There are only 8 students in the Geometry class at Mission High School where SFTR resident Jamie Navarro is teaching, but among them their primary languages include: Arabic, Cantonese, French, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, and Tibetan. With the support of her Demonstration Teacher, Brian Waldman, Jamie has been successfully meeting the unique language needs of each student while effectively covering the math standards. Go Jamie! At El Dorado Elementary School, our tallest resident Cameron Clark towers over the small children in his 1st grade classroom. But that hasn’t stopped him from getting down at their level to help with their writing, or engaging a large group of students during recess with a bubble-blowing activity. Go Cameron! Jamie, Cameron, and twenty other members of SFTR’s fourth cohort of residents have been working closely with students, building relationships with families, and teaching more and more classes since they started with the rest of the SFUSD teachers in late August. In addition, nearly 50 SFTR graduates who are teaching in SFUSD kicked off a strong start to their school year that day as well. Before going off to their classrooms, Cohort 4 residents participated in an intensive orientation where they quickly demonstrated their willingness to explore issues of race, identity, and educational equity – issues that are incredibly relevant for teachers working in SFUSD’s highest needs schools. Their ability to push themselves and support each other during that two-week period has translated into their strong start as co-teachers in classrooms at our eight Teaching Academy sites.

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SFTR Quarterly Issue: 4| December 2013

Inside

Note from the new Director

San

Francisco

Teacher

Residency Teaching for excellence and equity

Resident Reflections Message from Debbie

Alumni Reflections 4

Note from Jonathan (continued) 5

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Resident Reflections

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Only a few months have passed since the start of the school year, but in this relatively short amount of time, I have learned so much from both my students and demonstration teacher. My demonstration teacher and I co-teach 9th grade geometry to students in the New Comer pathway at Mission High School. My daily interactions at Mission have helped me gain more perspective on both math education and the type of teacher I want to be in the future. Although some content is still taught through direct instruction, at Mission, students work mostly in groups to engage in mathematical investigations. As a student teacher, it has been a privilege to experience Complex Instruction, a teaching method that focuses on collaborative, conceptual learning, in the classroom. Through this type of instruction, I have had the opportunity to watch and listen as students grapple with both mathematical and literacy tasks. Working with my students has helped me to view math in different and more complex ways. I look forward to continuing to be part of my students’ yearlong process of sense making and mathematical discovery. Working with the SFTR cohort has also been an impactful part of my student teaching experience. In “Changing the Discourse in Schools,” Eubanks et al write about a need for a critical discourse that must guide educational reform. They write, that within this new, critical discourse, “conversations tend to be about uncomfortable, unequal, ineffective, prejudicial conditions and relationships in a school.” Such conversations are necessary in education and are expected in SFTR. In the short time that I have spent with the cohort, we have both challenged and supported each other’s professional growth. I am looking forward to continuing to grow not only as a teacher in my content matter but also as a teacher working toward equity and social justice in education.

Jamie Navarro SFTR Math Resident Placement: Mission High School

Kyra Redenbaugh SFTR Math Resident Placement: Mission High School

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During my time in SFTR I’ve come to understand that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. With classes that go late, morning grading that comes early, and gym visits whenever I can fit them in, I sometimes find myself literally dragging myself out of bed.

But once I get to school, walk down the halls and the minute I catch the eye of one of my students everything changes. My feet pick up, a smile washes across my face and I can’t help but say something like, “Morning pancake-how are you? Did you check out the homework I posted on Instagram?”

It only makes sense that the students in my primary class have started nicknaming themselves after breakfast foods and have essentially become the fuel for my mornings here at Mission. Their energy and willingness to participate bring out the warmth in my heart but their lack of organization and perseverance bring out the demander in my soul. Each student vastly differs from the others and has helped me maximize the ability I have to support him or her. My DT (Demonstration Teacher) acts as my main support and has kept me afloat while always encouraging me to progress and improve. His ability to exude compassion and fearlessness to our students and myself help me not only get through each day but each period as well.

SFTR has been as exhausting as it is rewarding. The classes I take push my ideas of what it means to be a math educator and the cohort discussions pull me out of the misconceptions I have about my students. Although most days I come home too sleepy to eat dinner, I know I always have breakfast to look forward to the next day.

Issue 4

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SFTR celebrated many milestones during the 2012 – 2013 school year. We have now graduated three cohorts of residents and prepared and placed 49 teachers in San Francisco Unified Schools. We are so proud of our teachers who are working in SFUSD. Congratulations are in order for our first cohort, who have now completed two years of BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) work with our wonderful induction coaches, Debbie Ruskay and Damian Molinari. Because of this work Cohort One graduates are now all eligible for their Clear California Credential. By now, I think that most people know that I retired so I won’t have the honor of working with them any longer – but I am happy to be passing the baton to the new director, Jonathan Osler, who is ready and able to take SFTR to new heights. He will be well supported in carrying on the work by the SFTR partner organizations and by the tremendous program staff, our wonderful induction coaches and our fabulous supervisors. It has truly been an honor to work with residents, teachers, principals, funders, university and district partners and with this phenomenal staff to build the San Francisco Teacher Residency. I look forward to hearing about its future accomplishments.

A Message from Debbie Former Director of SFTR

Debbie’s Retirement Party

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This year, I had the amazing good fortune of getting hired to work on the 4th grade team I student taught with last year. Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 community school has it all – a supportive, well-resourced staff, a focus on equity and collaborative planning, and great snacks at every staff meeting. It’s a dream- and it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. Over the past month, I’ve struggled extensively with transferring

everything I learned last year into practice. Consistency, positivity and patience are the cornerstones of good teaching, but they have occasionally fallen to the wayside when the classroom’s sweltering in the Mission afternoon and 20 sweaty kids struggle to sit through a mini-lesson. I’ve worked many 12-hour days, and gotten myself locked inside the school garden twice. There have been tears, and paper airplanes. But there have also been successes: fabulous partner work when students thoughtfully proofread each other’s stories; read-alouds where their excitement over what was going to happen next was so contagious that I (barely) minded the interruptions; the goose bumps I got when the class filled the marble jar for the first time. In a few short weeks, my students have taught me a lot: mostly, that what kids need more than anything are boundaries and love. The balance is tricky- but I’m slowly finding it. I couldn’t get through it without the unceasing support, empathy and fabulous advice I’ve received from Debbie Ruskay, my SFTR BTSA coach. As a 30-year veteran teacher, she knows better than most how difficult the job is, but she refuses to admit defeat. “I haven’t had a failure yet, honeybunch!” she’ll tell me over the phone. I am amazed with how Debbie counters the biggest challenges with even more positivity. Got a kid who’s acting up? Put him on a star chart. He did something extra great? 100 stars by lunchtime. What she understands, and what I’m learning, is that positivity breeds positivity. When you celebrate your students’ successes, big and small, you’re a happier teacher. A happy teacher leads to happy students-- and that’s a goal worth working hard for.

High Schools: Academy of Arts and Science High School Kate Magary – Physics Burton High School Michael Britt - Math Leah Levine-Goldberg – Math June Jordan High School Perla Rivas –Chemistry James O’Connell High School Laura Valentine- Biology Lincoln High School Kevin Woodward – Physics/Chemistry Kim Hartung - Math Mission High School Dayna Soares – Math Maggie Owens- Math SF International Nick Chan- Math Thurgood Marshall High School Sean Murphy – Biology/Chemistry Wallenberg High School Marloes Sjistermans - Biology ------- Middle Schools: AP Gianini Middle School Lauren Chain – Science Bessie Carmichael Maggie Dominguez-Math Creative Arts Kayla Urquidi-Science James Lick Middle School Lianne Kim – Science Wayne Mak-Math Dorothy Morallos-Math Martin Luther King Middle School Kristin La - Science Emilee Hanson – Math Brittany Ueno- Math/Science Roosevelt Middle School Averel Wilson - Math/Science Visitation Valley MS Brittany Villalobos - Math/Science -------

SFTR Graduate Placements

SFTR Quarterly

Alumni Reflection Abby Loomis SFTR Resident 2012-2013 Current Position: Bilingual Teacher @ Buena Vista/Horace Mann

Issue 4

5

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As the new Director at SFTR, I can see that working with our residents will be one of the most enjoyable aspects of my role. Another highlight will be working with their amazing team of supervisors and coaches, as well as the thoughtful and dedicated staff at SFTR and within our partner organizations. I’ll put it this way – I’m so very excited to be on the SFTR team! In the months ahead, we will begin taking a deeper look at what it means to prepare teachers for excellence and equity in San Francisco. This will be an exciting opportunity for some self-reflection, as more than ever before we need to be incredibly thoughtful about how we are creating equitable outcomes and opportunities for the young people in our schools. Cohort 4, here’s to an amazing year ahead!!

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Note from the Director (Continued from page 1) Elementary Schools:

Bret Harte Elementary Catherine Cuadrado Cynthia Guggenheim Roxy Cano Bryant Elementary Fernando Che Buena Vista/Horace Mann K-8 Abby Loomis Cleveland Elementary Enedina Leon Cobb Elementary Kate Roberts Daniel Webster Elementary Joseph Merschdorf Richard North El Dorado Danielle Casimiro Mary Higgins Ariana Contreras Nikki Muranaka Flynn Yohanna Roldan Stephanie Peterson José Ortega Molly Serra Junipero Sierra Meghan Elliott Sanchez Kayla Shaw SF Community Molly McDermott Sheridan Candy Cheung Starr King Carrie Sanderson Webster Anita Paramasawan

SFTR Graduate Placements

San Francisco Teacher Residency

135 Van Ness, Room: 122 San Francisco, CA 94102

415.355.3900 info@sfteacherresidency.org

2013-2014 Cohort

SFTR Quarterly Issue: 4| December 2013

sfteacherresidency.org Visit us on the web at:

Placements:

Buena Vista/Horace Mann K-8

El Dorado Elementary

Everett Middle School

Hillcrest Elementary

James Lick Middle

School

June Jordan School for Equity

John Muir

Elementary

Mission High School