Campus Connection

Partnership with Notre Dame School of Milwaukee underscores variety in student teaching placements

UW-La Crosse School of Education students are getting a taste of teaching in an urban environment, thanks to a new and innovative partnership.   

Starting in fall 2022, UWL teacher candidates have the opportunity to student teach at Notre Dame School, a private school on Milwaukee’s near south side primarily serving Hispanic and low-income students in K3 through eighth grade.   

The school’s focus on bilingual learning — students are instructed in both English and Spanish throughout the day — offers further benefits for teacher candidates looking to explore other cultures and teaching styles.   

“Having my student teaching experience in Milwaukee was appealing for many reasons. Most notably, I wanted to experience education in the urban world,” says Lexi Burgos, who majored in middle childhood-early adolescence education and Spanish education. She student taught in a first-grade classroom at Notre Dame this spring, graduating in May.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve in an urban environment, while still being in a school where I feel supported and confident,” she says. “I am also drawn to the dual-language nature of my school, where I can practice my bilingualism and celebrate Hispanic culture. Beyond the school, Milwaukee is quite a unique city with many opportunities for exploration.”   

But moving from La Crosse to Milwaukee, even for one semester, is a major barrier for many students. That's where UWL alumnus Carolyn Scott, ’85, along with Notre Dame President Patrick Landry, proposed a solution. 

There was a historical building with two apartments on the Notre Dame campus that needed restoration. After discussion between Landry and UWL Dean of the School of Education Marcie Wycoff-Horn, it was decided to use the apartments for UWL Student teachers.  

A memorandum of understanding was signed between UWL and Notre Dame. Scott agreed to fund the restoration through the RA Stevens Foundation, where she serves as trustee. The apartments are now referred to as the “Eagle’s Nest." 

The arrangement has unlocked opportunities for students like Marcos Cecenas, who majored in middle childhood-early adolescence education and student taught in middle school math at Notre Dame this spring. He also graduated in May.

“Student teaching is a full-time job, and relocating was not as accessible being that working was going to be difficult,” says Cecenas, who is originally from Zacatecas, Mexico. “Notre Dame offered housing and parking on site — it’s gated and literally a 10-second walk from the school — and I knew this was an opportunity that now became more attainable." 

Cecenas has enjoyed the change of pace in a larger city, even if it was an adjustment.   

“Life here is constantly active,” he says. “You see nobody taking a break in the city of Milwaukee, but that’s what makes it an experience. After a few weeks here, I got acclimated and have been honestly really liking the MKE lifestyle.”   

Landry says Milwaukee is much more than the negative headlines you see in the news.  

Notre Dame in particular, he says, is a tight-knit community that values education. This is illustrated by the school's 100% parent or guardian attendance at parent-teacher conferences, and by the fact that 90% of Notre Dame students go on to attend college.   

“I think the urban (student teaching) placement is truly one that everyone should experience,” Landry says. “The families and the children, most are first-generation, and they want nothing but the best for their children.   

“Notre Dame has a culture that embraces and truly appreciates student teachers,” he adds. “We have a loving culture and environment that welcomes you, supports you, pushes you and creates a truly wonderful student teaching experience.”   

UWL’s partnership with Notre Dame underscores the university’s commitment to providing a variety of field experiences, particularly as student populations grow more diverse.   

“Schools are seeing more students of color, so they’re seeking teachers who have experience working with that diversity,” Wycoff-Horn says. “And then you have students of color, like Marcos, who recognize the importance of being a teacher of color and giving all students a role model who looks like them. It gives them something and someone to aspire to.”