As the Autumn Quarter comes to an end, so does the Teaching Apprenticeship Program (TAP). To prepare them for teaching college writing, TAP gives WRD graduate students an opportunity to teach the first-year writing course WRD 103 Rhetoric & Composition I, where they take on the full responsibilities of a teacher. TAP students also take the companion course WRD 551 Teaching Apprenticeship Practicum, taught by Erin Workman, to help support them and their pedagogical endeavors.
With the end of the quarter, we caught up with some of the current TAP students to ask what the apprenticeship has meant to them and what they have learned about teaching.
Delaney Morrison
TAP has been the best part of my entire education here at DePaul, both throughout undergraduate and graduate studies. It has not only given me the opportunity to discover what I actually want to do with my life but an incredible cohort to do that with. Teaching for the first time was terrifying, and I did not think that I was going to be any good at it. I did not believe in myself and was shocked when I actually got accepted to the program, but, at the same time, I had never been more excited and felt more honored. This experience has helped me to grow leaps and bounds as an instructor and as a student. I can now say with confidence that I love teaching first-year students and that I think I’m pretty good at it.
The relationships that stem from this program were something that I hoped for but did not necessarily expect. The cohorts that I have been navigating all of this with have been some of the most supportive, helpful, kind, funny, and incredible people I have ever met. The sense of community that I feel through this program and knowing that I have had multiple people in my corner cheering for me is something that I never could have imagined walking away with. Having Erin as a resource and mentor has shaped this experience so much, and I cannot imagine teaching for the first time without her guidance, tips, and honesty.
And while all of these more logistical aspects are great, I think the most important skills are the ones that happened organically, that I didn’t learn explicitly but that I came into on my own.
But on top of all of this, the practical skills that I have gained are insane. I am walking away with an entire quarter’s worth of projects, activities, readings, and other materials that can be used and tweaked and reworked for any future courses I might teach. I have figured out how to navigate physical classroom spaces and situations where those spaces are a bit of a disaster – like when the room is locked and you have to call public safety to come and unlock it, or when the projector screen is just gone and you have to pivot to using the board as both the screen and a place for notes. And while all of these more logistical aspects are great, I think the most important skills are the ones that happened organically, that I didn’t learn explicitly but that I came into on my own.
Megan Palmer
One of the biggest things that I will walk away from TAP with is more confidence in myself. It took a few weeks before I really felt comfortable in front of the class and before I felt secure in my content and disciplinary knowledge. Now, at the end of TAP, I feel as though I am capable of tackling all sorts of writing and speaking challenges and tasks.
TAP is also great in that it can help you figure out what you may want to do after graduation. Some people do TAP and realize they want to teach. Some people do TAP and they realize they don’t want to teach. Both are valid and important, and the fact that you can have that experience while getting your MA in WRD can be critical.
Now at the end of TAP, I feel as though I am capable of tackling all sorts of writing and speaking challenges and tasks.
Really though, the biggest thing I’m walking away from TAP with is a community. The TAP cohort is one that I have turned to for advice, for a soundboard, and to share my successes and failures with. They are an amazing group of people, writers, educators and friends. They have made this process so much less lonely and I have grown closer to them in our communal joys and sufferings than I thought possible. I am so grateful for their expertise and their friendship and that TAP has given me a support system I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Rachel Larrowe
For me, TAP has been kind of like training wheels for teaching writing. We’ve worked from a shared curriculum and syllabus, and each week in class we get peer and expert support with any issues we’re facing as teachers. TAP has taken what could otherwise be a really difficult, lonely experience – teaching first-year writing for the first time – and made it a manageable challenge that we approach with community support, shared resources, and external structure.
I don’t just learn from my own experiences; I also get to learn from the experiences and insights of my TAP cohorts, who provide unique perspectives on their own ways of being teachers and teaching WRD 103.
TAP also exponentially multiplies the learning opportunities we have as first-time instructors. I don’t just learn from my own experiences; I also get to learn from the experiences and insights of my TAP cohorts, who provide unique perspectives on their own ways of being teachers and teaching WRD 103. As the quarter wraps up, I feel prepared to take on teaching writing more independently, thanks to the skills and resources I’ve built up with my TAP colleagues.
For more information on TAP and what requirements are needed to be considered, read our course spotlight on WRD 540 Teaching Writing.