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Susan Gentry, the MU Fellows mentor at Lawson Elementary School, third from right, with her current and former MU Teaching Fellows, from left, Kristen Hoberg, Kim Everding, Savanna Green, Jessica Ballew and Katie Bennett.

Two elementary schools in the Hazelwood School District have partnered with the University of Missouri (MU) and its Teaching Fellowship Program. Walker Elementary School is in its first year with the program while Lawson Elementary School is in its third year.

To begin, MU education students enroll in the Senior Year On-Site Program (SYOSP). During the first semester, they spend three days a week observing classes in each grade level for two weeks. During the second semester, they begin student teaching. Lawson has three SYOSP students this year.

Next, SYOSP students can apply to the MU Teaching Fellowship Program. Once accepted and matched with a school, they complete a master’s degree that emphasizes learning and instruction. The fellowship program is a rigorous one offered by the university and the MU Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER).

“The school makes a list of candidates it’s interested in and the Fellows make a list of the schools that interest them,” said Susan Gentry, the MU Fellows mentor at Lawson. The matches become partnerships. Lawson has two Fellows who are fifth grade teachers and three full-time teachers who graduated from the program last year. Walker has two MU Fellows who teach kindergarten and second grade.

Being a mentor comes with responsibilities. The first and most important responsibility is to the Fellows. Mentors provide support and feedback, collect data for action research, co-teach or team teach, model and share district curriculum, instructional strategies, policies and procedures.

Another responsibility is to the school and district. Mentors assist other first- and second-year teachers; work with small groups of students and offer professional development. The final responsibility is to MU. Mentors supervise MU interns, SYOSP students, complete an action-based research project (first year) or teach the class (second year) and act as liaisons for schools.

At Walker, Teaching Fellows Becky Coleman and Katie Sullivan enjoy the staff support and described a challenge to entering a classroom for the first time as the full-time teacher.

“The support we have here is great,” Coleman said. “I’m not just on my own; I always have someone to go to if I have a question.”

Sullivan illustrated a stark difference between stepping into a teacher’s shoes for a day versus having to do it all on her own.

“In student teaching, I could ease my way in and figure out the classroom expectations,” Sullivan said. “This year, creating my own environment and expectations were much more difficult.”

Coleman said her MU Fellows mentor at Walker, Stephanie Thompson, provides feedback for improvement.

“I think it’s going really well for the Fellows,” Thompson said. “I am gaining so much, too. Just observing new teachers give me new ideas to try in the classroom. First-year teachers get so much support in this program, grade-level team support, plus my efforts. I know as a first-year teacher, it would have been awesome to have this kind of support.”

Kim Everding, a second grade teacher at Lawson who participated in the Fellows program last year, explained how she laid her teaching foundations before enrolling in the program.

“I spent a lot of time in high school tutoring,” she said. “I really like kids and I really like this program.”

Gentry took a moment to praise Everding for her work.

“On walkthroughs, administrators will exit her room and discuss what she taught. Our principal, Dr. Betty Scheller, tells them, ‘She’s a first year teacher,’ and the administrators are amazed,” Gentry said.

Kristen Hoberg, another former Fellow, teaches third grade at Lawson this year.

“The biggest struggle is at the beginning of the year and classroom management,” Hoberg said. “I found a balance between being a nice teacher and being a strict teacher. This year has gone much more smoothly because I knew what I needed to do and when to do it.”

Jamie Lomax, Shari Hutson and Joe Genenbacher are the current Lawson SYOSP students.

“We talked about the different levels within one classroom in college, but when you’re in the room, you see how different each child is,” Lomax said. She has observed first, second and third grades so far this year.

Savanna Green, a full-time fifth grade teacher at Lawson, graduated from this program. She described her MU Fellows experience.

“It’s just an exhausting learning experience the whole way through,” Green said. “I feel like I have learned a lot along the way. As a graduate student, I was in awe of what teachers accomplished in a given time period. Anything you thought you knew as a student teacher, you really didn’t know.

“I originally wanted to teach younger students but Dr. Scheller persuaded me to teach fifth grade and now I love it,” Green said. “As a student teacher, you walked into a class where the routines were established. I just took over,” Green said. “But as a regular teacher, it was much different.”

Katie Bennett, one of the two Fellows teaching with Green at Lawson this year, described an aspect of teaching that appeals to her.

“I like planning interesting activities so students and I know what the objective is and they learn what they are supposed to,” Bennett said. “It’s been helpful to have Susan’s mentorship and that of my teammates.”

Jessica Ballew, the other fifth grade Fellow at Lawson, discussed one of her favorite parts of being a fifth grade teacher.

“I like the conversations I have with my kids,” she said. “I love the interactions we have.”

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