This is the third of four profiles on students in our Teaching and Teacher Leadership Program: Licensure Strand. Students in this strand will pursue Massachusetts initial licensure in secondary education with Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsement. To learn more about our two licensure pathways, internship and residency, please visit our website.

No matter the age, students in all of life’s stages like to imagine their world beyond the classroom. During undergrad, as a double major in economics and philosophy, I envisioned a career in government, policymaking, data analysis, consultancy, or law. From internships, to networking events, to an entire junior year abroad at a social science-oriented institution, it was important to me to leave no stone unturned in my quest to find the right career path. I knew the right profession for me would be collaborative while combining data-driven practice with the potential for creativity. While I wasn’t sure what this would look like, I did know what I enjoyed in life: I loved reading, learning, and questioning. I loved being mentored and mentoring. Most of all, I loved being in conversation with my professors and fellow students. It occurred to me that maybe I should seek an internship in an education field before I made any more decisions about my career goals. I applied to become a Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Fellow before my senior year of undergrad. After my first few weeks teaching seventh and eighth grade learners in an urban summer program, I was hooked. I knew that I wanted teaching to become part of my life. 

While at Breakthrough, I was mentored by my incredible Instructional Coach, Akanksha Pabari. Akanksha had completed the TTL Program the year before and was now employed as a full-time teacher. As the summer program continued, I reflected on what a career in teaching could look like for myself and how graduate school could help me achieve my career goals. I was looking for a program that would give me the chance to learn from professors and students with many perspectives. I also wanted to continue learning about evidence and data-based best practices and pedagogy. I wanted to live and learn in a part of the country and at a university that values education, especially in a time of disconnection and misinformation. Finally, I wanted as much classroom time as possible through student teaching, internships, and the university setting.

While applying to graduate programs, I reached out to a Harvard professor to ask some questions about HGSE. As we began our conversation, the professor invited me to observe and participate in a graduate-level class. This act of welcome went a long way: the encouraging “yes-and” mentality contributed to a growing confidence that I had chosen the right career path, and I would be surrounded by people who would support me. I felt a little intimidated on my way to observe that class, but once I arrived, I knew my fears were unfounded. The class that I observed followed the same collaborative structure that had inspired my previous studies: the professor, the students, the material, the experiences, and the space all contributed to a collective conversation.

I began working on my application the following day.

The emphasis on community and invitation makes HGSE special. These elements are specifically engineered into the TTL Licensure Program. To meet our certification requirements, classes start online in June (or earlier for the residency program), with in-person classes and the summer practicum beginning in July. This early start to a graduate program (and having the opportunity to work and co-teach with my peers) was a remarkable chance for each of us to learn and grow together. By August, I had already spent two and a half months working with students, professors, mentor teachers, and peers. I am immensely grateful to have such incredible companions in my teaching journey. The TTL Licensure Program brings you into a community where everyone, with an array of assets and experiences, comes together to consider pedagogy through the blend of theory and practice. I know that I am making lifelong friends here during my year at HGSE.

In this fall semester, I am a student teacher at my practicum in Somerville Public Schools. I currently assist my mentor teacher and will take over classes in the spring. After a day of student teaching, I meet up with my History cohort at Harvard for class in the evening. In these classes, we discuss our experiences in the classroom – from teaching and assessment methods, to curriculum development, to providing equitable and inclusive instruction for students with disabilities, to differentiating curriculum, to classroom management, and trends and news in the field. In the TTL Licensure program, students take classes together regardless of their varied disciplines. Although I’m in the History cohort, I also study with people who will teach Science, Math, and ELA. Our evening classes are an excellent time to share experiences we have had during the days in our practicum.

There have also been many opportunities to connect with other programs in HGSE, the greater Harvard community, and Boston as a whole. I am a Research Assistant in the BRIDGES Lab (Building Reading Instruction to Drive Growth in Every Student). This has been an exciting way to connect with students at HGSE in the Human Development and Education Program (HDE). We are currently working on a study that helps students critically integrate multiple sources while using evidence to support historical reasoning. The Equity and Opportunity (EQO) classes have also been an excellent way to connect with students in other programs. There is also plenty of room in the curriculum to take electives in the fall or spring. I also hope to integrate coaching or team management into my future teaching career, so I am also a Manager for the Harvard Men’s Swim and Dive Team and an Assistant Water Polo Coach at Boston College High School. 

While my extracurriculars reflect my personal interests, my Harvard peers have created new student organizations, joined intramural sports, and participated in volunteer work. There are many opportunities within and beyond TTL to engage with the university community and the Greater Boston area. I advise you in your application to consider how your intellectual and personal growth have developed through your journey in education. I further urge that you consider this development from both a student and educator perspective. Your experiences, background, and identity are all assets you can leverage to illuminate the many classrooms you will find yourself in. A foundational part of my experience at HGSE was surfacing components of my worldview to have them affirmed, challenged, or born anew from classmates and professors. I invite you to do the same on the application, considering how a year at HGSE can shape you as both a learner and teacher.

In Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, bell hooks reminds educators that “our work is not merely to share information but to share in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our students.” By welcoming me into the community and investing in my growth as a learner, HGSE is preparing me for the exciting work of becoming this kind of teacher. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. I hope that it involves a stop at Appian Way to join our community of curiosity, collective stewardship, personal growth, and professionalism for the next generation of students.

Charlie Burke (he/him) is pursuing grades 5-12 history and social studies instructional certification and an Ed.M. through the Teaching and Teacher Leadership (TTL) program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Charlie graduated from Boston College this past spring. He was a Teaching Fellow with Breakthrough of Greater Boston the summer prior, where he taught geoscience. At Harvard, Charlie is also a research assistant for the BRIDGES Lab and a manager for the men’s swimming and diving team.