When we think of the word “residency”, those of us with loved ones in the medical field immediately conjure up images of exhausted young doctors focused intensely on learning, with the work-life balance of a first year teacher. Another residency type is that of an artist at a museum: someone with specific skills who is there for a short period of time to produce art and promote their mission. I love this style of residency because it is grounded in high expectations and yet somehow offers breathing room for growth and inspiration. This also describes PEARLL’s new Educator in Residence program. Rather than relying on PEARLL staff to develop classroom oriented materials, they asked someone (me) with specific skills (world language teacher) for a short period of time (100 hours) to produce (content) and promote (the TELL Framework). And for this I am glad, because there was no way I was sacrificing my summer relaxation for anything less!

In 1990 Ellen Moir described six emotional phases that new teachers go through: anticipation, survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, reflection, and anticipation. It seems likely that these are actually emotional phases that all teachers go through each year to varying degrees. It’s impossible to characterize the past school year as a typical one and therefore unlikely that all educators experienced each phase in the same way or to the same degree.