Each summer, a new cohort of master’s of arts in teaching students begin their degree program by teaching at Brown Summer High School (BSHS), a summer enrichment program for students across Rhode Island and parts of Massachusetts. This year, alums Cuauhtemoc Arizpe ‘23, MAT’24, and Elliana Reynolds ‘22, MAT’24 served as BSHS principals, guiding the program and a new cohort of MAT students.

“I think communicating with, getting to know, and befriending people from different backgrounds and with different experiences is so important to a person’s development, and BSHS really does help students expand their minds – both academically and holistically,” Elliana said.

Last summer, Cuauhtemoc co-taught a math class titled “Math Around the World” with teaching partners and MAT’24 alums Zihao Zhao and Zirui Xu. He wanted to continue working in education and serving local students, so he decided to return to BSHS. Meanwhile, Elliana taught a social studies class about the Freedom Schools of 1964 alongside Celenah Watson MAT’24. She was excited to return to the collaborative and creative environment and support her former students in a different role.

Cuauhtemoc and Elliana used materials from the past few years of BSHS to prepare for this summer. Additionally, the pair cited the skills they learned as MAT students and the support from BSHS Faculty Director Laura Snyder as instrumental parts of their approach.

“Just like teaching, the job of a principal has been organizing a space that has supportive people, vibes, and routines meant to facilitate growth for students,” Cuauhtemoc said. “I think listening to feedback and modifying has been key!”

Though they miss the MAT cohort they taught alongside last year, the principals enjoyed getting to know and mentor the current cohort. They applied their experiences as MAT students, emphasizing the importance of empathy and clear communication in their practice.

“Knowing the perspective of an MAT really helps you think of what you could do as a principal to best serve MATs so that they can best serve students,” Elliana said.

Both Cuauhtemoc and Elliana plan to become classroom teachers following their time with BSHS this summer.

“I feel the new role has challenged me enough to where I notice some areas of growth for myself,” Cuauhtemoc said. “I hope I get the chance to coach teachers in the future, but for now I am excited to continue perfecting the practice of being a math teacher!”

“BSHS has really helped me feel even more excitement to continue teaching in the classroom! Working with youth really does bring me so much happiness,” Elliana said.