2010-2011 Residency Completing residency at Cole Arts & Science Academy, 1st Grade
I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and was exposed to the world of teaching growing up while my mom worked as a first grade teacher. More recently, I have lived in Omaha, NE for the past four years while attending college before moving to Denver. I am very passionate about traveling and have had amazing opportunities to learn about education abroad – especially during a study abroad trip to Peru. While on this trip, I was able to live in both rural Andean settings as well as in an Amazonian village where I helped to teach English and documented the education that children were receiving so that the government could provide them with more funding. Being in these settings has made me very passionate about ensuring that all children receive a quality education in a setting where they feel secure and can develop their own confidence and life goals. From this background, I became very committed to empowering others through education and hope to continue that in the Denver Teacher Residency.
I graduated in May from Creighton University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish. While in school, I had the opportunity to teach Spanish classes at an elementary school in rural Iowa that really helped to ignite my love of teaching. Through this experience, I also became involved in urban education programs in Omaha and used my background of Anthropology to research child preparation and other family situations within this realm. This research really worked to expand my view of education and I have loved getting involved in special education initiatives as well as English as a second language programs.
I chose Denver Teacher Residency because it seemed like the perfect fit for me. It not only completely prepares residents with best practices and plenty of hands-on learning in the classroom, it also focuses on wider issues such as closing the achievement gap and delving into situations specific within an urban setting. In addition to this focus on specifically urban education, I also really love the attention it gives to English language learners and how it teaches us specific strategies to help make these students more successful. Overall, the goal of the program – to provide all students with an excellent education – really fits in with my own personal mission to teach the whole child in the most effective way possible.
I am very excited to be in the classroom setting and developing my own teaching style and classroom culture. Urban teachers today have the amazing opportunity to offer a holistic education to children that not only teaches them academic content, but that also instills in them the confidence to create and pursue their own dreams because they know they have all the support and necessary preparation to succeed despite any challenges that may exist in their lives.
Caitlin O’Brien
2010-2011 Residency
Completing residency at Cole Arts & Science Academy, 1st Grade
I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and was exposed to the world of teaching growing up while my mom worked as a first grade teacher. More recently, I have lived in Omaha, NE for the past four years while attending college before moving to Denver. I am very passionate about traveling and have had amazing opportunities to learn about education abroad – especially during a study abroad trip to Peru. While on this trip, I was able to live in both rural Andean settings as well as in an Amazonian village where I helped to teach English and documented the education that children were receiving so that the government could provide them with more funding. Being in these settings has made me very passionate about ensuring that all children receive a quality education in a setting where they feel secure and can develop their own confidence and life goals. From this background, I became very committed to empowering others through education and hope to continue that in the Denver Teacher Residency.
I graduated in May from Creighton University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish. While in school, I had the opportunity to teach Spanish classes at an elementary school in rural Iowa that really helped to ignite my love of teaching. Through this experience, I also became involved in urban education programs in Omaha and used my background of Anthropology to research child preparation and other family situations within this realm. This research really worked to expand my view of education and I have loved getting involved in special education initiatives as well as English as a second language programs.
I chose Denver Teacher Residency because it seemed like the perfect fit for me. It not only completely prepares residents with best practices and plenty of hands-on learning in the classroom, it also focuses on wider issues such as closing the achievement gap and delving into situations specific within an urban setting. In addition to this focus on specifically urban education, I also really love the attention it gives to English language learners and how it teaches us specific strategies to help make these students more successful. Overall, the goal of the program – to provide all students with an excellent education – really fits in with my own personal mission to teach the whole child in the most effective way possible.
I am very excited to be in the classroom setting and developing my own teaching style and classroom culture. Urban teachers today have the amazing opportunity to offer a holistic education to children that not only teaches them academic content, but that also instills in them the confidence to create and pursue their own dreams because they know they have all the support and necessary preparation to succeed despite any challenges that may exist in their lives.