Supporting the Educators of Tomorrow: UIW’s First Participating Cohort in Teacher Residency Program
The mission of the UIW Dreeben School of Education’s Teacher Education program is to “prepare educators who are guided by compassion, social justice, human dignity and innovation” (uiw.edu). Through this rigorous program, aspiring educators are supported as they develop their teaching skills to shape future generations.
In April 2025, the Teacher Education program was approved to offer a full-year Teacher Residency as part of an enhanced certification residency pathway. The residency allows UIW Teacher Education students to be paired with experienced teachers from Northwood Elementary to be mentored for a complete academic year. The residency’s first cohort of participating students began in August of 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. In May 2026, cohort members Kaitlyn Weightman and Hope Fuschetto will be the first UIW students to complete the program and graduate.
Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Residency Coordinator, Dr. Melissa Siller, is proud to see how the members of the first cohort have grown through the program thus far. They have developed stronger senses of confidence, practice and reflection.
“Their goal-setting skills have moved from surface-level objectives to identifying meaningful areas for growth,” shared Siller. “Their confidence has improved tremendously, and they're very connected with their students and the elementary school community. Seeing this transformation in just one year has been incredibly rewarding and confirms key aspects of this model that are working.”
The depth of experience that students are able to gain through this residency program is truly admirable to Siller. Students have been exposed to teaching aspects including managing a classroom, assessment cycles, parent-teacher conferences, teacher professional development and more. Siller hopes that the residency student will be able to take these experiences along with the wisdom of their mentoring teachers to refine their own academic practices and approaches.
When reflecting on their time in the program, cohort members had this to share:
"This residency program has been one of the best things for me and my journey to becoming a teacher,” said Kaitlyn Weightman. “Through daily classroom experience, intentional mentoring and ongoing reflection, I have learned countless skills and strategies to run a welcoming and successful classroom. I have grown in my ability to build strong relationships with students, manage classroom routines, differentiate instruction and respond thoughtfully to student needs. Each week, I feel more confident in my teaching practice, and I am beginning to see how my decisions directly impact student engagement and learning. I cannot wait to see how much more I learn, and how much I continue to grow throughout the rest of the year."
"Being a resident teacher has been and still is such a meaningful experience,” expressed Hope Fuschetto. “Getting to start and end the school year with the same students, in the same classroom, is an invaluable opportunity for someone who wants to be a teacher. Since I was there on their first day of school, I am seen as one of the teachers, not just the ‘student teacher’, and that has truly made a difference. Being invited into a space where I get to see and try every aspect of teaching for a whole year is something that I am truly grateful for, and it has given me much more confidence and has made me feel much more prepared than normal student teachers would. It is truly something that I value heavily, and it is something that I am truly honored to be a part of."
With this residency program’s first cohort preparing to officially embark on their journeys as teachers, Siller is confident in the positive impact that they will make on their future students. Additionally, Siller hopes the residency program will benefit future cohorts.
“My hope for the program is that we can continue refining and becoming a true pipeline of deeply prepared and reflective teachers that stay in the profession,” shared Siller. “As we continue to deepen our connection with our partner districts, my hope is that we can expand to other schools, grades and settings to meet the diverse community needs.”