SPECIAL INITIATIVES

Shared Master Teacher Model and Paid Internship Opportunity

Terrapin Teachers has implemented a new shared master teacher initiative that provides unique and exciting opportunities for our program and the local school district. The initiative involves hiring additional master teachers, but rather than the master teachers being full-time employees of the University of Maryland (UMD), the individuals are teachers in the  Montgomery County Public School System (MCPS) who are assigned by their school district to work 60% of their time with Terrapin Teachers. 

There are many advantages to this arrangement. The shared master teachers will be part of an exciting college-level program and experience college teaching. Terrapin Teachers will gain individuals who are intimately involved in the schools and bring their expertise and collaborations, and the schools join the Professional Development School (PDS) program and get access to, and involvement with Terrapin Teachers Teachers and the University of Maryland. Another added value to this shared master teacher model is that even when the master teachers return to their schools full-time, they will maintain collaboration and contact with the university, allowing for continued sharing of ideas and opportunities for Terrapin Teachers students who will complete their internships in their schools during apprentice teaching.

Our first shared master teacher who began fall 2016 was Julie Brenner, a very experienced mathematics teacher at Northwood High School.  Julie works with TT 60% of the time and spends 40% of her time teaching at Northwood High School. Her participation in Terrapin Teachers will continue for three years, after which time she will return full-time to Northwood. Using the same model, we hired two shared master teachers who joined our team during the fall 2017 semester.  Kayla Freeman, a mathematics teacher at Paint Branch High School and Steven Karig, a science teacher at Northwood High School.

The shared master teachers will co-teach our introductory courses, TLPL 101 and TLPL 102. In addition to teaching, the master teachers will serve as mentors to students in the Master's Certification program, who will complete a paid internship at the master teachers' schools.  As paid interns, the graduate students will be the teachers of record as long-term substitutes. A pilot of the paid internship model was implemented at Northwood High School during the spring 2017 semester.  Hannah McIlvried and Elyse Sauer shared a long-term substitute position in mathematics.  During the 2017-2018 academic year, Angel Yee and David Lee will fill long-term substitute positions in mathematics and science, respectively.