GREENFIELD — Director of Teaching and Learning Greg Runyan is pleased to report that the Greater Commonwealth Virtual School played a key role in assisting University of Massachusetts education students with their student-teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UMass Amherst College of Education offers several teacher preparation programs leading to bachelor’s degrees as well as graduate programs leading to a Master of Education, Doctor of Philosophy and Education Specialist degrees.
One of the main components to earning one of these degrees is immersive student teaching experiences with partner schools throughout the region. These placements were put on hold when placement schools switched to remote learning at the height of the pandemic, but UMass students still needed to complete the requirements of their programs.
UMass contacted GCVS during last school year to find to find a solution to this problem. There was a need for student-teacher placements in the areas of English, science, and special education.
GCVS worked to connect UMass’ pre-practicum and practicum students with virtual classes in each of these subject areas. Student-teachers were placed in virtual classes at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
GCVS middle school science teacher Jack Czajkowski is a UMass graduate who is an alumnus of the teaching program. Having experienced both the UMass student-teaching program and the virtual school environment, he knew how GCVS was uniquely positioned to help UMass students meet their student-teaching needs during the pandemic.
“So much of student teaching is hands-on interaction with the kids, and that wasn’t possible during the pandemic due to remote learning,” Czajkowski said. “But bridging the gap between being able to connect with students and the limitations of remote learning is what the teachers at Greater Commonwealth Virtual Schools specialize in. Our specialized approach to education gives us a unique perspective on not only the value of virtual learning but also how to quickly adapt when students’ needs change. This proved to be true to UMass student teachers as well, and we were able to accommodate their varied requirements and responsibilities.”
Even during the early stages of the pandemic, Czajkowski saw firsthand the shift in the need for teachers to be comfortable with remote learning.
“It’s another tool teachers can have in their toolbox,” Czajkowski said. “Being able to communicate with an entire classroom of students in a virtual environment is not easy, as students can become distracted, others may have their cameras off and you can’t see their faces, and there can be technical issues as well. Doing your student-teaching through a virtual school will prepare you for a successful career in education, even after the pandemic ends.”
GCVS staff worked to ensure that student teachers preserved connections between the UMass students and the classroom students they worked with, and also the student teachers and the faculty members who mentored them.
One of the UMass student teachers who worked with GCVS during the year was Chrystal Zajchowski, who has since gone on to land a teaching position at a school in the Pioneer Valley.
Zajchowski said she went into college thinking she wanted to teach high school science, but after her experience working with GCVS she found that she preferred to teach middle schoolers. Rather than being a limitation, the virtual environment allowed her to interact with different classrooms in a way she wouldn’t have been able to do in a traditional student-teaching setting.
“Student teaching at GCVS was not the conventional way I thought I would be spending my practicum, but I was pleasantly surprised with my experience,” she said. “I was lucky and got to experience all three middle school grades, and many different teaching styles throughout the team, which I believe made me a stronger educator. It was easy to pop into other classrooms and observe, and see what I could adapt into my teaching and what might not fit with my future development as a teacher.”
As a first-year teacher there are still many things Zajchowski is adjusting to her teaching style, but through working with GCVS teachers she learned the importance of teamwork and collaboration in the world of education.
“If it were not for my colleagues both at GCVS and the school I teach at now, I would be at a disadvantage in teaching,” Zajchowski said. ‘My co-workers have become people that I can go to in order to talk about classroom management strategies, student behaviors and curriculum planning. In order to overcome the most difficult year of teaching, I have learned that using your resources, including co-workers, can be your biggest benefit.”
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