Are you considering teaching at a Community College (CC) or California State University (CSU)? Then you are in luck — this quarter is Career Pathways Week: Teaching! Come learn about what it is like to transition and teach at CC or CSU. You will also have the opportunity to learn what skills and knowledge can be transferred into your career development. 

Career Pathways Week: Teaching 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 must register before each session begins.

[Image Description: Ross from the show Friends says, “I’m the teacher!”] 

Caption: Career Pathways Week: Teaching will give you the confidence to announce that you are the teacher as you arrive in a crowded classroom.

There are many opportunities to learn from those who have gone before you this week. We have invited Dr. Brian Sato, Professor of Teaching and Associate Dean of the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation at UC Irvine, to give our keynote address. Dr. Sato will focus his talk on teaching and ways to improve the classroom. Come to learn for the Q&A afterward!

Speaking of learning from those with experience, we have also invited UCR alums who moved to a teaching-focused career to give a panel. These alumni work and teach 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: Image with words that read “Empowered Teachers Empower Students.”]

Caption: It is important to know that ‘Empowered Teachers Empower Students.’

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

The clinic gives you time with a consultant to review your teaching statement. This is a valuable opportunity to get feedback on your statement from someone who knows what it is supposed to look like. Spots are limited, so be quick about booking your spot!

[Image Description: Aubrey Plaza looking at someone and saying “Teach me.”]

Caption: When you are in the workshop and clinic during Career Pathways Week: Teaching, tell staff to teach you.

Lastly, if you are interested in further developing your teaching (and getting a fancy certificate out of it), you may be interested in applying for the University Teaching Certificate (UTC). The UTC is a two-quarter program focusing on strengthening your teaching knowledge in a collaborative seminar environment. Usually, you must submit teaching evaluations, but you are also eligible if you attend all the Teaching Development Track talks. These talks have been put on by students in the University Teaching Certificate and cover a lot of fun topics! Want to know more about the talks or other programming we have coming up during TCW? Visit the official TCW webpage for more info and the registration link.

[Image Description: Dwight from the Office with the caption reading “Let’s Do This!”]

Caption: We hope you are ready, like Dwight, to go out and be a great teacher.