Interested in teaching Spanish after you graduate? You should consider applying for the STEP (Secondary Teacher Education Program) program here at UMass Amherst! The program gives students an opportunity to graduate with a license to teach Spanish (grades 5-12). You’ll work closely with the director of the program to complete the required exams, enroll in the required courses, put together a portfolio that demonstrates your knowledge and experience, and you’ll even be able to student teach during your Senior year! Though it seems daunting, the experience has been an incredibly fulfilling one for me. I love student teaching and it only makes me that much more excited to teach in my own classroom in the future. And don’t worry if you didn’t know about the program early on – I only found out about it halfway through my Junior year.

Finding out about the STEP program was certainly a saving grace for me. I had always kept education in the back of my mind as a possible career path for me, and if I hadn’t applied for it I’m not sure what my plans would be after I graduate. I found out about the program kind of late, but fortunately the professors involved with the program are incredibly helpful and work closely with you to give you the best possible support. However I certainly recommend getting involved with the program as early as possible to ensure that you have enough time to pass your exams (an Oral Proficiency Interview, the Spanish MTEL, and English Communication and Literacy Skills MTEL (reading and writing)). Getting involved with the program early is also a good idea because then you have more time to plan out when you can take the required courses (most of which are Spanish courses that you’ve already taken/planned to take, plus a few education classes). Don’t worry, you’ll be working closely with the director of the program to keep organized and on-schedule.

Student teaching is another factor of the program that I absolutely love. Currently I am student teaching at Northampton High School and it has been such an eye-opening experience. It is certainly interesting to be back in a high school in the teacher role rather than the student role. The opportunity to student teach is such an amazing one because it allows you to experience the world of teaching while you are still studying. You’ll be able to observe classes and take notes on the different styles of teaching, you’ll be able to experience things like professional development days which often include workshops and important educational discussions, and you’ll even be able to teach and create your own activities. Throughout the entire experience you will be able to grow as a teacher and develop your own teaching philosophy. You’ll find yourself learning new things every day from other teachers as well as from students. I never had the opportunity to study abroad during my undergraduate years, so being involved with student teaching in the Spanish classroom has been so rewarding for me.

Overall, I highly recommend the STEP program if you are interested in teaching Spanish after you graduate. Even if you’re just thinking about the possibility, I would still do some research to see if maybe the program is for you. If you are interested, talk to your advisor or your professors and they can certainly provide you with the information you need. If you’d like to ask me any questions my email is savannahmart@umass.edu. Thank you so much!