By Basil Tutza

For the School of Education's elementary education majors, hands-on classroom experience is just as important as academic instruction; and, luckily, the co-op experience model provides the perfect pipeline from field work to full-time instruction, starting at every student's first year of learning.

This year, utilizing a combination of a grant from AmeriCorps and a generous donation by longtime School of Education supporters, Lisa and John McNichol, four students were granted fully-paid co-ops at Belmont Academy Charter School in West Philadelphia; an opportunity which, for all four students, has paid off in more than just money.

Belmont Academy Charter School, or BACS, houses pre-K students aged 3 – 5, a fact which, for its co-ops, has offered both a challenge and a chance to broaden their horizons. Classroom 101's Kate Rosanova echoes this: "While I love working with much younger children, pre-K is so much different than even the kindergarten level. This really makes me want to try out teaching in a slightly older classroom."

Around 10 a.m., Classroom 101's students are seated on the carpet, voting for which version of "The Three Little Pigs" they'd like to have read that morning. Rosanova sits with them, gently directing them toward their assigned spots.

"As the oldest of five children," Rosanova would later say, "I was something like an in-house babysitter. I grew up helping my parents out—and, luckily, really enjoying it. I started finding more opportunities to work with children, and my love of education grew from there."

Outside the bustling doorway of Classroom 102, Michelle Wu stresses how the mentor system is the co-ops' greatest asset.

"My mentor teachers are amazing. They chat with me about everything from Belmont operations to my personal life. They've made it a mission to really integrate me into the school community."

Classroom 102 is perhaps the loudest of the classrooms, with what feels like a stormy sea of pre-K students sorted into various activity-defined centers. Though not the only class which starts its morning in groups, Wu had the unique challenge of running the class with only one other teacher present—in a classroom which, normally, has four.

Despite that, no student is aimless. Their energy, guided prominently by Wu's steady presence, is high-level without being overwhelming, an overlapping array of tiny voices each focused on their assigned station.

Wu, like Rosanova, entered the co-op with experience in slightly older classes. "But, recently, I've been really picturing myself in the pre-K space," Wu adds. "I've really enjoyed the kids' company, and they're really cute."

On the next floor up, Classroom 202's Elizabeth McGrath is grappling with an entirely different classroom environment. Though the kids are still sorted into centers, McGrath is able to offer more individual support by working with a student at the craft table, sorting out a play-dispute over baby doll custody, and miming eating the spicy, plastic food the kids at the play kitchen offer her.

"I always loved working with kids," says McGrath. "I worked in daycares and summer camps all throughout high school and eventually realized that I like working with all ages. I'd also always loved helping people with their homework; I liked the process of leading someone through a concept I knew. That was really fun for me."

She and Wu share an appreciation for that guiding process. Both had stories to tell about the impacts they'd had on students, the rewards of their patience. For Wu, it was "a writing and reading lesson." I asked the kids afterward what they liked about it, and I had a student say, 'I liked it because you taught me.' That really stuck out." McGrath said much the same. "I remember helping a kid write their name. We were working together on the letter A. Just watching them get it, watching them do it, is so rewarding."

Naomi Yoon, in Classroom 300 of BACS's top floor, adds an even simpler example: "Because they're so young, even watching them zip up a zipper, or the pinch and pull of opening a snack for the first time, is something to celebrate."

In her classroom, Yoon is showing the students a freshly-laminated poster she made summarizing the January event calendar. The kids are, coincidentally, having their snack time; after which they move into their centers, name-labelled clothespins in hand.

Yoon takes the opportunity to introduce a few of the curious kiddos. One excitedly shows off a backbend, exclaiming that she can also do a cartwheel. "Not in class," Yoon intercedes. Another student, Yoon says, loves caterpillars; and, at the mention of the word, the student blearily mumbles, "I love caterpillars…" before taking off in clumsy circles.

"I'd love to experience a lot of different ages, even middle school or high school," says Yoon on her future career. "Depending on where life takes me, though, this has shown me that I could absolutely be happy as a preschool teacher, too."

Each of the co-ops was eager to share that sentiment, describing how the experience hadn't just shaped them within Belmont, but as future educators. Each had individual arcs they'd gone through over their time at the co-op, lessons they'd carry into their future careers and lives in equal measure.

For Rosanova, it was becoming "more observant". Sometimes you'll get frustrated with a certain behavior, but you have to take a step back and ask, 'Alright, why are they doing this?' Can I help them, or do they just not want to do the task you're asking them to do? I'velearned to watch the situation unfold before redirecting, when before that was an immediate impulse." That, she learned, was the key to overcoming her initial lack of confidence.

For Wu, it was flexibility. "With older kids, you have a much stricter schedule and lesson plan to adhere to—but here, we're constantly changing because we have such a wide range. Some days, lessons just don't work out, and you just have to keep going."

McGrath emphasizes the importance of "direct expectations." "They need directness. You can be kind, but they also need routine direction and sternness. You're also learning from each kid, too. You have to do a different thing for each of them."

Similarly, Yoon contrasted how much of a pushover she'd been with the kids at the beginning of the co-op with how she'd learned to engage with them over time.

"I've learned so much from my mentor teacher on how to direct kids, because what I was most uncomfortable with is telling them what to do. I'd always say, 'Can you please pick up your toys?' And I've had to change to 'It's time to pick up your toys,' or 'Walk, let's walk, we're moving.' I'm not as light-spoken. I'm a little more stern. I've also learned a lot about classroom management in general, especially the transitions. I had no idea how much goes into it with young kids."

All four have also found a supportive community in Belmont. "Having a mentor teacher who can constantly observe you practicing what you've learned, who can give you these tips, is so valuable," says McGrath. "They've been very welcoming and accommodating—understanding of the fact that we may not 'get it' the first time." Yoon adds, "They also invite us to school events. There's been a Thanksgiving dinner, and a gingerbread making contest. We feel like a part of the staff here, even though we've just been here for six months."

At the end of the experience, all four will be progressing into their senior year student teaching experiences, a hurdle which, they all agree, doesn't feel nearly as intimidating now that they've worked so extensively with Belmont. "This co-op is an everyday commitment; because even with our placements beforehand, we were only in classrooms a few hours at a time for tutoring," summarizes Rosanova.

"This has really prepared me to be in a classroom, to do real instruction. Coming into this was a little scary, but I feel really confidentnow about my ability to teach."