A Day in the Life of a Resident

Whether they are working in general education or special education, Residents teach alongside their Mentors as co-teachers in the classroom each day throughout the school year. In this way they get to see the full arc of the year, from start to finish – a unique experience for Residents versus traditional student teachers.

Residents arrive at school at the expected time for teachers to be on campus prior to the start of school. Once in their classrooms, Residents check in with their Mentors and co-plan or confirm plans for their daily lessons. They may update the lesson objective and agenda on the white board, copy and put out needed materials for the day, and ensure the classroom environment is organized and conducive for learning. 

At the start of each class, Resident teachers greet students at the door, welcoming them into class as the first relational touchpoint between teacher and student of the day. This is the first opportunity to connect with students, to see them and help them feel a sense of belonging. Fist bumps, “Hey, look at that new backpack!” or a simple, “How are you?” as students enter the room sets the tone for a safe and supportive classroom environment. Once they’re in the room, most teachers have a Do Now or bell assignment on which students begin working independently while the teachers take attendance and/or circulate to support learning. After the Do Now, teachers - that is, Residents and their Mentors - review the Do Now, identify and explain the day’s learning objective and agenda, and begin the instructional focus of the lesson.

Here, the daily routine varies according to the time of year, lesson plans, and teaching focus, but all classroom instruction is considered co-teaching. A large benefit of residency programs for host schools is that their students benefit from having two adults in the classroom to facilitate their learning. Residents and their Mentors often switch back and forth between leading instruction and supporting instruction by circulating, conducting a small group session, or working one-on-one with students. They may also parallel teach, each leading a smaller group of students through the same lesson at the same time, or they may both facilitate small group collaborative learning activities or a collaborative station rotation. Both Residents and their Mentors are responsible for checking for understanding, collecting data to verify student learning, and adjusting instruction as needed based on student understanding and skills. Students are able to rely on both teachers for questions and support, and the co-teachers can rely on each other, too. If one is struggling to reteach a concept to students, the other can step in. Residency creates a supportive learning environment for all students, children and adults.

The close of each class typically involves an Exit Ticket, a problem or task that assesses student knowledge and skill relative to the lesson objective. This data collection is a vital step for teachers as it informs their upcoming lessons – what needs review or reteaching, and what is mastered so that learning can progress. Teachers collect these from students as they are dismissed from class, bringing closure to the lesson. Again, this is another opportunity to connect with students as the teacher collects exit tickets, validating their effort (“You were so focused today!”), celebrating their growth (“Your hard work paid off – look how far you’ve come just this week!”), or confirming their value (“It was so good having you in class today”).

During prep periods, Residents and their Mentors often engage in structured coaching sessions. These may be focused on reviewing and analyzing student data such as exit tickets, reflecting on the efficacy of instructional practices or the quality of instructional moves, problem-solving a classroom management issue such as distractions during class, or co-planning future lessons. Residents may also use these prep periods to learn from their Mentor how to grade or assess student work, how to make phone calls home and professionally communicate with parents, or how to collaborate in meetings between Inclusion Specialists and general education teachers regarding the progress and needs of students with disabilities.

At the end of the school day, it is not uncommon for students to visit teachers, as they seek extra support or tutoring or a quiet place to study. Residents and Mentors often use this time to connect with students, in ways that affirm the child’s whole identity. It’s a unique time of the day, when students and teachers share laughs and stories, getting to know each other as whole people, not just as teacher or student. 

One afternoon a week is dedicated to professional development at the school site. During this time, school leaders may review expectations for classroom-based procedures and routines, focus on developing specific instructional strategies schoolwide, or provide grade-level or departmental collaboration time. These sessions are critical opportunities for a Resident to engage with an array of colleagues all focused on their own and each other’s professional development. The supportive, growth-oriented culture created by school leaders during weekly PDs is an important aspect of learning to become a teacher. 

Though many schools are changing the ways they assess or grade students, or the ways in which they assign homework, if at all, it is still typical especially of new teachers to take work home at night or on weekends to complete. Don’t worry – as your competence and confidence grows with each year of teaching under your belt, you’ll develop for yourself systems that help you be efficient and effective at school so you have less to do at home. But Residents and new teachers are still learning themselves, and both they and their students benefit from that extra time spent writing lesson plans, creating materials or assignments, or providing feedback on student work. It’s worth it! Because you are a passionate and dedicated educator, because you are grounded in your purpose of providing high quality equitable learning experiences for all your students, your extra time at home is not time wasted – it is your personal insurance that you’re doing the best you can as you initiate into the greatest profession on earth.