By DJ Pfeifle.
The Master in Teaching Program at The Evergreen State College is being suspended until spring of 2020. Students currently enrolled in the program will continue as normal with the current structure. The suspension is the result of the program being restructured, which includes (among other things) moving the MIT program from a fall start to a spring start. New faculty have been hired, including a new director, whose name is unreleased as of yet. They will start in August.
The MIT program will be accepting applications in spring of 2020 for a spring 2021 start. Applications may open earlier, but will not open later. The move to a spring start makes the program perfectly timed for new teachers, as students become certified after four quarters. By doing this, students get the following summer off to look for a teaching job, before the fall start dates for schools.
Sonja Wiedenhaupt, an MIT Faculty member, when asked about why the program is moving to a spring start said, “When folks join our program in the fall, it’s a two year commitment,” and for many students, “Taking two years off a full time job can be a huge barrier.” By moving the MIT program to a spring start, the program can move to a one year structure without missing out on length, thus making it more accessible to students. “Our goal is not to shorten the program,” said Wiedenhaupt.
The current restructuring of the program is a large and noticeable change for the MIT program, but the program is constantly experiencing other minor changes. Originally the program put students in different types of schools; schools with different racial makeup, different ages, different social classes and so on were all visited. Now the program is moving to a model that focuses on getting to know the communities you’re teaching in. As Wiedenhaupt said, “How do you get to know the community on the community’s terms?”
Weidenhaupt also said faculty members in the program very much had a say in this change, saying, “When we started working on what this model looked like … we sat at the table and designed it.”
Evergreen’s MIT program is experiencing quite a few changes but is by no means at risk of disappearing in the long run, it is simply taking some time off to make some big changes. Students currently in the program can continue without any change. As Wiedenhaupt said, “Our vision is not changing, even as the structure is.”
