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VIDEO: What Did You Learn In The Teaching Fellowship?

After getting her Master’s in social work, Adriana Hernandez wanted to explore education reform and policy from within the classroom.

“I wanted to see an organization that worked in education reform, that was a successful organization that could serve as a model, and help me build a foundation for what I want to do when I grow up,” she says. “I really want to be a consultant or researcher, an analyst on education policy.”

The experience of being a Teaching Fellow at Dever-McCormack School in Boston has opened her eyes.

“It was great to get that opportunity to teach and to learn all the strategies behind teaching. I didn’t realize my teachers had plans when they were coming into to teach me when I was younger!”

The challenge has been daunting, but service has always been a core part of what she wanted from the experience. “We are in AmeriCorps, so we go above and beyond. We work a lot of hours. I’ve grown so much. I feel like whatever job I do next is going to be a piece of cake compared to what I did at Citizens Schools. To go that far in a year and a half is just awesome.”

Teach, serve, and grow with Adriana for the next two years–you’ll make a lifetime of difference.

Apply now!

VIDEO: What Is The Key To Success In The Teaching Fellowship?

Justin Lawson doesn’t want to offend the other Teaching Fellows, but he does think he has an advantage some of them don’t have.

“I’m from the area. I see myself in the the kids I’m working with, using the same lingo. It’s just a great opportunity to give back to the community that I grew up in. I feel like they believe me a little bit more.”

He draws on his psychology and communication studies from the University of Hartford in the classrooms where he serves in Boston’s Irving Middle School.

“They have to believe that you believe in them to succeed. Build a relationship with your students. And it might not seem like it will happen this year, but later on they’re going to remember you and the opportunities that you gave them.”

He keeps that long view even as the daily challenge of inspiring students can be intense. “As the students are learning, I’m learning at the same time. It’s not like a one-way street, with me having to just teach and them to grow. It’s for both of us.”

Teach, serve, and grow with Justin for the next two years–you’ll make a lifetime of difference.

Apply Now!

VIDEO: What Is The Most Rewarding Part Of The Teaching Fellowship?

Michelle Carter was born and raised in North Carolina, and moved from Chapel Hill to serve in Citizen Schools’ National Teaching Fellowship at Irving Middle School in Boston.

“I really liked how they give students the opportunity to learn about careers and expose them to it in middle school,” she says. “Just the opportunity to teach and give back really led me on this path to come to Citizen Schools.”

She’s aware that she’s making a difference every day. “A lot of the students that I work with, they don’t really value themselves. And just being there to listen to them, work with them, encourage them even when they’re having a bad day. Like, ‘What’s going on?’ That really means a lot to them, to have somebody in their corner supporting them every day. I think it makes a huge difference in their life.”

And the benefit is mutual. “You definitely gain time management skills, organization skills, working on a team, cooperation. You gain skills in just about every professional development realm. Any path that you want to take after Citizens Schools, the Fellowship will help you with. It really prepares you for the real world.”

Teach, serve, and grow with Michelle for the next two years–you’ll make a lifetime of difference.

Apply now! 

A Perfect Pairing: Tech Companies & Middle Schools

In music, everyone knows that good things come in pairs – Hall and Oates, Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher. Less obvious, however, are the pairs that drive success for students – hands-on learning and more time, Citizen Teachers and Teaching Fellows and, one of our favorites, technology companies and middle schools.

At Citizen Schools, the latter pairing enables us to deliver high-quality, experiential STEM learning opportunities to underserved students across the country, and EMC has been at the forefront of that effort since 2008. In that time, EMC has…

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VIDEO: Fidelity’s Investments In Kids

Citizen Schools connects companies from every sector to middle schools. Some of the deepest connections have come through a partnership with Fidelity Investments.

Citizen Schools’ 2013 gala, A WOW! Affair, honored Fidelity for this partnership. This video introduces us to the company’s dedicated volunteers, who connect their passions for writing, finance, and technology to the dreams of Boston’s young people.

NOTE: Fidelity’s new video has been taken down for maintenance! We’ll get it back up soon. Meanwhile, here’s a profile of one of the volunteers and his class.

Over the last 15 years, almost 900 Fidelity employees have volunteered to teach Citizen Schools students across the country. That’s about 7,000 volunteer hours, bringing to life more than 100 apprenticeships in topics ranging from financial literacy to drumming, from robotics to web design.

WOW! indeed.

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