Flip through the musician’s resume and compare it with those of the former Peace Corps member and the commercial designer. You might miss what they have in common.
The three and 24 others learning to teach elementary school in a program aimed at cultivating exceptional teachers in Denver Public Schools share qualities not easily spotted in a job application.
They are flexible, persevering, able to overcome obstacles and want to make a difference in the lives of children attending Denver’s hard-pressed schools, said Thalia Nawi, director of the Denver Teacher Residency program.
Maureen Farkash, a flutist and oboe player who has performed and taught music around the world, will start working with kids at Montclair Elementary School when school opens on Wednesday.
“I am really excited about making a difference. I attended DPS myself. My daughter will attend DPS. I’m really invested in this community,” said Farkash, 34.
She is taking part in a new residency teaching program that is a joint effort of the University of Denver and DPS. Each of the fledgling teachers has signed an agreement to spend five years in the public school system. During that time they will complete a master’s degree at DU.
The program, funded by Denver-based Janus Capital Group, is intended to improve recruitment, development and retention. Janus will pump $3 million into the public school system over three years.
Almost half of DPS’s teachers leave the profession within their first five years on the job. “We really want to build a competent core of people who stay in DPS,” Nawi said.
The program is modeled after a medical residency. Participants earn both a teaching license and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from DU’s Morgridge College of Education and receive a $10,000 stipend during their residency, which takes up the first year.
Each of the residents will be assigned to a classroom in one of five elementary schools — Archuleta, Gust, Harrington, McMeen and Montclair. Each will work one-on-one with a master teacher as they learn the ropes.
During the second year they will be hired as full-time teachers.
When they complete their five-year commitment they will receive full tuition reimbursement.
Each year, the number of residents will double until 100 have been trained.
“This is such an opportunity,” said Maria Grimaldo, 36, an interior designer who worked at commercial space planning before she heard about the new program.
“You could easily sit at a drafting table for six hours straight,” she said. “I missed the interaction with people. I wanted to find another career, (and) I was eager to help.”
On Wednesday, the residents and the teachers who will guide them were together in a room at DU’s Sturm Hall.
They ran through skits that mimed game shows like the Gong Show and Jeopardy, with questions that centered on how to act in the classroom.
During Jeopardy the announcer held up a sign scrawled with the words: “guns, knives, drugs, puppies in backpacks.”
It was a list of things students — or anyone else — shouldn’t bring to school.
But light-hearted fun wasn’t the lesson of the day. There was talk of data collection and the use of descriptive language, among other things.
“It’s been grueling; it has been exciting. We are learning a lot real fast about multicultural education. I’m looking forward to having kids in the classroom and getting to know them,” said David Lee, 54.
Lee received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New Mexico, joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in Morocco and Malaysia. He came back to the States, went to work in banking, got a master’s of business administration and then went into real estate.
“As a father that had three children, all of whom went through DPS, I really wanted to try to make a difference and help improve the lives of our kids,” he said.
The residents were culled from 900 applicants and went through an intense and rigorous selection process, Nawi said.
Each of the residents will be under the wing of one master teacher chosen for his or her ability to communicate their teaching methods and offer the type of guidance not found in a curriculum.
Anne Jacobs, 30, is one of the teachers chosen from 85 interviewed for a lead teacher position. The graduate of Manual High School said the residents “will be thrown into the deep end. It is the best possible way for them to learn.
“I went through grad school and didn’t learn one-half as much in school as I did being in a classroom with 25 kids.”
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
