UES Student experiences life in a classroom and in the policy world
April 17th, 2008 by webmaster
Venture’s Urban Education Semester provides undergraduate students the opportunity to learn about the theory and practice of urban education by combining formal studies with an experience in k-12 public schools. During the Spring 2008 Semester, one UES student has embarked on a unique placement experience. Max Familian, Vassar College ‘09, spends half of his placement time working on projects at the Renaissance Charter School and the rest of his time working for Teachers Unite.
UES students have spent their semesters learning from and supporting a variety of New York City classrooms and schools. Max’s experience with Teachers Unite provides a new way for UES students to learn from and contribute to the efforts of NYC educators. Teachers Unite is a membership organization of New York City public school teachers who are dedicated to building an informed teacher constituency. Teachers Unite describes itself as an organization for educators who act in solidarity with the communities they serve.
While Max has been making contributions to Renaissance School and Teachers Unite, his experience at both has provided a great learning experience:
The opportunity to do an internship at Teachers Unite and work on administrative projects at Renaissance in addition to my time in the classroom has been fantastic. Not only can I trace connections between all three of my jobs, but I’m getting multiple perspectives on several different issues related to education policy. It’s the perfect situation for me- I’m able to expand my knowledge of policy while getting direct exposure to the classroom. Even though I don’t think I will become a teacher, I realize how important it is to spend time in the classroom and get a grasp of many of the issues teachers face. Working at Teachers Unite has helped me begin to really understand the politics of the New York public school system and be involved with an organization looking to make real change. ~ Max Familian
As part of the Urban Education Semester, students are asked to complete a final project which combines their interests with a need that they observe in their placement. Max plans on combining his experience in his placements for a project that will focus on school safety. He has been working on that issue with Teachers Unite. Additionally, he has been planning a classroom curriculum in which the students will write editorials or do a project regarding what they think is important to maintain safety in schools. His final presentation will have aspects of both my policy work and classroom project.