Highlights from Summer Institute

This past summer, Citizen Schools California kicked off the year with Summer Institute, where rising and returning campus staff came together to prepare for the school year ahead of them. New Teaching Fellows came from all over the country, eager to tackle the opportunity gap that our students face. They learned skills such as lesson planning, classroom management and culturally responsive teaching.

Special thanks to Charlie Skidmore, Professional Development Director and Seung Lee, Director of Program for organizing such an inspiring and engaging training program.

In reflecting upon the training, Charlie says: 

“Renee LeMieux, a returning Teaching Fellow, set the tone for Summer Institute during Week 1, when she spoke in a panel to emerging Teaching Fellows. She reflected on the challenges she faced in the first few months while working with students, and on her own integrity in making a commitment to Citizen Schools and to our students. Renee went on to say that she forged a deep friendship with her fellow TFs and her Campus Director, allowing her to overcome the challenges and become successful in her job. Renee's honest reflection about the challenges she faced and the successes she achieved touched all of the Teaching Fellows in the room, and helped solidify their commitment to the training and the work they would undertake on campus.” 

The training facilitators demonstrated classroom management techniques through their own presentations during Summer Institute. They began with engaging activities, provided relevant examples and facilitated group discussions throughout the day. By the end of training, our campus staff walked away having formed new, meaningful relationships with their peers and a strong sense of excitement for the work ahead. 

 Seung recalls: 

“To wrap up Summer Institute, we read a WOW! speech given by a Citizen Schools student reflecting on his middle school journey. In his speech, he expressed how appreciative he was of Citizen Schools, and that our program provided him not only with his best friends, but with meaningful connections with Teaching Fellows. After the speech, the Teaching Fellows could see what a major role they play in our students' lives. It was a great way to capture three engaging weeks of Summer Institute.” 

We are excited to have a dedicated, energetic, service-minded group of individuals serving this year. We can’t wait to see the impact they will make!