(PHOENIX, Ariz., June 28, 2004) – For about eight years, Glendale resident, Richard Goodwin has worked with students from the Longview Elementary School in various capacities from a Kindergarten assistant to a K-6 math and reading tutor. This Fall, he embarks on a new journey as a teacher.

For years, Richard utilized his gift to teach and assist students at Longview; however it was not until 1998 when he began to seriously pursue a career in teaching. He took advantage of the Urban Teachers Corps Program (UTC) at Rio Salado, which moved to Phoenix College in 2001. UTC is a teacher development program that supports urban classified school district employees in Phoenix to successfully complete a bachelor’s degree in Education and return to their school districts as teachers.

The program works to the student’s advantage. UTC students begin taking their general education courses at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. After completion of lower division courses, UTC participants transfer to the Initial Teacher Certification (ITC) program at Arizona State University Main.

For many UTC students like Richard, this path fits perfectly into their schedule. Richard was able to work during the day and take classes at night. However, one of the many benefits of the program is that some districts offer release time for employees to attend class, as they see UTC as a “grow your own” type program. Richard successfully completed the program when he graduated this past May with a 4.0 G.P.A. in Elementary Education with endorsement in Multilingual/Multicultural (Bilingual/ESL, K-8). Thanks to this program, Richard will begin doing what he loves to do – teach.

“Thanks to this program, I will teach second grade this Fall at Longview,” he said. “I will begin this position with a wealth of knowledge already behind my belt. I already know and feel comfortable with the school and district. I already know many of the policies and procedures. Better yet, I already know a lot of the students. This is a great way to begin and focus on teaching.”

This unique “grow your own” program is set up for UTC classified employees from the following school districts.

Balsz Elementary
Creighton Elementary
Isaac Elementary
Madison Elementary
Murphy Elementary
Osborn Elementary
Phoenix Elementary
Phoenix Union High School
Roosevelt Elementary

For more information on the Urban Teacher Corps Partnership Program, please call (602) 285-7459 or click here.

###

Photo by: Tim Trumble - ASU photographer