I liked the real teaching experience I was able to obtain.
What I wish was different
I wish that the internship was not so competitive and intimidating in nature. Being told that you were competing for a return offer felt weird and ridiculous.
Advice
Come into the job with an open mind and find your people. Don't let work bullies ruin your experience.
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3rd Grade Teacher
May - July 2018 • New York City, NY
What I liked
Learning instructional skills
Meeting current veteran teachers
Receiving coaching and feedback
What I wish was different
Learning more about the school's outreach to the community
Advice
Time management is key to being a successful teacher!
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Student Intern
May - June 2022 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
It was an amazing experience being somewhere new. I’m met at a lot of amazing people and made a lot of new friends. I made so many new connections while learning so much of what uncommon had to offer while being able to spend some time with some pretty dope kids.
What I wish was different
The timeliness on their party. Also, a clear timeframe on when money is supposed to be given. I know a lot of interns struggled with their finances during that time and we had to end up asking for more money to help with groceries and necessities before our first payout!
Advice
Take in everything you learn. all info is so vital and will help you in the future! Also don’t be afraid to speak up!
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Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)
May - June 2022 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I like being able to teach a classroom of students and get feedback from teachers on how to improve classroom management and deliver lessons.
What I wish was different
I wish I could have done more phonic or math lessons as we focus heavily on reading comparison.
Advice
Have an open mind and be be ready foe feedback
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - June 2022 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
1:1 mentorship, classroom experience, lesson planning, professional development sessions, housing provided, food stipends, gas stipend, staff support and inclusive culture.
What I wish was different
I wish we had more time delivering lessons in front of actual students.
Advice
Fully immerse yourself in your host school. Go all in, get to know the students and teachers there as it will pay off later.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - June 2021 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
In the internship with Uncommon, I experienced a lot of professional growth. I was constantly being held accountable and always received constructive feedback, Throughout the program, I received real-time feedback from my mentors and peers. With constant feedback and different professional development, I really felt supported and confident to succeed in teaching after this program. This program gave me a different perspective on how to approach teaching by making it more interactive and individually tailored for each student. I loved how I felt like I was apart of a family. Thank you STF for such a great experience.
What I wish was different
I had this experience via zoom due to covid. I would have liked to done it in person.
Advice
I would share that this is a great experience if you would like to gain a different perspective and approaches to teaching also, its good for growth in professional development.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2021 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I really liked a lot of the teaching strategies we utilized, and in general I loved getting some teaching practice.
What I wish was different
Advice
Listen to their methods and ideals and really see if you agree with them.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
June - July 2020 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I loved the environment Uncommon Schools created not just for the students, but also for us new teachers.
What I wish was different
I would’ve loved to be in an actual classroom instead of over Zoom.
Advice
Don’t discount yourself or your experiences when applying. Even if you don’t feel prepared, jump into it and be ready to soak it all in.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
June - July 2020 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
The biggest factor that I found most enjoyable was the true devotion to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion! The supervising team was so intentional about the recognition and validity of all in the program was amazing, which led to great rapport building for the interns of the cohort.
What I wish was different
I do wish that the experience could have been in-person but due to our current situation, that was not possible.
Advice
A piece of advice that I would share is to be completely open minded about the experience and what you will learn. Un Common’s teaching method was very different to anything I had been exposed to, so there is a bit of a learning curve if you come into the program with a set expectation.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
June - July 2020 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
Gave me real life classroom management skills as well as professional experience!
What I wish was different
Being in-person, however, this was out of Uncommon's hands. They did a great job with the virtual experience!
Advice
Apply early! Getting your STF application in early almost guarantees your first choice school/location :)
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summer teaching fellow
June - July 2018 • New York City, NY
What I liked
This was a very hands-on experience with help and support every step of the way. I had a chance to actually teach in my own classroom for three weeks and gained so much experience.
What I wish was different
I wish there was a way to choose your mentor teacher.
Advice
Be ready to grow and push yourself everyday.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
It exposed me to what the charter school system in New York is like and gave me ample opportunities to work with children. I also appreciated the amount of leadership they gave fellows considering our level of experience. It was also very satisfying to leave the summer with a full-time post-grad job opportunity.
What I wish was different
Uncommon Schools is a very rigid institution that holds children to exceedingly high behavioral standards. Behavioral management was the number one thing I spent my time doing. This was not because of how badly behaved the students were, but about how strict the school are.
Advice
It is worth doing to learn about the reality of being a teacher and see the inner workings of the charter school system. This is a rigorous 7 weeks that should only be undertaken by someone with a deep commitment to education who is willing to conform to the system of a school they might not agree with.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
June - August 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I love being able to work in New York for a summer. It was such an amazing opportunity, especially since this was a junior program, I only was able to have this opportunity once in my career. It opened my eyes to see that there is so much world out there to see and experience, that when I graduate, I want to be able to work outside of Wisconsin.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Know that this fellowship is a huge time commitment. Being in New York, you will want to experience so much while you are there, but you also have to remember why you are there, and that is to get as much out of this program as possible.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
I loved the Cohort I worked alongside. We all are at the same points in our academic career and could encourage each other daily. The children I got to instruct this summer really made my time worthwhile! I also liked being able to travel to New York easily on the weekends.
What I wish was different
I wish we would have received our travel reimbursements earlier in our internship process. Sometimes the workload required of us was extensive and had short turn around times for implementation.
Advice
I would advise those to be able to be fully independent in a new area . If you do not have relatives , or people in the location you are selected to intern at, getting around can be difficult. Be prepared to spend money on public transportation.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
The program focused on extensive training and mentorship with an abundance of support from various resources.
What I wish was different
Advice
Go in with an open mind.
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Summer teaching fellow intern
May - July 2019 • Boston, MA
What I liked
I loved having a mentor that I could learn from. This mentor coached me in every step of teaching in summer school.
What I wish was different
Being able to start observing at your host school sooner so that you would get a chance to see what really goes on in the classroom. When we started observing our assigned classes at our schools. Students were being tested so no actual teaching was happening.
Advice
Starting this internship, you might feel like it is overwhelming like I thought it was, however, it is important that you get yourself completely involved in this experience. Not only will you grow, but you will get to connect with many professionals that have been either teaching or impacting student's lives in some other ways. In other words, go all in!
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I loved the hands-on teaching experience, the bonding between the fellows, and the location of the provided apartments.
What I wish was different
Nothing, I had a fantastic time.
Advice
Immerse yourself in the culture of the schools and the area. Also, be receptive to new ideas and feedback.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
I loved how well structured Uncommon was. I was happy that before we started teaching, we attended workshops and received a mentor. Everything ran smoothly, which made the internship ever more enjoyable. I felt very prepared to teach by the time I began.
What I wish was different
I wish we had more free time.
Advice
Be prepared to work with people of all different walks of life. Also, understand that you are going to be a major influence in the lives of many children that need you, so do not apply if you do not genuinely care about the children. The children make all of the work worth it.
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Summer Teaching Fellow
May - July 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Go in with an open mind and heart! This experience will change your life :)
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Middle School Teacher Intern
May - July 2019 • Newark, NJ
What I liked
The Summer Teaching Fellowship program showed me the intersection between professionalism and political impact on history. Above all the soft skills that I have attained from the experience, I have learned to put my heart into my work and trusting that it will pay off in personal investment and worldly impact.
What I wish was different
I have had a great experience with my cohort, the other interns beside me. Although we have grown tremendously from the program, we would've benefitted early on from a Professional Development session on formality in the work place before we entered deep into the experience.
Advice
Know that teaching is the one profession that stems all the other dreams and goals. When you are teaching your kids, you are sustaining their abilities and dreams.
