Alumni Spotlight

Kate Shepard M.A. '02 receives 2007 "American Star in Teaching" award

Shepard's achievement was featured in an October 19, 2007 article by Thomas Caywood in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Shepard, a part-time clinical faculty member at Clark's Hiatt Center for Urban Education and a University Park Campus School mathematics teacher, was named the 2007 Massachusetts "American Star in Teaching" by the federal Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative.

The honor goes to one teacher in each state to recognize outstanding educators whose students excel in the classroom, said Carolyn Snowbarger, director of the federal Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative. Ms. Shepard, 32, has developed a reputation among her colleagues and city education officials for drawing her students into mathematics and challenging them to take the lead in solving problems.

“Students are doing well and are fortunate to sit in her classroom. She’s also someone who is really making a difference in the lives of students and in the community as a whole,” Ms. Snowbarger told the audience at the nearby Goddard School of Science and Technology where the awards assembly was held.

Read the full article at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette's Web site.

Erin Davis '05, M.A.T. '06

Erin completed a double-major in history and psychology at Clark, and then the M.A.T. program as part of the 5th-year free program. She has been teaching at Shrewsbury High School in Shrewsbury, MA since May 2006.

Erin says of the M.A.T. program: "The program is incredibly intensive, but more beneficial than others I have heard of. I think the year-long student teaching is unique and prepares you well for teaching on your own. While the work-load as a full-time student teacher and grad student is stressful, time-consuming, and often overwhelming, looking back I am thankful to have completed my master's degree before I began teaching a full load as a full-time teacher.

I think the professional experience of the professors in the Education Department at Clark is unparalleled. Jim McDermott, for example, provided so much insight and advice that I truly don’t believe I could have gotten elsewhere (or survived the year without!). I think another strength of the M.A.T. program is the cooperation between grad students. Student teaching alongside your peers you later see in class really establishes a very close-knit support network. Finally, working in an urban setting also gives you more experience with behavior problems than most new teachers see in even five years. "

Leann Ledoux '01, M.A.T. '06

Leann teaches at South High, one of the Hiatt Center's partner schools. She completed a B.A. in English and psychology at Clark, a master's degree in English at the University of Rhode Island, and returned to Clark for an M.A.T.

Leann says "The Clark M.A.T. program is certainly a great deal of work in a short amount of time, but the preparation you get in your student teaching is so, so valuable, as is what you can learn about teaching from other M.A.T.s and Clark professors. Once you complete the year and look back you'll realize how much it truly changes you into a teacher. Some of the strong points of the program are the close connections with mentor teachers and other student teachers, and the full year student teaching experience, which allows you a great introduction to the real flow of an entire teaching year."

Emily Stein '05, M.A.T.

Emily completed Clark's accelerated B.A./M.A.T. program and is now teaching third grade in Westford, MA. She writes "It's a dream job really. I have a great staff that is extremely supportive and the school is five years young. It's a unique place because of the people. I couldn't be happier."

She comments on Clark's M.A.T. program: "I would want a prospective student to know that having made it through the program, I feel 110% prepared for my job now. Yes, the M.A.T. program is a challenge, but you basically have a full year's expereince in a classroom as a result. You learn a lot about curricula, classroom management, school politics, and provisioning through the courses and especially the practicum. The idea of rounds (being able to watch other teachers new and old teach) is rare in the profession. However, the M.A.T. program makes it a requirement. You get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly and that all helps you construct your own style. I also found the education department staff really supportive and interested in each of us. We had a place to go and hash out pros and cons, confusions, and interests."

Mary Bullock '05, M.A.T. '06

Since graduation from the M.A.T. program, Mary has taught physics to gifted middle school students in Boston with the Urban Scholars Program. Currently she is a long-term substitute with the Worcester Public Schools where she worked for ten weeks as a 10th grade geometry teacher through November 2006. Now she is a fifth grade bilingual teacher at the Goddard School of Science and Technology.

Mary comments on the M.A.T. program:

"This is an extremely rigorous program. It is for people who know they want to be a teacher. For those who are not sure, it is not possible to summon the passion needed to complete the program without the desire to teach kids. I came out of the program extremely prepared to teach in an urban school. If this is what you want, this is the program for you.

The rigorousness of the M.A.T. program nicely mimics the stress that teachers feel in real life. The requirements put upon the M.A.T. student prepare the student to handle anything that comes a teacher’s way. It was exhausting but gratifying to have completed the program. I was left with an arsenal of tricks up my sleeve."

Megan Jones '05

Megan is teaching 10th grade English at South High School in Worcester. She completed a minor in education at Clark and her practicum during the second semester of her senior year. She earned a master's degree in Urban Education and Research at Clark.

Megan comments "I would want prospective students to know what it is like to run a classroom, to at least visit a class in action before they undertake the program. I loved the undergraduate/master's program that I completed, because I felt I was readily prepared for the demands of the career."