Carlyn Beaver

When aspiring teacher Carlyn Beaver was selecting a graduate education program, she was initially drawn to Russell Sage College for its supportive faculty and staff, and the architecture on Sage’s Troy campus. 

Then, she discovered that Sage’s Esteves School of Education offered a unique professional development opportunity — and that clinched her decision.

“I heard about Classroom Academy during an open house,” she said. “I felt as though it was an automatic fit.”

The Classroom Academy allows candidates for a Master of Science in Childhood/Special Education to apply for paid, full-time, two-year residencies with experienced teachers, instead of traditional seven-week student-teaching placements.

Sage is one of only three schools of education in New York state with a partnership with the Classroom Academy.

“My courses require fieldwork hours, and time spent with this program completes those hours while also providing me a comfortable income and giving me more opportunities to be ready to begin my future career as an educator,” said Carlyn. 

During the 2020-2021 academic year, Carlyn was a teacher-resident in a third-grade hybrid classroom in the Schenectady school district.

She said she would routinely learn about concepts in her evening classes at Sage, and be able to apply the knowledge in her third-grade classroom the very next day. 

She also appreciated the extended time to get to know her students and to learn from her cooperating teacher, who she called “a wonderful mentor throughout this entire process.”

Next year, Carlyn will divide her time between her current school and a sister school. 

After that, she is really excited to lead her own classroom. 

Thanks to professional preparation from Sage and the Classroom Academy, she says, “I know I will be more than ready when that milestone comes.”