6 Stamford Teachers Earn Advanced Degrees

From SPS:Six Stamford Public Schools (SPS) teachers recently completed their Master of Science or Sixth Year degrees in Bilingual, Multicultural Education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) as part of a remote learning program offered to them through a partnership with the university and SPS.

In 2013, Cloonan Middle School Science Teacher Jennifer Chichester, Stamford High English Learner Teacher Annalisa DiNucci, Westover Grade 4 Teacher Emily Cooper, Springdale Grade 2 Teacher Linda Karpowich, Newfield English Learner Teacher Jennifer Jehle and Westhill High Science Teacher Sean Otterspoor committed to the program, and all earned their advanced degrees earlier this month. The partnership between SPS and SCSU was established to supporting academic success for an increasing number of English Learners in the district.

“We are incredibly proud of our graduating Stamford/SCSU TESOL Cohort Teachers,” said. Stamford Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero. “These incredibly hard working teachers chose to dedicate time outside of their classrooms to study and earn degrees to improve their EL strategies. I know they will continue to positively influence the academic success of our EL students.”

Each week, the cohort met in a SPS classroom and joined SCSU professors and students via live video conferencing and not only learned the processes of second language acquisition, but also were active participants in classroom discussions, assignments and projects. Each participating teacher maintained a high GPA average, passed a comprehensive exam in consultation with an SCSU advisor and presented at the program’s Capstone Colloquium in early December. The Stamford Six also passed the required Connecticut test to achieve TESOL endorsement.

“Faculty at SCSU’s TESOL program applaud the ‘Stamford Six,’ as they have become lovingly known at Southern, for their dedication, commitment to their profession and the ideals of social justice,” said SCSU Coordinator of MS in TESOL/Bilingual Education Dr. Elena Schmitt. “They are experts in teaching English and their subject areas to speakers of other languages. Their expertise will inform Stamford Public Schools and will benefit hundreds of students in their classrooms for years to come.”

“Although these SCSU courses have been one of my toughest educational experiences, they have also been one of the most valuable,” Cloonan Science Teacher Jennifer Chichester.” I really feel I am prepared to teach ESL in any format.”

SPS plans to begin another TESOL partnership with SCSU in fall 2019.

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