RELAY/GSE Teacher pathways.

Summer has arrived and some of our English majors are taking this opportunity to acquire knowledge and experience beyond our archipelago.

Our student Keysalis Fermin is one of those, thanks to a program called the Relay Summer Experience, which is a teaching fellowship for undergraduate students who are enrolled on education courses or want to explore teaching. The program, which last six weeks, is an academic summer program that helps elementary school kids get ahead in their learning and prevent academic loss information.

After being advised by Prof. Rosa Roman, Keysalis decided to look into Uncommon Schools, an organization that manages outstanding urban charter schools around the country. Through there she found the Relay Graduate School of Education and learned about their program which she is now a part of. The application process, which she describes as easy and fun, consist of a standard application of interest and if accepted, video interviews.

In the three weeks she has been there she has been able to reaffirm her passion and love for teaching. She describes her experience so far as an ongoing learning experience in which she has been able to engage with like minded individuals who strive for the same things she does, a place where the motivation is everlasting and where she is surrounded with talented teachers and students. In the time she has left she hopes to gain as much experience as possible. Keysalis wants to come back home with strategies and techniques she can use in the classroom as well as with some real experiences.

To her fellow students who are interested in doing a summer program like this one she would like to say, “jump on the opportunity as soon as it is available to you, do not miss the chance to be a part of a cohort of fellow teachers who are working hard to achieve greater things for the success of schools around the nation is a blessing and very hard to come by. Be open to constant feedback and most importantly have an open mind, be open to new experiences, have fun!”

If you want to learn more about this internship you can go to Relay Graduate School of Education page to read more about their program.