Episode 2 Discusses the new thinking around school districts and regional Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) as they become the employer of teacher candidates as apprentices.

This is a very different way of thinking about training teacher candidates for school districts and BOCES. Often we hear leadership say, “but I’ve never paid student teachers before, why now?” This episode looks at how an apprenticeship where you are being fully immersed in the building and the school community for a full year or two is fundamental for the success of a new teacher.

In this episode, we are going to dive into how partnerships with institutions of higher education work and how integrating the coursework in the experience during Registered Apprenticeship Programs really benefits the Apprentices and students.

As educators, we know the research behind best practices. It is clear that the deepest and most meaningful learning takes place when you are connecting what you are learning to real life experiences, practice, and examples. Application of learning is key, and we hear it from both the Apprentices and the higher education faculty that teach and support them.

As we explore Apprenticeships for teachers in New York State, it is clear that the role of the Union is crucial in supporting and facilitating apprenticeships.

It is really legacy work. Union stewardship is the first model of teacher preparation that really values the work of the experienced school based teachers guiding the Apprentices.

Episode 1 discusses: the new Role of Apprenticeships in Education.

Educator apprenticeships are the hot new topic in the field as we battle a workforce crisis with the teacher shortage. In 2021, New York State launched the first teacher apprenticeship in the nation. Since then, over half the states have come on board, offering their own teacher apprenticeship programs, some through their state apprenticeship agencies and some through the federal office of apprenticeship. Despite this, people rarely looked at teacher preparation through the lens of workforce development or apprenticeships, although they have proven throughout the centuries to be a great training model to develop a well-prepared, highly-skilled workforce.

EPISODE 1:  HEARING THE CALL

One pathway into teaching is through a graduate level program.  Candidates have already earned their bachelor’s degree and maybe spent months or years in another job before realizing they want a more rewarding and impactful career.  Often these individuals hear the call of teaching and feel the pull to the importance of the work building the next generation.  Join Ana, a career changer, and Colleen, a building principal as they discuss the shift these individuals embrace in order to fulfill their career dreams.

EPISODE 2:  CULTIVATING A PRO

How do we cultivate great teachers?  By  encouraging a culture of constant improvement of instructional practice and growth.  Join Rick, a career educator, Connor, a graduating teacher candidate, and Dr. Jean Ann Hunt, a professor of teacher preparation to discuss the work and joy of continuously growing as an educator and how to encourage that cultural dynamic in the profession.

EPISODE 3:  LEADING THE FUTURE

Leadership comes in many forms, and school communities are finding incredible resources in teachers being allowed to lead from inside and outside the classroom.  Join Alhassan Susso, the 2019 NYS Teacher of the Year and Jim Dexter, the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex County BOCES District Superintendent as they discuss the growing opportunities for teachers in leadership roles and the positive impact on school communities and students.

EPISODE 4:  TEAM UP!  THE VALUE OF COLLECTIVE VOICE

Often the need and value of teacher unions is lost in competing rhetoric.  Until 1966, when teachers were give the right to bargain with a collective voice, there were many challenge-for example: pay inequities and gender pay gaps, loss of employment for pregnancy, low pay with teachers making less than factory workers despite having a college degree, non-instructional duties such as snow removal, and no sick time.

Fighting for better working conditions also created better learning conditions for students.  Join Juliet Benaquisto, President of the Schenectady Federation of Teachers  and Jolene DiBrango, Executive Vice President of the New York State United Teachers to discuss the empowerment of teaming up!

EPISODE 5: MANY VOICES, MANY VIEWS

Why is teacher diversity important to student learning?  How do we recruit and retain a more diverse teaching workforce?

Join Dr. Rashad Anderson, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Campus Director of the Call Me MiSTER program at South Carolina University.  Dr. Anderson will share his “secret sauce” as to how to overcome systemic barriers, engage potential candidates, and then support them as they pursue the professional career of teaching.