ISU STEP-UPs in Auburn Gresham and Little Village
Ernest Sanders
Published: July 25, 2011
Auburn Gresham STEP UP fellows illustrate their connectedness by referring to themselves as the Auburn Gresham Alligators. Watch out they may STEP UP in your neighborhood soon.
Illinois State University
STEP-UP (Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Education) is a four-week long summer immersion experience for Illinois State University (ISU) pre-service teaching majors working in Auburn Gresham and Little Village.
This fellowship allowed students to work in Chicago Public Schools' summer school programs in the morning and serve as interns in the evening at neighborhood organizations as the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC). On evenings and weekends, they attended workshops on topics including special education, literacy and neighborhood culture.
You may be asking, "How did these fellows get an opportunity to participate with a community based organization and have the ability to attend workshops in the evenings and weekends?" Well, the answer is simple.
Auburn Gresham STEP UP fellows all smile before they take on kayaking in the Chicago River.
Illinois State University
The fellows LIVED in the Auburn Gresham and Little Village neighborhoods with host families for the 4-week period and other neighborhood organizations opened their doors to enhance their out-of-school learning experiences.
In Auburn Gresham there were 7 host families and 5 other community based organizations to include: Access Community Health Network (Access @ Perspectives), Boulevard Arts Center, GRANDFamilies of Chicago, Neighborhood Housing Services of Auburn Gresham & Englewood, and the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center. In Little Village there were 6 host families and 8 community based organizations that opened their doors.
STEP UP is part of a larger initiative referred to as TEACHER+PLUS Project. It is a special initiative at Illinois State University that is open to all teacher education majors who have interests in pursuing employment in the Chicago Public Schools. The central goal of this initiative is to prepare teachers to work in this challenging urban context by providing them targeted course work, clinical experiences and unique internship opportunities.
A very special thanks goes to host family members and neighborhood organizations that made this program a reality for our future teachers.
For more information regarding the TEACHER+PLUS Project, please contact Corrinn Cobb at (773) 483-3696.