Before the academic year begins, the MAT program starts with a summer session of academic classes and student teaching at Brown Summer High School, an enrichment program for local high schoolers. I would describe the summer session as intense but incredibly rewarding. There were many long days filled with teaching, lesson planning, debriefing, and reading, but it was exciting to put pedagogical theory into practice and to get to know my students and fellow MAT candidates. Now that the summer portion is over, I am looking forward to see what the academic year has in store!  

By pursuing a master's degree, I will be able to learn more about educational theory and apply these theories in the classroom before actually entering the workforce. Brown was a good fit for me because its MAT program is small in size, which allows me to receive individualized feedback from mentor teachers and faculty directors. All in all, I hope that this degree will help me become the best teacher I can be for my future students!  

During the MAT year, I not only take academic classes here at Brown, but I also student teach at a partner high school in the Providence community. This mixed model gives me the chance to immediately apply the educational theories that I learn on College Hill into classrooms in other parts of the city. Going forward, I will carry the lessons I learn over this next year into my professional career.