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Cooperating Teachers

Spring 2023 Cooperating Teacher Spotlight

College of Liberal Arts

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Pictured above: Liz Singhurst - Baranoff Elementary/AISD, Julia Gritte - LASA/AISD, MilyBett Llanos-Gremillion - Westwood High School/RRISD (Not pictured: Jessica Weisinger - Hill Country Middle School/Eanes ISD, Amy Jaggers - Anderson High School/AISD)

UTL 101 - Liz Singhurst

Pulling directly from the experiences of Ms. Singhurst’s UTeach interns, I’d like to share what I have learned about her teaching practice. When UTeachers walk into Ms. Singhurst’s classroom, they describe the environment as feeling inclusive, constructive, and engaging. She has a professional yet fun relationship with her students; they look up to her and respect her. Ms. Singhurst lets students teach each other and lets them explain to the class after she makes sure the answers are correct. Ms. Singhurst feels strongly about giving her students opportunities to explain topics to each other, because she says that the student has to understand the material well in order to be able to explain it to someone else. She says that the best way to include students in a lesson is to offer information at their level. She keeps the new information that she is sharing short and sweet and says that students learn the most when they are doing, teaching others, asking relevant questions, and participating in activities –like being involved in molding clay, touching and feeling things rather than completing a worksheet. Ms. Singhurst does this to build her students’ confidence and to help them to remain focused in ways that they learn best. Ms. Singhurst also demonstrates how to be constructive and helpful to build confidence while maintaining a warm learning environment. In keeping the highest expectations for her students, Ms. Singhurst is intentional. She encouraged her UTeacher to refer back to Bloom’s Taxonomy to make sure to add ideas of analyzing, comparing and contrasting, purposefully in lessons. She says that if you don’t make the time, it won’t just happen, and you may forget. These are a few of the nuggets that Ms. Singhurst not only shares, but most importantly, models for future educators to learn and grow.  

UTL 202 - Jessica Weisinger

Ms. Jessica Weisinger is a 6th grade social studies teacher at Hill Country Middle School in Eanes ISD. She has continuously demonstrated her dedication to education by supporting multiple UTeach student interns each semester. This year, Jessica has hosted four UTL 202 students! She has continuously gone above and beyond in her willingness to open her classroom and offer strong support and feedback.  

Ms. Weisinger’s interns sing her praises! One student wrote that Ms. Weisinger supported her with any idea she had for her lesson and called her the “queen of positive reinforcement!” She also appreciated how Ms. Weisinger “always calmed [her] nerves and made [her] feel good about the lessons we planned and implemented.” Another UTeach intern noted Ms. Weisinger’s excellent feedback and willingness to answer any and all questions. She said, “She was there for me whenever I needed help planning any of my lessons and encouraged me when I was having doubts.”   

Ms. Weisinger has been a strong and consistent mentor to UTL 202 students for over 5 years, welcoming students into her room with open arms. She teaches them what it is like to be a middle school teacher, how to manage a classroom, and how to engage students. The UTeach program is lucky to have Jessica Weisinger helping to grow future educators through her mentorship. 

UTL 640 English - Julia Gritte

“I have most valued how genuine Mrs. Gritte is.... She shares her personality and about herself, so [the] students and I know her and what she is all about. There is no falsity in her interactions; if you cheat, she'll check up with you. If you need an extension, she'll hear you out. She wants to know how someone's game went and touch base with them on grades. I know that all teachers have their signature style, but Mrs. Gritte's creativity, good mix of dry humor, and understanding of her students are so exclusively her. It's been so wonderful to have the chance to learn from her.” —Michelle Lange, Spring 2023 UTLA Graduate   

Julia Gritte currently teaches English I, AP English III, and the Book Club elective and holds the position of Volleyball Head Coach at LASA, the Liberal Arts & Sciences Academy in AISD. She has served as a UTLA Cooperating Teacher since the 2018-19 school year. In that time, she has mentored seven of our preservice teachers, modeling how to build authentic relationships with students while holding them to a high academic standard and supporting our UTeachers in developing their teacher persona and their skills in instructional planning and delivery. The interns and student teachers placed in Julia’s classroom consistently benefit from her insightful, specific feedback, and over these last five years, they have consistently praised her ability to create engaging, interactive instruction that appropriately challenges students. Her mentees also often express gratitude for having learned “when to ‘hold the line’ for a student’s own good and when to give them extra grace” from watching Julia in action in the classroom. We are so fortunate to include Julia Gritte in our pool of English Cooperating Teachers, and we deeply appreciate her years of commitment to the UTLA program.

UTL 640 LOTE - MilyBett Llanos-Gremillion

MilyBett is a teacher’s teacher. Before placing a UTeach intern in her care, I share with them the amazing honor it is for them to learn from such a force in language education. She is not the run of the mill teacher or the typical colleague that you find in every school. MilyBett is exceptional. She is a once-in-a Blue Moon educator. Her philosophy –that she embodies and shares through both word and deed– is that education is not only a 9 to 5 venture, but the real magic happens from 5 to 9 as you work to prepare for the humanity that you get to serve. With the energy of a two-year old child, she goes about the day brilliantly spreading opportunities to her students to become connected, vested, and critical to our society. She gifts them with intentional growth experiences to open access to other cultures and peoples. She provides sliding doors through which they get to walk in shoes that are different from their own and appreciate the new journey in their exploration. MilyBett pushes students to be uncomfortable and still be okay as they make discoveries about themselves and those around them. She does it all with fingernails that match her daily outfits, a smile, a nudge, intentional and purposeful work, and tireless effort. From making herself available to students before, during and after school, constantly communicating with the families of the students she serves, advocating with the administration about what’s optimal for her colleagues and constituents, and mentoring the next generation of educators, MilyBett does it all as a labor of love. It is clear and obvious that she is in her element and working in her passion. We are the better for it. Thank you, MilyBett, for being the consummate professional, pinnacle educator, phenomenal example and still human.

UTL 640 Social Studies - Amy Jaggers

Amy Jaggers attained her teacher certification through UT-Austin and now has come full circle to mentor young Longhorn educators. She has been with Austin ISD since 2015 and presently serves as the Social Studies Department Chair for Anderson High School where she teaches IB History of the Americas, US History, and IB Theory of Knowledge. 

Amy's passion and dedication to mentoring UTEACH interns is strong. She leaves an indelible mark on her interns with particular emphasis on teaching them how to effectively utilize primary sources in their lesson plans and get students to think critically on historical issues.  

Her interns speak about how she is kind, understanding, and happy to share her years of experience with them. Most importantly, she has mentored her students to be fully prepared and excited to be educators. In the words of one student teacher, "Being with her this year has shown me all the highs and lows of teaching and made me feel especially prepared to enter the workforce. I hope every CT is as wonderful of a teacher as Mrs. Jaggers and that future teachers get to experience working with someone who can help them feel joy in education."  

Previous Cooperating Teacher Spotlights

Spring 2022 

Ilene Pappert – Highland Park Elementary/Austin ISD
Renee Oricchio – Kelly Lane Middle School/Pflugerville ISD
Nikki Northcutt – McCallum High School/Austin ISD
Brittany Bussell – McNeil High School/Round Rock ISD
Mirtha Tabasco – Navarro Early College High School/Austin ISD

Spring 2021 

Melanie Drews – Gattis Elementary/Round Rock ISD
Brenda Mosher – Hill Country Middle School/Eanes ISD
Monica Watson – Anderson High School/Austin ISD
Anne Macharia – Westwood High School/Round Rock ISD
Karen Guerrero – Crockett High School/Austin ISD 

Spring 2020 

Stacey Shapiro – Zilker Elementary/Austin ISD
Christianne Cecil – Dailey Middle School/Del Valle ISD
Diana Adamson – McCallum High School/Austin ISD
Courtney Diranieh/Austin High School/Austin ISD
Melissa Prepster – Gorzycki Middle School/Austin ISD 

Spring 2019 

Sylvia Burcham – Brentwood Christian School/Private
Liesl Patteson – Vandegrift High School/Leander ISD
William Shoaf – Kealing Middle School/Austin ISD
Hiroko Fukuhara-Karch – Liberal Arts and Science Academy/Austin ISD
Kat Kelley – Austin High School/Austin ISD. 

Spring 2018 

Peggy Zahm – Gattis Elementary/Round Rock ISD
Richard Horn – Connally High School/Pflugerville ISD
Kris Campos – Cedar Park High School/Leander ISD
Jaclyn Fallin – Crockett High School/Austin ISD
James Wyatt – Murchison Middle School/Austin ISD 

Spring 2017    

Will Barrera – Allison Elementary/Austin ISD
Terry Williams – Lamar Middle School/Austin ISD
Kim Denning-Knapp – McNeil High School/Round Rock ISD
MilyBett Llanos-Gremillion – Westwood High School/Round Rock ISD
Josephine Skaer – LASA/Austin ISD

Spring 2016 

Isabel Ahearn – Ortega Elementary
Yolanda Melendez – Fulmore Middle School
Becky Stewart – Brentwood Christian Academy
Stacy Webster – Academy for Global Studies
Jennifer (JJ) Melgar – Westwood High School/Round Rock ISD
Hellen Barczi – Hendrickson High School/Pflugerville ISD