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The aspiring educators volunteer 90 minutes a day, four days a week, leading reading groups and doing other activities to help support the school-wide Response to Intervention program. Known more commonly as RTI, the academic model provides individualized instruction and gives extra support to kids who are struggling to keep up with their peers in literacy.
After working in classrooms, the Saint Martin’s students gather at the elementary school for a 90-minute course on curriculum and instruction, classroom management and assessment.
The location is important because students are able to immediately talk about what they experienced that day, said Mark Haddock, an associate professor and director of the School Administration program at Saint Martin’s.
But it’s not just about convenience. “They still feel a part of the setting,” Haddock said. “It gives them a feeling of belongingness and home.”
This is the second year Saint Martin’s and Lacey Elementary have worked on the partnership that benefits students from both schools.
“I just describe it as a classic win-win,” said Lacey principal Gary Culbertson. “The teachers love the help, and the university students love the experience.”
Saint Martin’s students say they like the hands-on learning that fits in with their coursework.
“I read it, and then I’m watching it be applied in the classroom, and then I’m like, ‘Wow, this actually works,’” said Saint Martin’s student Laura Lemoine, 37, of Lacey.
According to Haddock, most teaching schools don’t require classroom observation or student teaching until the last year of a program. This program is getting university students into a classroom much earlier than most.
“The difference here is not only are they observing, but they are also assisting and co-teaching at times,” Haddock added.
Since they observe and experience many of the same challenges as a regular classroom teacher, the program also helps university students discover whether teaching is their true calling, Culbertson said.
“Those students have a chance to say, ‘Do I really want to go in this field? Is this really for me?’” he said.
On a recent morning, as part of a classroom management lesson, the Saint Martin’s students shared examples of how the teachers they work with foster positive relationships with kids.
Anthony Johnson, 44, explained that the teacher he works with greets students every day with a high-five, a fist-bump or a pat on the back.
“It motivates them,” he said. “It sets the tone for the entire day.”
And it’s something Johnson, who recently retired from the Army, wants to try with students when he becomes a teacher.
Yvette Sherbert, 30, said the class has given her an opportunity to work with students at various grade levels.
“I am learning a lot from them,” she said.
Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433
lpemberton@theolympian.com
