Juanita Elementary, with 32% of its students on free and reduced price lunch, has provided a laboratory for our UW Bothell teacher candidates to put into immediate practice theoretical constructs discussed in the courses. A portion of each class period is devoted to a planned interaction between the UW Bothell "teacher buddies" and the Juanita Elementary students. These assignments primarily revolve around assessment and instruction of individual children at various levels.
This arrangement has provided benefits for UW Bothell teacher candidates, as well as Juanita Elementary School students and teachers. Tutoring children in the context of class discussion on developmental and pedagogical issues is a powerful learning opportunity for our teacher candidates. They have stated repeatedly, and their assigned work shows, that they develop a deep and complex understanding of instructional issues when they can explore these issues with children as an on-going part of the course. Similarly, Juanita teachers have told us how much they appreciate the work of the UW Bothell teacher candidates. The teacher candidates provide individual attention to Juanita students that classroom teachers are often unable to give. Furthermore, because the UW Bothell assignments are based on an assessment and instruction cycle, and because the teacher candidates present their assessment information in summary form to the participating Juanita teachers, the UW Bothell teacher candidates have served as a "second pair of eyes" for the participating teachers. Juanita teachers have also given feedback to the teacher candidates and professors; this has been an invaluable resource to the UW Bothell program. Participating Juanita teachers and UW Bothell faculty are also collaborating on a publication describing their work together.
Approximately 60 UW Bothell teacher candidates, 7 Juanita teachers and approximately 150 Juanita students have been a part of the "Teacher Buddy" program each year since the inception of the program. Particularly helpful to the success of the program is the support of the building principal, Paul Luczak, who strongly believes in its benefit for the teachers and students at his school.
