College teachers, we all love them. Through their amazing skills and knowledge about transmitting and facilitating knowledge they guide their students to new insights and horizons. Have you ever wanted to become a teacher yourself? Are you interested in knowing more about what it is like to transition and teach at a Community College or California State University? Then you are in luck for this quarter is After Grad: Teaching Careers Week (TCW)!

After Grad: Teaching Careers Week (TCW) is a week-long event full of workshops, talks, and clinics that focus on different aspects of teaching career development. It is a week open to all graduate students and postdocs but you need to register before each session begins.

[Image description: Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) on Abbott Elementary says “I would love to till the fertile soil and grow the minds of tomorrow.”]

Caption: Our aspirations are high and we will accomplish them thanks to Teaching Careers Week.

There are many opportunities to learn from those who have gone before you during this week. We have invited Dr. Kristi Woods, Dean of Instruction (Languages, Humanities, and Social Science) at Riverside City College to give our keynote address. Dr. Woods will focus her talk on teaching and what to expect when making a transition to a Community College. Come to learn for the Q&A afterwards!

Speaking of learning from those with experience: we have also invited four UCR alumni who made the moved to a teaching-focused career to form a panel. These alumni are all currently working and teaching at California Community Colleges and California State Universities. Join us to learn about their transition, current workload, and any tips or tricks they recommend. The floor will be open for questions so come prepared.

[Image description: Yoda (Frank Oz) from Star Wars stands up with his eyes closed and arm outstretched. The caption reads “Teach you I will.”]

Caption: Learn the lessons from those who have gone before you.

Job applications require documents and teaching-focused jobs are no different. That is why we have a workshop and a clinic for you to hone your teaching statement. These are both held in cooperation with the Graduate Writing Center. The workshop takes you through some of the staples of this document as well as some dos and don’ts.

The clinic gives you time with a consultant to go over your teaching statement. This is a valuable opportunity to get some feedback on your statement through the eyes of someone who knows what it is supposed to look like. Unfortunately, spots are limited so be quick about booking your spot!

[Image description: Ed (Kel Mitchell) in Good Burger reads through a document and says: “Mhm, mhm.” Then points at the document and says “Oh, yeah” before turning to the camera smiling and saying “I know some of these words.”]

Caption: What will happen if you don’t make sure your teaching statement is legible.

Lastly, if you are interested in developing your teaching further (and get a fancy certificate out of it to boot), you may be interested in applying for the University Teaching Certificate. This a two-quarter program that focuses on strengthening your teaching knowledge in a collaborative seminar environment. Normally, you will have to submit teaching evaluations but you are also eligible if you attend all the Teaching Development Track talks. These are talks that have been put on by students in the University Teaching Certificate and covers a lot of fun topics!

Want to know more about the talks or other programming we have coming up during TCW? Head on over to the official TCW webpage for more info and the registration link.

[Image description: Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) on Extraordinary Attorney Woo smiles suddenly with the caption reading “I get it!”]

Caption: Hopefully you after reading this blog post.