teacher.

“As a teacher, Marcus is guided by unwavering commitments to justice and to organizing culturally responsive classrooms that honor youth voice,” said Assistant Professor Sara Staley, one of his award nominators. Staley nominated him for the Outstanding Secondary Humanities Master’s Plus Teacher Licensure Program Graduate award.

For his inquiry capstone project, he explored his and his students’ metacognition skills, asking his students to create literacy goals for themselves and guiding them through executive functioning strategies in order to create a safe and equitable learning environment. As a teacher, Williams believes in critical self-reflection and examining his own biases.

“Learning is vulnerability; teaching is vulnerability,” said Williams. “If I want my students to be open and honest then I must also be open and honest.”

Williams is also an advocate and believes in paying it forward for future student teachers like him. Earlier this spring, Williams testified at the Colorado State Capitol for a hearing for House Bill 24-1290, which discussed state appropriations for the Student Educator Stipend Program established in 2022 to reduce financial barriers for students completing their clinical practices. At the hearing, he testified on the impact of student stipends on his teaching career.

“Without this stipend, I would not be here in front of you today, but perhaps more importantly, without this stipend I would not be in the classroom,” said Williams.

“I am proud to be in a profession where I can serve the young people of my community, happy to wake up every morning knowing I have the opportunity to do this for the rest of my working life, and I am thankful to a state that has given me this chance.”

In the fall, Williams will teach personal finance, intro to business/marketing and creative writing at Niwot High School.

In his own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I received my English and economics degrees from Virginia Tech and an MFA in creative writing and now, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from ��ϳԹ�. I have also worked for ��ϳԹ� in the Office of Information Technology for the past six years. I've loved penguins ever since I saw them at the Boston Aquarium in second grade, and I hate onions. Most importantly, I own many, many hats.”

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at ��ϳԹ� that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

Learning is vulnerability; teaching is vulnerability. If I want my students to be open and honest then I must also be open and honest.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

The only life path is the one behind us.”

What are your next steps after graduation?

I will be teaching Personal Finance, Intro to Business/Marketing, and Creative Writing at Niwot High School.”

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MA+ Graduate Taylor Renquist believes in student-centered teaching

Anonymous — Wed, 01 May 2024 20:38:17 +0000

MA+ Graduate Taylor Renquist believes in student-centered teaching Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/01/2024 - 14:38

Growing up with numerous teachers in her family, Taylor Renquist always knew she wanted to attend ��ϳԹ� and become a teacher to make an impact on students. After double majoring in Spanish and Mathematics at ��ϳԹ�, she came back for a one-year intensive in the MA+ Mathematics Teacher Licensure program.

As part of the first cohort of the program, Renquist did her student teaching at Niwot High School and will continue this fall at the school as a mathematics teacher after graduation. She is the 2024 Outstanding STEM Education and CU Teach MA+ Teacher Licensure Program Graduate.

“In her student teaching placement at Niwot High School, Taylor has been very attentive to developing a student-centered approach in her teaching, with a focus on raising student voices and developing positive discourse practices within her classroom,” said Assistant Teaching Professor Ian Her Many Horses, one of her award nominators.

“We look forward to working with her as an educator in our community supporting students in ways that value their perspectives, ideas, and interests.”

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I'm from Colorado—born and raised. I kind of always knew that I wanted to attend ��ϳԹ� and be a teacher. Both of my parents graduated from CU. It is where they met and started dating. So, I grew up surrounded by all things CU. This included going to football games at Folsom, even when the football team was really bad. Thus, when I started looking at colleges, CU was at the top of my list. I completed my undergrad in mathematics and Spanish at CU and now I am in the MA+ program for secondary math education. My mom and many of my family members are teachers. I saw how they impacted students and wanted to do the same.”

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at ��ϳԹ� that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

Everything happens for a reason. My freshman year of undergrad, I lived in the dorms and got assigned a random roommate. We hit it off right away and got along really well, which was good because I started college in fall of 2020 and we were together 24/7 in a tiny dorm room. She ended up being my best friend and we still live together four years later. You have no idea who will come into your life or why.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

Your college experience may not be what you thought. I started college during Fall 2020, so the majority of my college experience was not normal. Even though my experience was very different than how I thought it would be, I do not have regrets because I learned a lot, met some new friends, and got involved in interesting clubs.

Another piece of advice, go to office hours and talk to your professors. I am convinced that that is the only reason I have a degree in mathematics.”

What are your next steps after graduation?

I already have a job to teach at Niwot High School next year. I will be teaching Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II Honors. I am very excited to have my own classroom (and my roommate is very excited to decorate it)!”

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Meet Sophie Friedman, citizen of the world turned STEM teacher

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 22:09:45 +0000

Meet Sophie Friedman, citizen of the world turned STEM teacher Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/24/2023 - 16:09

Sophie Friedman grew up a “citizen of the world,” living in places like Japan, England, and Germany with her military family, but it’s her experience as an undergraduate and graduate student at ��ϳԹ� and in her student teaching classroom that have made the greatest impact on her next steps as a teacher.

Friedman has been an integral part of the CU STEM Education community as an undergraduate Learning Assistant, Learning Assistant Mentor, STEM Education Certificate recipient, and now graduate of the secondary science MA + licensure program, a program that allows students to earn their Master’s degree and teacher licensure in just one year.

As part of the first cohort of an intensive one-year program, Friedman student taught at Century Middle School. She provides high-quality instruction to middle grade students and teaching STEM for equity and justice. Her caring temperament and sense of humor is uniquely suited to ensuring that all students feel comfortable engaging in the hard work of knowledge construction. Friedman’s mentor teacher has raved about Friedman’s ability to plan and facilitate lessons aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and feels that her experience working with Friedman has helped improve her own practice. Now, Friedman has been name the program’s 2023 outstanding graduate.

Friedman has also been a leader in helping her peers navigate completing an master’s and teaching license at the same time. Not surprisingly, she has already been recruited for many professional opportunities, and the CU Teach faculty look forward to continuing supporting Sophie’s essential work inside and outside of the science classroom.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

Well... I am a military kid so I am from everywhere. The correct term is Third Culture Kid. I was born in Germany, then I lived in Florida, then I lived in Okinawa, Japan, then England, and then back to Okinawa, Japan. I have travelled to at least 30 different countries. I came to the education program because of CU Teach. I have been at CU now as both an undergrad in the Department Environmental Studies and now as a master's student with CU Teach's Master's plus Licensure in Secondary Science program."

What is one of the lessons from your time at ��ϳԹ� that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

The greatest experience I have had at ��ϳԹ� is the opportunity to have both a great undergrad/grad school experience and fantastic experience at my student teaching placement - Century Middle School. Being apart of both the ��ϳԹ� and Century communities has made me feel so connected to my future peers but also my students. Without ��ϳԹ� who knows where I would have student taught. Being at Century Middle School has provided me the opportunity to grow as a STEM teacher and learn what it means to be a teacher beyond the content. Alongside, my mentor teacher and leadership students we planned dances, trainings, a Lock-in, fundraisers, and so much more.”

What does graduating from ��ϳԹ� represent for you and/or your community?

It is a huge step in becoming a better teacher. This is a job I have always looked towards and now I am even closer to accomplishing that job.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

Not every one lesson you teach is going to be great, not everyday is going to be a breeze, but the day you see that lightbulb go off for a student is the day you know what you're doing means something.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

My passion to give students of all backgrounds the ability to learn. Not everyone learns in the same way and I want to give students the chance to prove to people that may have said 'on no, you can't do this' when in reality they just did not have the right learning support. I need to keep being flexible and adaptable to what students need and I need to be comfortable knowing that not every lesson is going to go according to plan.”

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With trust and compassion, Kassidy Whittemore connects with students

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 20:32:13 +0000

With trust and compassion, Kassidy Whittemore connects with students Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/14/2023 - 14:32

Even though COVID-19 drastically changed schooling the semester Kassidy Whittemore decided to change her major from political science to history and pursue teacher licensure, she found that teaching and working with students was her true passion.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘what if I wake up one day and realize I don't want to do science?’” she said. “Funny enough, that is exactly what happened.”

She changed her major to history with a minor in political science and enrolled in teacher licensure classes, and the rest is, well, history. Now a middle school teacher, she brings joy, compassion, and criticality to her work, and she has been selected as the Secondary Humanities MA+ licensure program’s 2023 Outstanding Graduate.

“I feel very lucky to be a part of this program and am grateful I was able to complete both my BA and my MA at CU,” said the Colorado Springs-born graduate.

Curious and passionate, Whittemore poses questions that challenge her classmates while maintaining humility and dedication to her own learning. When planning lessons, she considers different viewpoints, perspectives, and the diversity of her students.

Whittemore makes the content of U.S. history meaningful to her students’ lives and intentionally designs lessons that allow students to examine, question, and complicate common historical narratives. During a unit on the Revolutionary War, for example, she showcased untold stories of the Revolution, and she always creates lessons with consideration of the multiple preferences, strengths, and needs of learners.

Whittemore uses trust and compassion to build relationships with students outside of the classroom, and she immerses herself in the school community through participation in co-curricular activities and special projects and chaperoning a school dance.

“It is not uncommon to see students spending their lunch period in Kassidy and her mentor teacher’s classroom, reading, chatting, and playing games on their Chromebooks,” her faculty nominators said.

“Kassidy is a continual learner and reflective educator. She critically reflects upon her practice as she considers the role of power, privilege, and positioning in education and how teachers and students can act as agents of change.”

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

CU was originally not my first choice for undergrad, but it was for graduate school. I am from Colorado Springs, and I originally thought I wanted to be an engineer and attend Colorado School of Mines. When I received my acceptance to CU for undergrad, though, I knew that I needed to go there instead. I remember thinking to myself, "what if I wake up one day and realize I don't want to do science?" Funny enough, that is exactly what happened. I ended up switching to a history major, and had political science as a minor. My sophomore year, I decided to try out education classes because of an RA coworker of mine (Sophie Friedman, who won this award for the STEM side of our program) told me all about her work with students. Although COVID shut things down that same semester, I knew I wanted to go into teaching and working with students. I did research and found that the MA+ program was the best fit for me, and with the support of various CU professors, I was accepted into the program. I feel very lucky to be a part of this program and am grateful I was able to complete both my BA and my MA at CU."

What is one of the lessons from your time at ��ϳԹ� that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

A lesson that I will take with me into the next chapter of my life is to enjoy things while you have them. I have seen CU in many stages, meaning I went here before, during, and after COVID shutdowns. I have also been able to accomplish many big things while attending CU, like growing in my residence life position, making lifelong friends, and being accepted into the MA+ program! Through all of these big life moments and the ups and downs of the world in general, I have realized how important it is to savor the time I have had here even though it is coming to a close. While this part of my life cannot last forever, I've learned to be thankful it all even happened in the first place.”

What does graduating from ��ϳԹ� represent for you and/or your community?

Graduating from CU this year means a lot to my family and I. All of my schooling and my performance has been supported by my Mom, my brother, Max, my sister, Becca, and my boyfriend, Jacob. I have also been greatly supported by my close friends and my MA+ classmates throughout my time at CU. Graduating this year is the culmination of the support I have received from all of the people close to me in my life. I have been very lucky to have these people surrounding me and am proud to represent them and their support upon graduating.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

It is ok to lean on others and ask for help when you need it. Whether you are looking to your friends, your classmates, or your professors, they are always going to be there to assist you in whatever you need. Sometimes life gets stressful, and you may not know what to do or how to approach things- this is when you can look to the people who truly want to see you succeed for help on what to do next. I was always someone who tried to avoid asking for help or for guidance, but the community amongst staff and students in the School of Education is one that encourages getting support. .”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

Being able to see my students every day and see them grow over the school year is what drives my passion for my work now, and I know it will continue to drive me in the future. The best part of working with students is seeing them light up while participating in discussions and when they make connections between the things we learn. This year I feel that I have been able to help students get more comfortable and confident in doing both of those things. The students' growth in social studies has been apparent over this year, and I look forward to seeing that in my students in the upcoming years.”

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