Shane Joseph (Relay Graduate School of Education, Class of 2020) joined Breakthrough New York in 2021 as an Instructional Coach with two summers of experience teaching at Breakthrough San Francisco. The time Shane spent with Breakthrough San Francisco was “life changing and transformative.” When he received a hiring email about joining the Breakthrough New York community, he said it was a “calling” and confirmed that he should continue to invest in the larger Breakthrough community.
We spoke to Shane about his Breakthrough experience this past summer.
Congratulations on winning the Susan M. Blum Teaching Excellence Award! How does it feel to be an awardee?
It meant a lot to receive the Blum award, especially since I’m transitioning out of the classroom. It was a moment of reflection and made me consider my impact and role in teaching. Despite being remote, I was still able to make connections and bond with students. It was really moving and powerful. Just thinking about the level of intentionality that both Izzy and myself put into planning for students and making sure they felt supported throughout the summer… It was really important for me that I show up for kids and it’s really nice to feel appreciated and recognized. Winning the award wasn’t a goal for me. I was just putting my best foot forward for the students. It affirmed that whether it’s past, present or future, education is definitely something I was meant to be in.
What would you say to someone who is considering joining the Breakthrough community?
I would, hands down, recommend Breakthrough to anyone who’s interested in education because it’s such a unique experience. I remember Googling internships and Breakthrough was the main one that kept popping up.
If you’re a Teaching Fellow, be all in. Breakthrough is a really unique experience. The culture of the work is equally as important as the academics, if not more when you compare it to other spaces in education. It’s really an opportunity to grow as a professional and an opportunity for you to see what it’s like to be in front of a classroom teaching and connecting with students. I’d also say to experience the summer. I tell students the same when they’re signing off: “Go experience something and have fun.” You don’t necessarily have to go outside, but keep yourself engaged. If you’re in New York, I’d say go explore the city. Be a tourist.
For Instructional Coaches, I think Breakthrough is a phenomenal opportunity to participate in leadership and really see what the teaching experience is like. It’s one thing to know how to do something; it’s another to teach somebody how to do it. It really built my leadership skills very definitively and quickly. It’s an opportunity to support another teacher and impart some of the knowledge you have accumulated over the years.
Have you learned anything from Breakthrough students this summer?
I learned a lot about character from Breakthrough students. They really embody grit. They’re dedicated to themselves, their growth and their development. They’re very disciplined and dedicated to academics and being successful. When you sign up for Breakthrough, it’s a multiyear commitment. Seeing how the 9th graders showed up for that commitment and really put in their best effort during the summertime, it’s super impressive and really grounds me. I look at students and wonder: What is your “why”? What makes you so disciplined? And it’s different for each student. Family, dreams, love of learning… and it’s that sort of passion and dedication to self that is inspiring. It really grounds me in the work that I do with kids.
Fill in the blank. Breakthrough is ______
I’m going to steal a quote from Jenee Palmer from Breakthrough San Francisco: “Breakthrough is love.” I really feel that. It’s such a unique space to have a team of people who are really invested in students and their wellbeing. Not only through their growth and development, but getting to know them as people, working with their families and really supporting them. I think that’s very common in the space of education, but there is the extra effort put into it at Breakthrough. Breakthrough has some of the best educational events I’ve ever seen. I think if you were to scale it, it would be a million-dollar idea. There’s so much intentionality behind the Breakthrough program.
I remember in San Francisco, I used to dress up in costumes in the morning and go greet the students. Sure — you greet students in schools — but I wouldn’t imagine that in my current school I’d be in a tiara and a scarf in the middle of summer, or with thigh-high boots. It’s just not what I would have expected, but it’s so much fun when you open yourself up to it. So I would say Breakthrough is love and it’s the intentionality behind making sure that kids have a great experience that gives it such a unique culture.
