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Schools and Partnerships

Orientation at Environmental Science Magnet, Fall 2022
Orientation at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA), Fall 2022
Orientation at Expeditionary Learning Academy at Moylan School (ELAMS), Fall 2022
Orientation at Montessori Magnet School, Fall 2022

We highly value our Hartford community-learning partnerships. Beginning with our introductory course, Educ 200: Analyzing Schools, Trinity students gain first-hand experience and research skills through participant-observation in public school classrooms near the Trinity campus. For more information about community-learning partnerships across Trinity College, see the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research.

Hartford school placements for Educ 200

Important Reminders for Participant-Observation:

  • DO get involved with student learning and follow guidance from your classroom teacher. You can always pull up a chair next to a student and ask “May I sit next to you?” and “Tell me what you’re working on.”
  • DO NOT sit or stand in the back of the room by yourself.
  • DO participate in the life of the classroom. When time permits, write observational notes on paper, which you may use in writing assignments. Make a habit of bringing paper and a pen or pencil each time you visit.
  • DO NOT take notes on your phone, because it looks like you’re texting. (This is the most common complaint we hear from classroom teachers about Trinity students.)
  • DO communicate with your teacher and take responsibility for your schedule. Email them the day and time when you plan to make your first visit, and go at that time (unless they tell you otherwise). When time permits during your first visit, review your proposed schedule for 8 visits with them and sign your contract. You and your teacher can modify your schedule at any time. If you are sick, email them and state the next date when you plan to return. Later, modify the schedule to make up days you missed.
  • DO NOT wait for your teacher to reply to your email. DO NOT make extra work for your teacher. DO NOT go to the school if you are sick.
  • DO treat everyone respectfully. We are guests in our partner’s schools, so follow norms for adult behavior and dress codes.
  • DO NOT take photos of public school students or communicate with them via social media. 

Placement process:

  • School Placement Information Sheet – Fill out on paper at our first class, and follow the format in this Sample (for TR class) or this Sample (for MW class). We share this information with school partners on our Placements and Orientations Google Sheet, which appears in our password-protected Moodle class site.
  • Placement Contract Fall 2024 – We will hand out on paper during school orientations. Review and sign with your teacher during your first session, then upload a scan or photo to Moodle.
  • HPS Volunteer Form for College Students (by invitation only) 2023-24 – Online form requires about 5-10 minutes for basic background check. Trinity faculty will send a list of all Ed 200 students’ names to HPS to help them identify and quickly process our forms. HPS might request additional information from specific students, and if so, your faculty member will contact and guide you on this.
    • Use your legal name (that appears on your government-issued ID or passport), not your nickname
    • If your home address is in the US, enter that address. If your home address is outside the US, enter your Trinity campus address.
    • Check all 3 schools to simplify the process:
      • Expeditionary Learning Academy at Moylan School (ELAMS)
      • Environmental Science Magnet at Mary Hooker School (ESM)
      • Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA)
    • Check 2 areas of volunteer work to simplify the process:
      • Tutoring-Math
      • Tutoring-Language Arts/Literacy
    • Make sure your Date of Birth appears in US format (Month-Day-Year), which is different from the format used elsewhere in the world (Day-Month-Year)
  • Mandated Reporter Training for School Employees 2023-24 – Online from CT Dept of Children and Families, requires about 30-45 minutes
    • While working with children in a public school, we are legally required to report any observation or suspicion of child abuse. Although Educ 200 students are unpaid volunteers, HPS requires us to fill out the School Employee version.
    • Organization Name: Trinity College
    • Type of Organization: Institute of Higher Education
    • How Many People are Viewing the Training Today?: Enter 1. Each individual must complete the online training, so that each of you will receive a certificate of completion at the end. You MUST download the certificate and upload it to our Moodle course as proof of completion. If you do not download the certificate upon completion, you might need to repeat the training. If the training platform does not show the certificate, check the email account you entered. Faculty member will submit all certificates in one batch to HPS.