More than 100 students from across the country took part this summer in the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois scholarship program at Saint Xavier University in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.
The scholarship program identifies talented high school seniors and first- and second-year college students who have the potential and ambition to excel as teachers in high-need schools, according to goldenapple.org.
Among the key parts of the program were reflective seminars, during which students discussed what they were learning in the program.
“I really like the experience you receive here,” said Saint Xavier student Patricia Clohessy, 19, of Alsip. “There are benefits to this program that are not available in a traditional college classroom setting.”
As part of the program, the scholars attend four Summer Institute sessions, where they receive 700 hours of classroom experience before college graduation — three times more classroom experience than traditionally prepared teachers receive.
“These students are being taught by award-winning teachers,” scholars program associate director Dannielle Mitchell said.
All 111 of the students in the program at Saint Xavier were in between their freshman and sophomore years of college.
During mornings, they took part in internships in summer school programs throughout the Southland. In the afternoons, they attended classes taught by award-winning teachers and scholars on topics such as educational philosophy, assessment, best practice and more.
The program incorporates a family feel, according to Illinois State student Alec Rigik, 19, of Oak Lawn.
“I really like the family environment in addition to the professional development classes,” he said.
There were 10 individual reflective seminar groups, which met once a week. Each group included an experienced teacher and a scholar liaison, as well as 10 to 13 scholars.
“We like to describe Reflective Seminar as ‘idealist boot camp,’ ” Mitchell said. “During seminars, scholars share their on-site experiences and struggles and help one another decide on strategies to best serve students. They laugh together, cry together, learn together and share experiences together. The goal is to help these future educators internalize the process of reflective teaching.”
“During reflective seminars, the group of scholars makes observations and discusses questions and what they’ve learned from their classroom experiences,” Kennedy said.
Scholars are specifically taught to handle the most-challenging teaching environments. Throughout college and during their first five years of teaching, scholars receive mentoring and academic support from Golden Apple fellows and faculty, according to Mitchell.
They also receive financial assistance, in exchange for a commitment to teach for at least five years exclusively in Illinois schools of need.
“It’s really not unlike a group of future doctors going on rounds and discussing particular cases and methods of treatment,” Mitchell said, “Research shows that the best educators are constantly reflecting on their practice, and our Reflective Seminar groups help model this process that we hope will follow them throughout their teaching careers.”
Kelly White is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
