By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
Undergraduate students and now full-time paraprofessionals, students in the School of Education are now getting paid for their residencies in local school districts.
Baylor education students pursuing professional teaching careers partner with teachers at local schools to complete clinical teaching. As school districts thrive on these partnerships, the residency program has grown and expanded over the last several years.
As of the 2023-2024 academic year, student-teachers can receive salaries during their residencies, according to Dr. Kylah Clark-Goff, director of clinical experiences and school-based partnerships.
Students pursuing a teaching degree are required by state law to earn their clinical teaching certification by working in a classroom-setting for at least one semester, according to Clark-Goff.
Clark-Goff said the residency is equivalent to a full-time teaching job. Students arrive at school before it starts and often stay for hours after it ends. Not only are they on the same timeframe as their mentors, but they have the same responsibilities — including making lesson plans and grading tests.
“They don’t have time to work another job,” Clark-Goff said. “It’s really hard to do a job on top of that.”
The salaries alleviate pressure from the students, allowing them to fully dedicate their time to student-teaching without having to balance it with another job, according to Clark-Goff.
“When this opportunity came up where they could actually get paid while they’re student-teaching, it [was] amazing. It’s a game changer” Clark-Goff said.
In May 2024, KWTX highlighted the program’s new partnership for this current school year with Robinson ISD. According to district officials, residents will make 80% of a paraprofessional’s pay in the district while working side-by-side with teachers. The residents will also have the opportunity to continue working in the schools after graduation, jumpstarting their professional careers.
The residencies benefit not only the student-teachers but also the classrooms of the school districts they are working for. Paid residents working with La Vega ISD last year continued working in their schools as first-year teachers following graduation. The district’s investment in the student-teacher salaries equipped them with strong and qualified employees to fill in positions that were greatly needed. The graduates will also have an advantage in their classrooms, having likely already connected with students and colleagues.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, senior Laura Workman, a student studying all-level special education, said she appreciates the professional experience that she gains through the residency. Workman emphasized the importance of this experience in that it prepares her for her future career.
“You can’t teach everything from a textbook,” she said. “Getting that experience of being in a classroom is what really prepares you so much.”
Workman said the education program was uniquely immersive since she has had the ability to spend almost every semester working in a classroom setting.
Last spring, officials from La Vega ISD pointed out the profitability of the paid residencies. Then-Houston senior Mallory Keehn’s experience with a paid internship at La Vega Junior High really benefited her financially, according to a Baylor newsletter.
According to Workman, those who pursue education are typically driven by their passion for it, and not for the salary.
“It’s that passion of just wanting to teach and wanting to help others that really pushes this program,” Workman said. “I would say it is totally worth doing, even without the salary, just because this what I’m chasing. This is what I’m passionate about and what I want to do with my life. Being paid is a great bonus, but I would do it again without the salary.”
Connecting with the Waco community is also a key factor that drives the residency program, Workman said. To the students in the program who are able to experience more of the Waco community than just what exists at Baylor, the connection becomes an essential part of their learning experience.
“Waco gives so much to us as Baylor students, and I think that it’s equally important to make sure that we are giving back to the community that we are living in,” Workman said.
Clark-Goff said the School of Education hopes to continue partnering with local schools and connecting student-teachers with paid internships and career opportunities. The department is also looking to expand to Midway ISD and Waco ISD, Clark-Goff said.
“We’re hopeful that by February we’ll have four districts,” Clark-Goff said.
For junior students, a meeting will be held with all partner districts on February 21 at the Mayborn Museum to hear about residency opportunities for the upcoming school year.
“It really is a win for both the school districts and the Baylor students,” Clark-Goff said. “Baylor students now get that advantage of the pay, but they are also treated like employees. A beautiful part of it is sometimes our students have such a healthy experience and feel so connected that they will actually stay in the district long term.”
