TEACH/Here prepares for new recruiting season

Continuing their efforts to place young, committed and aspiring teachers in classrooms across Hamilton County, TEACH/Here will begin hosting informational sessions for interested applicants of next year's cohort on Monday night.

TEACH/Here, a two-year old program is designed to give new teachers all the tools and experience they need before stepping into classrooms for the first time.

The sessions, which will feature discussion opportunities with both graduates and current residents of the program, will take place on the second Monday of every month during the next application window, which will open on Oct. 1 and close in mid-November. 

Tonight's event will be on the third floor of the Public Education Foundation Building, located at 100 E. 10th Street, at 5 p.m.

This year's cohort includes 21 residents. By the end of their residency, each graduate will have served more than 1,700 hours in the classroom alongside their mentors. 

During the year-long program, residents receive training, mentoring, and also earn their master's degree in education. Upon completion, they commit themselves to four years of teaching high needs positions in schools in either Hamilton or Knox counties. 

Lindsay Frost, program manager for TEACH/Here, said that she didn't foresee any dramatic changes to this year's program cycle, other than earlier application and notification dates. Frost said the program is expecting applications from more than 200 people. 

"We're looking for people who have a background in a STEM field, along with a 3.0 GPA or higher during their undergrad," Frost said. "But we're also looking for people with a commitment to service, which is really important to us, because teachers are committing to their classrooms for four additional years after their year of residency."

The TEACH/Here program—a partnership with Hamilton County Schools, the Public Education Foundation, the University of Tennessee, and Tennessee Technological University—is modeled on similar teacher residency programs in Boston and Denver, which were designed to give teacher recruits a solid foundation for their future jobs through support and encouragement. Funding for the program comes from the National Science Foundation, in the form of $500,000 allotment a year, over a four year period. 

"We're excite about the way things are going this year, our teachers are becoming really engaged in their schools and their communities," Frost said. "We hope to keep that going, so there are no real big changes to the program, other than the recruiting cycle."