Teachers have been through a hellish few years. They’ve dealt with virtual learning, “parents’ rights,” curriculum attacks, increasing violence in schools and fights over labor issues—on top of existing behavioral issues, long hours and staffing shortages.
This has led some teachers to early retirements and career changes. I know of one burned-out teacher who is making more money now as a bartender, and another who left to become a wedding photographer.
High school seniors’ interest in education careers is at an all-time low. Between the 2005-2006 and 2018-2019 academic years, the number of education degrees earned by college students fell by 22%—despite the total number of bachelor’s degrees rising 29%.
And earlier this year, The Desert Sun reported on the high rates of poverty among local students—which makes the jobs of teachers even more difficult.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom. I recently came across a social media post that gave me hope: Palm Springs Unified School District is accepting applications for its new teacher-residency program. Over the course of a year, community members interested in teaching can earn their master’s degree and get credentialed while also getting real-world experience in the classroom.
I’ve considered teaching as an option, so I instantly appreciated what this could mean for some people. Just researching what it takes to become a licensed teacher can be an overwhelming process. For those who didn’t take the traditional path to becoming a teacher via an undergraduate program, making the pivot to teaching can seem really difficult and expensive.
PSUSD’s residency program is offered in partnership with the Alder Graduate School of Education, which specializes in teacher-residency programs and is working with 26 districts throughout California. This upcoming school year, Alder will train more than 600 resident teachers across the state, according to Alexis Acker, a PSUSD alumna and teacher who helps new teachers with training and development.
“Alder is really unique in that we have the opportunity for our resident teachers to work day in and day out with their mentor teacher at the school site,” said Acker, who is also the PSUSD program coordinator.
Residents get a full school year in the classroom, as opposed to the 12 to 16 weeks traditionally offered though other programs. Residents take three courses over the summer at the district office and online, and continue their studies throughout the academic year.
“The reason I got into this is because I didn’t have that support when I first started,” Acker said.
After graduating from college, she started teaching with an emergency credential at age 21. She said she was thrown in without any training or support—and ultimately, it took her five years to complete the process that residents will be completing in one.
“It was just overwhelming not having the support that we’re able to provide through this Alder program,” Acker said. “I had to find my own mentors and find my own way, and that’s why I became a coach and a coordinator in this realm of supporting new teachers.”
The residents will be spending less money, too, Acker said. Alder’s tuition is about $22,000—about half of what some other programs cost—and thanks to a grant from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, PSUSD is able to pay the residents a $30,000 stipend. Other scholarships and grants are also available, Acker said.
One of the goals of the program, she added, is to diversify the district’s workforce and increase retention by selecting candidates who have roots and connections in the Coachella Valley.
“We wanted to figure out a way to bring up people who are in our community … who want to be here, and help them thrive,” Acker said.
The first cohort of residents, who began training in June and are currently in their assigned classrooms, range in age from their 20s through their 50s. Some of them were already working in education settings, including in classrooms, administration offices and even nutrition services.
Others, like Manny Vega, left jobs in completely different industries. Vega has long wanted to be a teacher, but between finishing his bachelor’s degree online, working and raising two children, it’s taken him longer than he expected.
“I knew my goal was to teach,” Vega told me. “I didn’t know how I was going to get there or how long it was going to take, but I was going to get there.”
School didn’t necessarily come easy to him.
“I was that kid … who only spoke Spanish when going to school, so it took a lot of adjustments, a lot of headaches, a lot of tears and a lot of suffering to basically get a hold of a language,” Vega said.
Throughout his elementary school education, he said, few teachers looked like him—they were neither male nor darker-skinned—and none spoke Spanish. It wasn’t until high school that Vega encountered a teacher who saw something special in him.
“There are a lot of little Mannys in there who need that representation—who need to know, ‘Hey, that teacher looks like me; he speaks Spanish, too,’” Vega said. “I realized that we needed more representation in the classroom.”
This year, Vega is teaching in the dual-immersion program at Vista Del Monte Elementary in Palm Springs.
“I’m bilingual, so I can communicate with the kindergarteners. All they’ve done is speak Spanish at home, and now they’re being introduced to English.”
Yvonne Robles, a PSUSD teaching resident
Yvonne Robles, a Palm Desert High School graduate and one of this year’s residents, had a similar experience going through the Desert Sands Unified School District. Teachers didn’t understand her language, her food or her holidays.
“I remember in all those classes, the majority of the teachers didn’t look like me,” Robles said.
This doesn’t mean that Vega and Robles didn’t appreciate the teachers they had. What they’re getting at is this: Representation matters. Schools can improve student achievement and foster a sense of belonging by having teachers and other staff who match the diversity of the community.
Robles has a business background but pivoted to working in the school system five years ago in order to have a schedule that gave her more time with her children. Since then, she’s been a paraprofessional at Bubbling Wells Elementary in Desert Hot Springs, working in special-education classrooms supporting teachers and students.
She’s also a Girl Scout troop leader to a group of middle school and high school kids.
“We wanted to give them something where they feel comfortable, and they have a support system outside of home and at school—where they can go on trips and learn how to camp and all that stuff,” she said of the troop’s origins.
“I feel like, working in the community and being in the school, especially in a population that is majority Hispanic, I can relate with the kids,” she said. “I’m bilingual, so I can communicate with the kindergarteners. All they’ve done is speak Spanish at home, and now they’re being introduced to English.”
About the 2023-2023 cohort:
- 80% are from underrepresented backgrounds.
- 71% are former PSUSD employees, including classroom assistants, office workers and substitute teachers.
- 66% graduated from PSUSD schools.
- 66% were already living in the Coachella Valley.
- 23% are parents.
Applications open for the 2024-2025 residency on Sept. 1. The priority deadline is Oct. 14, and the general deadline is Nov. 4. To qualify, applicants need to have earned their bachelor’s degree by July 2024, have a GPA of 2.65 (preferred) and be eligible to work in the U.S. Information sessions via Zoom are scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24 and Aug. 31.
For more information, visit www.psusd.us/page/8178, or email Alexis Acker at aacker@psusd.us.
Even $22,000 is utterly ridiculous especially considering other states allow teaching after one earns a bachelor’s degree in a particular field. When I looked into teaching here I was told it would take years and I would have to repeat basic classes from my undergraduate education including English and basic computer skills, it was such a scam as far as I was concerned. I would be a great teacher but I’m not spending $30k and years of time learning things I already know. California doesn’t do anything simply or in a cost effective manner. No one even knows about this program either.