A NOBLE AND ENRICHING PURSUIT

The Berkshire Teaching Fellowship introduces early educators to the profession.

In the fall of 2020, Berkshire welcomed its first Teaching Fellow, Caleb Pérez, through the Berkshire Teaching Fellowship. Berkshire partnered with Mt. Holyoke College, allowing early career educators to earn their masters degrees at the college while they gain valuable teaching experience. Since then, three other Teaching Fellows have joined the Berkshire community: second-year Teaching Fellow Sam Ortega and firstyear Teaching Fellows Omar Attia and Bette Imhoff.

Dean of Faculty Clay Splawn, who leads the program at Berkshire, said it attracts and retains top talent at the School, giving educators real-world experience while they attain their degrees.

“There is a real need for talented people to join the ranks of education, experience some success and, hopefully, stay in for a career,” Splawn said.

“We want to introduce these aspiring educators to our profession in a way that makes them feel supported and seen. The old ‘sink or swim’ mentality that many of us experienced as early educators is perhaps not the best way to launch one’s career—if we hope for them to stay. This has proven to be so true, and has allowed us to attract and hire (and ultimately sustain) wonderful young educators.”

Ortega, who teaches English at Berkshire, said she had been dipping a toe into education at a day school when she learned about the program. Earning her masters degree while teaching at Berkshire was enticing, and she liked the idea of ramping up her workload over time.

“I didn’t have to dive headfirst into teaching a full load and feel like I was on my own,” Ortega said. “I knew it was going to be a really supportive environment, and that I would slowly build up to full-time teaching.” She is also a dorm parent and the fall and spring girls varsity crew coach.

Pérez, a third-year Fellow teaching biology and chemistry, has now graduated from Mt. Holyoke. He says the program helped his teaching style evolve. Pérez also serves as a dorm parent and is the assistant coach for boys varsity hockey and the head coach for boys thirds soccer.

“I think I was a little rigid at first, and I was thrown off if things didn’t go according to my teaching plan,” Pérez shared. “Now it’s much easier for me to be okay with—and to even celebrate the times when—things in my classroom aren’t following my plan because my students are excited about something else. Or they’re asking questions about a different thread, and I can say, ‘Yeah, let’s just go there.’ We’ll get through the content when we get through it. Honestly, this approach has made me less stressed as a teacher and as a person.”

Splawn also created the Early Career Seminar to support both Teaching Fellows and all new teachers at the School who are in the early phases of their careers. “In Early Career Seminar, teachers not only bond over the typical first-year experiences, but they also have opportunities to meet with various leaders across the entire spectrum of school life,” Splawn said. Fellows and early educators meet with faculty and staff members of various departments on campus, from college counseling to facilities to the business office, learning how the School is run on every level. Each year, the Early Career Seminar even meets with the chair of Berkshire’s

Board of Trustees to understand the important role that the board plays in the School’s success.

Ortega found that the Early Career Seminar grounded her in Berkshire’s community, which was also her new home. “We got a full picture of Berkshire by the end of the year,” she said. “That’s important, because at times it can feel like you’re in your silo as an English teacher. But we got to see the full puzzle.”

Splawn said that there’s “no better experience than experience,” and he’s hoping the Teaching Fellowships and Early Career Seminar help young educators thrive as teachers.

“Our ultimate hope is that we have helped them launch their careers in a way that allows them to see that the field of education is both a noble and enriching one,” he said. “One of my favorite phrases for early career educators, when thinking about the future, is that ‘It doesn’t get any easier, it just gets better.’ Education is a truly challenging profession, but also one that, like any other profession, you can get better at with practice, with experience, with a growth mindset, with good coaching and mentoring, and with a lot of patience.”