In 2015, I was fresh out of college, bright-eyed and excited at the prospect of entering the world of Education. I saw the ads on the F train and I was sold. I wanted to be a “world-changer” and decided that the corporate world was cold and callous and teaching was for me.
I was also at the very start of my journey with New Visions Urban Teacher Residency. The program has changed and adapted since then but now as someone who has successfully finished this program, I thought I would share an updated review since publishing my original blog post a few years ago. I also have a video explaining the different routes of certification available in New York for anyone seeking more information on the certification process.
The Good
The reason I originally chose this program was because I did not want to be thrown in the classroom and did not want to take on additional student loans. This program will essentially pay you as you train to become a teacher, student teachers normally never get paid. If you finish the program’s commitment, which is five years, half of your master’s degree will be paid for. Note that you must commit to five consecutive years of teaching in a low income school within New York City. If you leave before the end of that commitment, you will owe the program money.
You will also be matched with a mentor teacher. The experience of working with a mentor teacher is something you can’t be a monetary amount on. If you’re teaching a certain content for the first time you will be exposed to examples for how to set up your classroom and even systems for lessons with direct mentorship for a model teacher. I also really appreciated the community found through my residency. During my residency program I had a group of 13 grad students who I was on my teaching journey with and this community was invaluable to me as I worked and was in classes. We had teaching training with New Visions together and received continual support as we began our residency.
I also liked that New Visions had partnered with CUNY Hunter College, now the program has partnered with CUNY Queens College. If you get your degree through the Teaching Fellows, you are required to get your degree from any college that they choose to place you at.
The Bad
I will say that even though this program was cheaper than going for a traditional master’s degree without a program, I still did need to take out additional student loans to cover my living expenses because of how costly it is to live in New York. The stipend provided of $22,500 for a year of your teaching residency can amount to $700 every other week- a wage that can be near impossible to live on in New York. You will also need to have at least $1,000-2,000 saved up for your licensing exams, though I have heard the program has now changed and will pay for the first tests residents take. Regardless, if you fail an exam, you will need to pay to retake it and this can become costly very quickly.
Something I also did not consider when being matched with this program was that you could be placed into any school. I had requested to be placed in schools within Queens but my residency was at a school in the Bronx. I commuted 2.5 hours one way into the Bronx for a month until I realized I would need to move to a place that would be easier to commute from.
Whenever you are entering a program type of setting, you have to be willing to give up some degree of control. A friend of mine entered the New Visions program expecting to be trained to teach English, she had quit her job and prepared for a new career with the program at the last minute that she would now have to teach Special Education. The license in which you are teaching can dramatically change your experience in teaching.
You also need to be willing to commit the next few years of your life not just to teaching, but to teaching in New York City and at a low income school. I remember emailing the program once because I wanted to participate in this TESOL certification program abroad for a year but was told that if I did that certification, I would have to pay back the cost of $7,500 for half of my masters degree. Until I was done with my commitment, I felt this loss of freedom because I knew that if I suddenly left my job, I was be a financially worse off place.
My Recommendations
If you are a Special Education teacher, I do not think a teacher residency program is necessary if you will be entering a co-teaching environment. You could instead work with a program like NYC Teaching Fellows and receive a full salary from the start rather than being given a stipend to student teach. Depending on your content area and financial security, this program could be a good option for many people. Ultimately, it comes down to your individual situation and needs.
It is five years later and I am not sure if I would choose this same route into education again but I am grateful for the training that New Visions gave me years ago and hope this updated blog can provide some further context for anyone who is just beginning their teaching journey.