Education majors from East Stroudsburg University (ESU), (left to right) Brianna Auletti, Nicole Klauss, Elizabeth Parsons, Ashley Rundle, and Kaitlin Johnson,  began their Professional Development Schools experience at Swiftwater Elementary Center on September 6, 2023.  Students are paired with a mentor teacher two days per week, before they begin their student teaching experience next semester. Pocono Mountain School District is proud to partner with ESU to give our future teachers the best experience possible. (Photo by Megan Dunlap, Confidential Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director for Human Resources)

Swiftwater Elementary Center welcomed five elementary education majors, who attend East Stroudsburg University (ESU), on September 6, 2023, as part of a teacher training partnership between Pocono Mountain School District and the university.

Swiftwater Elementary Center is one of the Professional Development Schools in the district that pairs elementary education majors with experienced mentor teachers 2 days per week prior to them starting their student teacher experience the following semester.

“Our Professional Development Schools provide the inspiration and direction for our collaboration, which links theory and research to best practices in both teaching and learning,” states the ESU website. “These dynamic relationships provide a framework for our clinical practices, inquiry, curriculum projects, professional development, and service learning.”

The PDS program provides ESU elementary education majors with diverse learning opportunities designed to better prepare them for their future as certified teachers in Pennsylvania.

Through this program, Pocono Mountain administrators and educators further their commitment to training and developing the next generation of educators. In addition, the relationships established through PDS experiences in the district encourage future teachers to apply to Pocono Mountain School District for employment once they graduate and receive state certifications to teach. 

Pocono Mountain hired more than 30 new teachers for the 2023-24 school year. Employment opportunities are listed on the PMSD website at www.pmsd.org under the Employment Tab.