Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) is a faith-based, non-profit organization founded in 2008 to recruit, train, and support effective teachers in a Christian context. MTR accomplishes this goal through two programs: a teacher residency training program and a summer academic enrichment camp.
Residency:
Residents are college graduates invited to train with a mentor, receive coaching, and participate in Master of Urban Education coursework through Union University. In addition, residents receive housing and a living stipend. During the residency year, participants earn their master’s degree and teach for a full academic year in a mentor’s classroom. While some residents do have undergraduate teacher training prior to the residency, others do not and become a certified teacher at the end of the residency year. Graduating the program, residents agree to teach in Memphis high needs schools for three additional years.
MTR Camp:
MTR Camp was founded in 2013 to address systemic summer academic losses affecting students in MTR partner neighborhoods. Summer learning regression disproportionately affects students who live in low-income communities while middleÂ-class peers make slight gains. The program is designed to provide academic enrichment within a summer camp experience for students who attend an MTR partner school, while exposing interns to MTR's mission of equal education in Memphis and the residency program. Additionally, interns live in intentional community, explore Memphis and receive training in effective instructional techniques. MTR Camp aims to (1) reduce summer learning regression, (2) promote a love for learning, and (3) expose college students to MTR's mission of equal education.
For more information, visit MemphisTR.org.