Community-Word Project's Teaching Artist Training & Internship Programs's (TATIP) follow ups, such as debriefs, seminars, and one-on-one meetings, provide excellent support for Teaching Artists, once they have finished their training. Debrief meetings are a great way to regroup and discuss important topics related to classes, where Teaching Artists work. They offer a rare space for busy Teaching Artists to go over any issues and concerns that may have come up, or to merely give each other updates. This is especially helpful, as information via email may get lost in translation or forgotten. Debriefs give the opportunity for TAs to catch up on all that has gotten lost through the cracks. The

I am an Advanced Level trainee with Community-Word Project's Teaching Artist Training & Internship Program (TATIP) and I’ve been lucky enough to have Teaching Artists T. Scott Lilly and Mary Cinadr as my mentors during my residency at Captain Manuel P.S. 279, where I work with 4th graders. In a recent debrief, Scott talked a lot about the importance of improvisation while teaching. When asked how to keep students engaged, Scott responded, “If you are really listening, and responding to what the students are giving you, then you will be fine." It’s easy to see this approach when observing Scott and Mary in the classroom. It’s clear that Scott and Mary craft their lessons as a team beforehand,

A few summers ago before I gave birth to my first daughter, I attended the Community-Word Project Summer Institute that focused on how teaching artists can explore social justice issues in the classroom. When I entered the room that first day, I was surrounded by powerful quotes by poets, artists and activists such as Dr. Cornell West, Maxine Green, Dr Martin Luther King, Dr. Maya Angelou and many others. One particular quote by Bayard Rustin whom I was not familiar with, really captured my attention. He was “a master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the Uni

On Monday, April 3rd, the TAP Cohort came together to put on our annual panel: The Business of Teaching Artistry: A Panel on Professionalism. We were fortunate enough to be hosted by the Dedalus Foundation this year, providing a beautiful gallery as the setting for this year's panel. This event has grown every year as our cohort continues to expand and strengthen the work we do together. For 2017's event, we had five panels total with a final sixth panel that included every panelist that evening for an open talkback with the audience. There were 18 panelists, including some master Teaching Artists as well as administrators, and 96 audience members total to really pack the house! Facilitated

My time with Community-Word Project's Teaching Artist Training & Internship Program (TATIP) has been a memorable experience thus far. I conducted my first lesson with my 4th grade class. It felt amazing! I really liked the preparation process of creating outlines and worksheets for my lesson. My mentors, Mary Cinadr and T. Scott Lilly were there to assist me during the prep and in my class presentation. I was well prepared and excited to get my students to draw unique images and write poems -which would later be presented in their class anthology! Throughout our TATIP training, debrief sessions have been held. We have had group debriefings and one-on-one sessions. I like our group debriefing