The Teaching Fellows Program was implemented in Spring 2013. The goals of the Teaching Fellows Program are to inspire SRJC students interested in teaching or a related educational career, and to provide Fellows with real-life, practical experiences to enrich their understanding of the joys and challenges of being an educator.

Each year, approximately twelve pairs comprised of one student Fellow and one Faculty Mentor are selected to participate. Fellows and their Mentors apply to the program as a team, and each team is selected via a competitive process. Each Fellow receives a stipend that is made possible by a generous donation from a member of our community. Faculty Mentors may count their hours of participation toward their professional development or College service obligation, or toward Professional Growth Increments.

The program is campus-wide and serves a diverse group of students who are considering a profession in education. Fellows come from many disciplines, from the Liberal Arts to the Natural Sciences, and have goals that include kindergarten teaching, high school counseling, and university professorships. Fellows represent a range of backgrounds, ages, and levels of preparation, and this diversity of backgrounds and goals has contributed to the richness of Fellows’ experiences.

During the year-long program, each Fellow works on a project(s) designed with a faculty member in a specific discipline, to experience the world of the teaching profession and other careers in education. Fellows may gain experience with tutoring students, designing course lessons and materials, giving lectures, and evaluating student work. Regardless of the specific tasks and projects they take on, they all gain experience with and insight into meeting the educational needs of SRJC’s diverse student body.

In addition, each year participating Faculty Mentors design and facilitate monthly cohort meetings for the Fellows. Recognizing that working in an educational institution is complex and engages the whole person, Mentors design the cohort meetings to provide an opportunity for Fellows to explore philosophical, psychological, emotional, and other aspects of teaching, counseling, and librarianship. Cohort meetings also typically address nuts-and-bolts issues of applying for jobs, interviewing, and career options. Past cohort meeting topics have included cultural diversity, the tenure process, academic freedom, active learning, the Socratic Method, and developmental psychology.