Full-Circle Moment

When alumna Lucia Arroyo, Cred. ’17, M.A. ’18, applied to be a resident teacher in the School of Education’s credential program, she wanted to empower future educators to teach with confidence and resilience. As an eighth-year teacher, she approached this new role with the same professionalism and thoughtfulness she brings to her fourth grade classroom in Davis—and she found herself learning more about teaching in the process.

“I took a big step mentoring Maria and it paid off,” she said. “I enjoy resident teaching so much, and I will continue doing it as long as UC Davis will have me.”

A New Perspective in the Classroom
Arroyo’s first student teacher was UC Davis credential candidate Maria Ramos Navarro. As they began working together, Arroyo strove to create an environment where her student could focus on strengthening her teaching. She provided daily feedback on Ramos Navarro’s strengths, coached her on opportunities and challenges that she might face during her career, and even helped her strategize for the teacher certification assessment. 

Arroyo’s dedication as a mentor helped Ramos Navarro succeed immediately. “Maria connected quickly and really beautifully with the kids,” said Arroyo. “Seeing her confidence grow while teaching lessons, especially in math, was inspiring.”

In turn, Arroyo was having an opportunity to reflect on her own teaching style. “Because student teachers often mimic the person they’re working with, I’m seeing my teaching style and classroom management played back to me as the resident teacher,” said Arroyo. “I’m seeing how I interact with my students from a whole new perspective.”

Impressed by how well Ramos Navarro carried out lessons with minimal support, Arroyo began taking a step back and taking notes. This opportunity to observe her classroom from afar was a new experience as she watched Ramos Navarro handle situations in different ways than she would have approached them. She also learned more about how to give more actionable feedback to a colleague. 

“I’ve never had the opportunity to give so much feedback to someone before,” said Arroyo. “As a teacher, you often operate in your own world, getting little input from others. It’s a gift to have an educator provide feedback on your teaching and to be able to return the favor with advice they can trust and act on.”

Coaching Through the Credential
As a UC Davis alumna, Arroyo was very familiar with the tasks Ramos Navarro needed to complete to receive her credential. They’d talk through assignments and the upcoming edTPA, the national skills assessment required for teacher certification.

“I wanted to be the best mentor possible so that Maria felt supported throughout the teacher education program,” Arroyo said. “I remember how intensive the program could be at times, and I wanted to make sure that she had a solid plan to ensure her success at each benchmark.”

As part of these efforts, Arroyo helped Ramos Navarro prepare the video she needed to submit with her edTPA materials. Typically, the student teacher will set up a phone or video camera and record their lesson from beginning to end. But Arroyo felt like this put a lot of pressure on Ramos Navarro to capture her best teaching in one take. Instead, Arroyo became Ramos Navarro’s “personal videographer” for the day. “I wanted to make sure Maria had as many options as possible,” said Arroyo. “She should feel proud of the final video she submits.”

Deepening Connections with the Teacher Community
Arroyo didn’t anticipate how much serving as a mentor would help her strengthen her connection with the teacher community, and the experience has cemented her commitment to building a support network among educators. To her, teacher success flows from opportunities to learn and grow from colleagues—and returning to the School of Education as a resident teacher gives her the chance to experience this first hand. 

“My credential year was one of the best years of my life because you’re in classes with people who are just as passionate about teaching as you are,” said Arroyo. “I’m still really close friends with my cohort, and I rely on them all the time for support. I want Maria to have the same incredible experience as I had and use her time in the program to start building her teacher community too.”

Serving as a resident teacher has also allowed Arroyo to build her support network in new ways, reconnecting with faculty she hadn’t spoken with since she was a credential student. “I graduated eight years ago and my cohort had at least 70 students in it. I couldn’t believe the faculty still remembered me,” she said. “It made me feel truly seen—like I never left.”