2009-2010 Residency
Teaching at College View Elementary, 4th Grade

I am a Colorado native. I graduated from Arvada High School and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Regis University, where I graduated Cum Laude. In the five years since college I have worked in a wide variety of fields including audio and video production, event planning and food service, and most recently in the IT department at a large corporation.

I was very active in sports growing up, and played on an inner city youth competitive basketball team in high school. This experience allowed me to see different places and see college as an attainable goal. Despite becoming a mother shortly after high school, with support from a very large family, great friends, coaches, and teachers, I was able to go to college and become successful. I feel that one of my greatest accomplishments has been completing college while raising a young child. I hope I can be inspiration to other teen parents and prove that goals can still be achieved despite having a child at a young age.

I aspired to be a teacher, but chose the path too late into my college career. The DTR program fit me perfectly because of the hands-on experience it provided as well as the challenging coursework through the University of Denver.

I love spending four days of my week in the classroom with kids. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and provides training that could not be obtained from a book and coursework. Every day is a new experience with challenges and successes. It’s always wonderful to see the children in my classroom learn and grow.

There have definitely been surprises – balancing all of the non-academic challenges that come with being a teacher, as well as the vast difference in abilities that are all in one classroom is a huge challenge. I enjoy the challenge of keeping all the children engaged and learning across their academic differences.

Rhianna completed her residency year training at Archuleta Elementary.

I grew up in West Texas and attended the University of Texas at El Paso where I earned my Bachelor’s of Art Degree in Criminal Justice in December, 2000. I went on to work for the U.S. Pretrial Services Office as a government contractor and then as a case manager in a Federal halfway house. After moving to Denver in 2002 I worked for Adams County School District 14 for five years, first as a Migrant Education Recruiter and then as an Adult English as a Second Language Instructor.

I chose the Denver Teacher Residency because it gave me hands-on experience in the classroom, and the opportunity to earn my Master’s degree from the University of Denver at the same time. I was impressed with the extensive support network that I received as a resident, and surprised at how progressive DPS is in implementing new ideas, like this residency.

I’m looking forward to working with families to overcome the challenge of lack of parent involvement. As I work on my teaching skills, I enjoy making a difference in the kids’ lives and watching them grow as students. Rosa trained at Archuleta Elementary.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Mexico because my father, then a Mexican citizen met and later married my mother, an American, while he was touring the United States as a professional wrestler in Lucha Libre. They settled down and live in the States, but I was fortunate to have spent most summers and holidays in Mexico. Since then, my father has become a U.S. Citizen and my parents have been married for over 40 years.

I am 38 and bilingual in English and Spanish, and for six years prior to joining Denver Teacher Residency, I worked as an Interior Designer, primarily working in commercial space planning. Before starting interior design, I worked with Continental Airlines, where I got to travel extensively. I had planned on building my career there, but had to adapt my plans after major and immediate changes within the company and across the industry after 9/11. My husband and I originally moved to Denver from Colorado Springs, where he was stationed at Peterson Air Force Base; he is a Denver Firefighter, serving since 1998.

I was interested in DTR because I felt the program could be life changing for me and the students that it is meant to help. I was looking for a way to become more involved in my community and have a more meaningful career. My son is also a student in DPS, so I feel I have a personal stake in DPS’ success. I think the program gave me a unique glimpse into the future challenges of urban educators, which is realizing and understanding all the underlying challenges that many urban students wrestle with outside of school. Sometimes kids are trying to survive the best they can in their everyday world, so it’s hard for them to grasp the importance of studying and what a positive impact it will make on their future.

I did my residency at Archuleta, and preparing for these challenges has been easier with the huge amount of support I got from all the teachers and staff.

I am 42 and spent 20 years at the Rocky Mountain News as a reporter, writer and editor, covering everything from Aurora City Hall to late-night murders to the city’s concert scene. For the last nine years I was editor of the Weekend Spotlight section, one of the paper’s largest and best-read sections. I’m fairly certain I’m the only staff member in the News’ 149-year history to have interviewed both Oliver North and Carrot Top (although not at the same time).

Like 200 other News employees (and millions more in other industries) I had to plot a new course midstream. I thought, “If circumstances demand a change, why not make a real change – one that shifts how you think and ultimately makes a difference?”

After devoting half my life toward a product destined for the recycling bin, I was looking for a career that delivered lasting value. With teaching I knew each day’s work would build toward something bigger. At my age, I didn’t want to mess around, and DTR was the ideal program. It promised to load me up with experience and purposeful coursework with a very specific mission: helping urban children get the education they deserve. Michael completed his residency training at Archuleta Elementary.

I am 54 and recently married. I come from a military family, so growing up we moved around a lot and I went to many different schools. We moved to Colorado in 1972 where I completed high school at William J. Palmer in 1975. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and my Master’s in Corporate & Industrial Communications.

I spent 23 years working in telecommunications in the area of sales, contract administration, and finance. I was an accountant for five years at DPS and decided to make a career change and was a substitute teacher for six months. I’ve also done freelance writing for two local publications, Women’s Edition and the Denver Urban Spectrum.

I come from a big family, love kids, and have always been a mentor throughout my professional career. Although I’ll be the first certified educator in my immediate family, educators come from both sides of my family – on my father’s side there are several retired and active school teachers, and a current elementary school principal; on my mother’s side there are also retired and current teachers, as well as another elementary school principal, and a college professor. Linda completed her residency year training at Gust Elementary.

I graduated from Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado, studied in Granada, Spain in the fall of 2007, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bucknell University in 2009.

I’ve worked as a member of a youth leadership team at a family camp on the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada, where I managed the work and day-to-day activities of 18 teen staff members. I also interned at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children over the Summer in 2008.

I grew up in Arlee, Montana, which is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the western part of the state. I’m a member of the Salish tribe. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Montana – Missoula. During college, I worked for Reznet News, an online news web site dedicated to covering Native American and minority issues. Before being accepted to the Denver Teacher Residency, I was the education reporter for the Casper Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyoming. I chose to report on education because I believe that education is at the heart of so many issues for our country.

After spending two years reporting on schools and teachers, I knew I wanted to be on the other side of the fence. Applying to DTR is one of the best decisions I’ve made; I never imagined that I would find a job that has the power to make me laugh and cry in the same day!

I chose Denver Teacher Residency because I was interested in getting hands-on experience in teaching – right away. Sitting through years of just coursework didn’t seem like the best way to learn about this profession. I love that I was able to learn how to teach and then apply that knowledge immediately. Our classes were well thought out and on the cutting edge of education reform. It’s a thrilling experience to be part of something that has the power to change so much.

Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of planning and work that goes into making just one hour in front of the class go smoothly. I thought journalism prepared me well for being one step ahead of the game and putting in extra work, but it’s nothing compared to the hours I can spend putting together lessons, activities, and other tasks for my students. What I learned in DTR really helps me deliver relevant instruction.

The kids are really the best! During my residency year at Gust Elementary, I had 20 bright, funny, and adorable kindergartners. Despite their challenges, hey would surprise me every day with their humorous outlook on life and their genuine desire to work their hardest and do their best. It was such a privilege to have co-taught for the 2009-2010 academic year, and looking back I know that it was really good preparation for my own classroom.

My greatest learning from my residency year was how important it is to really care about each student as an individual. When a child knows you truly care about him/her, and that you’re willing to go out of your way to help, really remarkable learning can take place. I credit much of my students’ academic success to the community we work hard to build at the beginning of the year. Relationships are a key piece of teaching. I am also continually reminded that there is always something more you can be doing to make yourself a better teacher, to make the classroom a better place, and to help students become successful learners.

This continual improvement is my biggest personal challenge – learning this profession, and learning how to do it well in a condensed amount of time. There’s a sense of urgency in urban education right now, in finding and training effective teachers to lead the schools and work with the students who are falling behind more and more. That urgency underscores everything I do and gives me such purpose, but it can be extremely exhausting at the end of the day!

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from Taylor University (Upland, IN) in 2008. Prior to beginning my residency, I had been working for a year as a paraprofessional in Denver Public Schools at Maxwell Elementary. During my junior year of college I spent a semester in Tanzania where I first developed an interest in Urban Education, and throughout college my interest in Public Policy grew which led to a focus on educational policy.

I left college with a desire to gain experience in public education in order to enter the education policy arena. However, once I began working in a school last year I discovered a love for teaching. This led to my pursuit of a teaching program. I looked at a number of alternative teacher certification programs. I was drawn to Denver Teacher Residency because it addresses the civil rights issue of our time – the achievement gap – in an intentional way. It creates life-long teachers who are fully equipped to meet the foreseeable challenges. Beyond that, I’ve been surprised at the level of innovation DPS is cultivating. DPS is in a time of self-examination and honesty which I greatly value as an employee and community member.

During the residency year, I loved the practical learning in our courses and residency experience. Everything I learned could be applied the next morning when I walked through the doors, from strategies to help English language learners to strategies on how to holistically develop my students. This fed my passion for being able to develop the unbelievable talent and potential found in my students. I also enjoyed watching the growth of my students, and always look forward to finding myself as a teacher. I’m out to prove that our student’s stories have NOT been written before they enter our classrooms.

I am originally from Des Moines, Iowa and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Business Management and Women’s Studies from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Following graduation, I moved to Denver where I worked for four years in legal marketing, two at the Colorado Bar Association and two as Director of Marketing at Westin Consulting.

I chose the Denver Teacher Residency program over others I looked at because I felt that they were looking for people who wanted to see long-term success in the classroom. It was a much better fit for me than other programs aimed at college aged students because they were looking for someone who had professional experience that would serve them well in the classroom. I stand behind the program because I feel that DTR has recruited some of the finest and most professional people that I have ever met. The inaugural cohort of residents has an amazing amount of dedication and vision for the program.

I absolutely love teaching and going to work every day to work with the kids. They have incredible ideas and are so impressionable at this age. As a resident, I learned from an amazing mentor teacher who astonished me all the time and was an integral part of preparing me for success in my own classroom.

I am a Denver native. I am a Women’s Vision Foundation Scholarship Recipient for the Women’s College at the University of Denver, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Law and Society with a minor in communications in 2008. Prior to that, I spent 16 years in the work force with non-profits, banks, and as a domestic engineer.

I have defied statistics. Latino males have an incredibly high drop-out rate in Colorado and across the nation, but my oldest son just graduated from high school and is already attending college. I was pregnant with him when I graduated from high school. Because of this experience, I am committed to education and change. I am a proud single parent and believe that you can do anything you put your mind to. Nothing can stop you – not being a teen parent and not being a single parent. If you want something you have to work hard for it, and believe in yourself. I am not solely defined by my errors, but my choices to create change. I will either be part of the problem, or part of the solution, I have chosen the latter.

I completed my residency year at Harrington Elementary in 2009-10. During this year, I learned that the connection between parents and educators is essential to the success of each student. Now a full-time teacher with own classroom, my respect for educators has grown leaps and bounds. I like that every day I’m inspired by my students, who teach me far more than I will ever teach them.