We’ve had quite a hiatus since our last @BisonINCareers takeover but we are back with a great one on Tuesday, March 25th with Dana Musulin ‘13 a Teacher at Success Academy. This is a great opportunity for all those Education Majors out there so I hope you’ll join us!
Follow along @BisonINCareers as Dana invites us into her classroom on March 25th, to find out what it’s like to be a teacher at a high-performing public charter school in Harlem. We encourage you to ask questions and interact directly with Dana on @BisonINCareers on March 25th.
Dana Musulin ‘13, Success Academy Teacher
Here’s more on Dana:
Falling in Love with Teaching
When Dana Musulin ‘13 was around eight years old, she was torn: Should she sit her stuffed animals down to take their temperatures and check their vital stats, or should she line them up in front of a chalkboard to teach them how to read? By the time she got to Bucknell, she’d made up her mind (though she left her stuffed animals behind): temperatures and vital stats it was. She signed up for premed and aimed for a career in pediatrics.
But in her sophomore year something happened: Dana enrolled in Bucknell Buddies, a group that pairs a college student with a student at an elementary school for one-on-one tutoring. “I loved teaching,” Dana says. “I loved learning how young minds work and seeing the developmental process unfold. I switched my major to elementary education, and I have never looked back.”
Dana completed her student teaching at an elementary school in Lewisburg and began exploring post-graduation career options. At first she pursued possibilities with Teach for America but then heard from a friend about Success Academy, a unique network of public charter schools in New York City. Success Academy has 22 schools located mostly in disadvantaged neighborhoods (and featured in two documentaries: Waiting for Superman and The Lottery). The network has an unmatched track record in helping underprivileged children achieve academically, and it’s known for a revolutionary school design that incorporates a philosophy of “joyful rigor” with deep parental engagement and innovative professional development.
Says Dana: “I absolutely fell in love with Success Academy. My approach to education is very much centered on the idea that kids come first. I saw evidence of the same approach everywhere at Success: in the classrooms, on the bulletin boards, in the words of teachers and school leaders. Also, there’s really an emphasis on bettering teachers through professional development and collaboration—it’s kind of a way of modeling for children how to become lifelong learners. It’s a holistic approach, and there’s an incredible amount of support for teachers.”
The transition from Bucknell to Success Academy was seamless for Dana. “The second I started training last July, I knew that this was right for me,” Dana says. She jumped right in to become the lead kindergarten teacher at her school, Success Academy Harlem 1.
Luckily for us, Dana will be inviting us into her classroom next week. Follow her at @BisonInCareers on Tuesday, March 25th, to find out what it’s like to be a teacher at a high-performing public charter school in Harlem. And if you like what you learn you can apply to various Teacher positions Success Academy has posted on the BRIDGE by April 1st (no joke!).
What is @BisonINCareers? Read up on the project.