“A Clear Path For Growth”: A View Into The Associate Teacher Program

“The AT role is a great foundational position that takes the stress away from the first year.”

#SpringfieldPrepFamily

Arianna Romero joined Springfield Prep for the 2019-2020 school year as an Associate Teacher (AT). The AT program allows those who are new to teaching to get extra support and coaching, practice their teaching moves, and test out a few teaching roles before becoming a lead teacher the following year.

Many of our ATs didn’t major in education, so they use the AT program to gain the necessary skills to take on a K-8 classroom teacher role. However, Arianna’s AT journey started with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, and she landed in a Special Education Teacher role on our Student Support Team after her AT year. Read on to hear more about her unique perspective on honing her teaching skills through the AT program.

Why did you decide to apply to the Associate Teacher program?

I saw the job posting and there were a couple of things that really stood out to me. I loved that I could do small group instruction at the beginning of the year and that I would be able to progressively increase my responsibility as the year went on. There was a clear path for growth for me. I also loved the video and was excited by the results the school was getting for kids! 

What did you like most about your role?

I loved that I got to work with so many different kids-- I got to know most of the kids in most grades.  I loved my coach and my relationship with her. She was such a safe place, I felt like I could say, “I don’t know how to do this thing” and she would share so many resources. She also pushed me and encouraged me along the way. I loved being a part of the 4th-grade team. Being a part of a team made me feel connected to my colleagues and to the school. I also really felt respected as a teacher. I didn’t feel “less than” as an Associate Teacher.  

What were the biggest challenges?

Besides COVID… at the beginning of the year, it was a little challenging because there were so many kids to get to know and it takes longer to develop relationships with so many kids. You really have to trust the process, because it’s worth it to have relationships with kids and teachers across the school.

How did your experience as an Associate Teacher prepare you for your work as a Special Education teacher this year?

So many ways! I got lots of practice learning how to track students’ progress with their learning. I really thrived on getting data on students learning and using that information to teach my small groups more effectively. This type of progress monitoring really helped me as a Special Education teacher. I also got the experience of collaborating with a team. Being collaborative is a big part of our school so that experience made it so easy to now work with the Kindergarten and First Grade teams and with the Special Education team. There are also so many consistent systems across the school-- for behavior, coaching, collaboration-- I learned those systems last year and they carry on even in this very strange year.   

What advice would you give any future Associate Teachers at Springfield Prep?

Take the time to invest in learning for the future. The AT role is a great foundational position that takes the stress away from the first year.  You’re not expected to have all the answers, but instead, you’re supported to find the answers with a team. Taking that first year to grow that way is good for anyone to start their career as a teacher, whether you come in with an education degree like me or not.