STL Teaching Fellows @ SLU Celebrate Five Years: An Artistic Tribute
08/20/2024
On July 10, 2024, Saint Louis University’s School of Education celebrated the fifth year of the STL Teaching Fellows @ SLU program in SLU’s Il Monastero. The STL Teaching Fellows @ SLU program is one of three Master of Arts in Teaching pathways offered in the School of Education.
The fellows teach in local public schools and charter public schools while completing teacher-certification requirements and earning their Master of Arts in Teaching.
This recent celebration involved new cohort members and alumni alike, using art to express their joys, pitfalls, excitements and experiences with “Becoming Teachers.” The program focused on innovation and creative teacher-pathway design. An art show was the perfect way to display the innovation instilled within all of the members of the cohorts, past, present, and future.
“It was inspiring to see our students and alumni reflecting on the transformative journey of becoming teachers," Karissa Sywulka, director of the STL Teaching Fellows @ SLU program. "In a critical teacher shortage, we need to be even more in tune with the joys and challenges of becoming teachers and I’m so glad professors, administrators, HR personnel, and family members were in attendance and were able to share in the vision of supporting teachers.”
The event provided a safe space for creativity and networking for alumni of the program, and it also provided an opportunity to induct 17 new members into cohort 5. Cohorts 1-5 also had the option of juried consideration by Sumner High School’s Jermaine Smith for the “Featured Showcase.” Smith picked 3 winners: Jenecia Sims from cohort 2 (poetry), Anjelikka Hopkins from cohort 5 (painting), and Dwayne McCowan from cohort 5 (song).
McCowan’s heartfelt artist statement on why he chose to sing “Make Them Hear You” from Ragtime captures the spirit of teaching and the message of the event as a whole.
“My performance is a testament to the resilience required to demand justice in a world that often seeks to silence us. It is a call to action for all teachers to be seen, known, and heard, and to use their voices to advocate for what is right,” McGowan wrote.
The artwork was captivating and truly opened the viewers’ eyes to what it means to become and be a teacher. Copies of the art are on display in Fitzgerald Hall, outside of rooms 210-212.
For more information about Saint Louis University’s School of Education, visit our website or call 314-977-3292.