Ellie Yang ‘27
Sep 20, 2024
Mercersburg Academy recently announced a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Independent School Teaching Residency (ISTR) master’s program. Under the Penn program, fellows engage in a two-year residency here at Mercersburg, working closely with mentors as part of their degree requirements.
This opportunity, previously available to a select group of other schools, marks a notable expansion of Mercersburg’s commitment to faculty development. Julia Maurer ‘90, Associate Head of School for School Life said, “We are thrilled to be part of the UPenn ISTR program. Admission to this program has been closed since its inception and we were honored to be the only boarding school invited to join the program this year after a thorough application process. It is a very big deal to be chosen by UPenn to join this program as they have exceptionally high standards for admission. The program is incredibly well orchestrated.”
This opportunity brings considerable benefits to the school, allowing the fellows to bring new pedagogical approaches to campus. Maurer said, “I am thirty years out of my undergraduate time but our fellows are very close to their college experience. They are a great resource for us because of their proximity to the college years. They can speak to what is currently happening on college campuses.”
Dan Walker, history teacher and mentor of history fellow Yonatan Weldeberuk said, “What I’m learning with Mr. Weldeberuk is that as an educator you never stop learning. I’m learning as much from him and did as much from Mr. [Will] Slater as I hope they learn from me. They bring new fresh teaching styles to the classroom and in education.”
"The fellows are eager to connect with our faculty members and learn from them and that promotes good collaboration between our faculty members," Maurer added, noting also their acting involvement in the dorms and PGAs.
Being part of the Penn fellows program connects Mercersburg to a community of institutions across the nation including, of course, Penn itself. Jennifer Smith ‘97, Dean of Academics and coordinator of the Mercersburg fellows program, said, “We get to talk to a lot of people from a lot of different schools. One of the things we’re able to look at is: What are all these different schools doing for class observation? It’s part of a feedback system that is aimed at continued improvement of student experience so we now have this more accessibly network of peer schools to compare, contrast, and continue to push ourselves to always be improving."
“We were able to link with the University of Pennsylvania to be more informed and more educated on how to potentially do it better and to have UPenn provide support for the fellows, mentors, and project leaders,” added Walker.
The fellows program is meaningful training in preparation for a career in education. Tara Collier, fellow in mathematics, said, “I’ve learned to trust myself since initially I was feeling very new and overwhelmed like I didn’t really know what I was doing but ever since classes have started I’ve gained more confidence in my abilities.”
“The purpose of having fellows in general, regardless of Penn, is to encourage new young teachers to join the teaching profession and to provide on-the-job training and preparation to become excellent independent school educators,” added Smith.
The partnership between Mercersburg Academy and the University of Pennsylvania represents a significant advancement in both institutions’ commitment to educational excellence. The program will draw future educators to Mercersburg and prepare fellows to contribute to the ongoing work of their departments.