San Antonio student teaching partnership expands

For over 20 years, the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education has partnered with the Northside Independent School District (NISD) in San Antonio, Texas. Throughout the years, countless Illinois State University elementary education and middle level education students have made the 16-hour drive for an immersive student teaching experience. In spring 2023, that partnership expanded to secondary teacher education students.

“NISD is a large, urban school district with a lot of diversity and over 75 different languages spoken among its students,” said Natalie Gray, NISD director of professional learning. “We hear from ISU students that they choose San Antonio as their student teaching placement so they can experience working with students from diverse backgrounds. It is a different experience than what they might get closer to home.”

Before students arrive in San Antonio, they connect with their student teaching supervisor who helps them transition into student teaching and coaches them throughout their semester. Jo Clyne, assistant clinical assistant professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, spent 30 years in NISD as a teacher and vice principal. When she retired, she was excited about the opportunity to mentor future ISU teachers.

“I love working with the ISU student teachers because they are so well-prepared for the classroom on day one, and they are so willing to jump right in to help their cooperating teacher,” said Clyne.

From Normal to San Antonio

Peris Story ’21 grew up in Bloomington-Normal, attended the Illinois State University Laboratory Schools, and then majored in bilingual elementary education at ISU. She chose NISD for her student teaching placement because she wanted to put her ESL certification into practice and experience a school with greater diversity than those she grew up in.

“This was such a great opportunity to go fly free and experience another culture within the U.S. This was a very structured opportunity for me with opportunities within itself,” said Story. “I heard so much about how great Northside District is, and I really wanted to be a part of something that special for my student teaching experience.”

Story fell in love with the students, families, district, and San Antonio. She is currently a second grade ESL teacher at Colonies North Elementary School in NISD, which serves a large population of refugee families with multiple languages spoken within the school. Not everyone stays in San Antonio, but for Story, NISD felt like home from the beginning.

“I had the most amazing clinical teacher, and she really took me under her wing. The school treated me like part of the team where I went to meetings and professional developments with my clinical teacher,” said Story. She said the Illinois State-Northside partnership prepared her for student teaching and for her first years as an educator.

“My favorite part about teaching is getting the students at the beginning of the year and then seeing all of their growth throughout the year,” said Story. “Colonies North is like a supportive family within the NISD family. I’m so blessed and eager to come to work each day.”

With 20 years of partnership with elementary and middle schools in NISD, the opportunities will continue to grow for ISU student teachers as new partnerships are built in the high schools.

Isabella Lethbridge '23 helps students with a history project in San Antonio.

Joseph Gavin '23 teaches a physics lesson in San Antonio.

There are over 50 Redbirds teaching in NISD, and the College of Education along with teacher education programs across the university visited with alumni at a San Antonio Spurs game in March.