AUSL’s partnership with AmeriCorps helps make it possible for resident teachers in the AUSL Teacher Residency to receive additional support as they train and complete the program. The partnership provides resident teachers with the Segal Education Award (tuition credit), childcare assistance, and free healthcare. These services help remove significant barriers for participation and make it possible for resident teachers to graduate.
AUSL alumna Christy Dotson from the Chicago Teacher Residency Class of 2025 joined us for a Q&A interview sharing her experience with being an AmeriCorps member as a resident teacher.
Q: How easy was integrating AmeriCorps requirements into your AUSL Teacher Residency schedule?
A: Integrating the 1,700 service hours into the AUSL Teacher Residency felt manageable because the residency itself was already a full-time commitment in the classroom. Nearly all of the teaching, lesson planning, coaching sessions, and community engagement activities naturally counted toward the hours. The only adjustment was simply being intentional about logging everything in consistently and staying on top of documentation deadlines. It quickly became a routine and rarely felt like “extra work” on top of the residency.
Q: How did it feel to complete your AmeriCorps responsibilities alongside your residency work?
A: The AmeriCorps responsibilities felt more like an extension of my residency rather than a burden. The structure of the residency was embedded in the school communities and aligned seamlessly with AmeriCorps’ focus on service. My biggest responsibility was keeping track of time, but the actual work of teaching, supporting students, mentoring, and engaging families was already at the heart of our work. Rather than extra assignments, it felt like AmeriCorps was helping to frame and understand our impact, making it easy for required documentation.
Q: Which AmeriCorps benefits did you take advantage of during your residency year?
A: The two benefits I took advantage of were the healthcare insurance and the Segal Education Award which was the most meaningful benefit to date. This award will provide me with the crucial financial support I need toward future graduate coursework. Having access to health insurance gave me peace of mind that I was covered during such a demanding year. While I personally didn’t use childcare assistance, I had friends in the residency who relied on it and spoke highly of how vital it was for balancing family and educational responsibilities. I can attest that each benefit offered felt like AmeriCorps acknowledged the difficulty of our residency and service we were putting in.
Q: How did being an AmeriCorps member impact your experience as a resident teacher?
A: Being an active AmeriCorps member elevated my residency because I felt connected to a national network of people devoted to service. It helped me see my role as not just preparing to be a teacher, but actively serving a community in a tangible way. I wasn’t just training, I was giving back. This thought process kept me grounded and gave me a greater appreciation for the teaching profession.
Q: What would you say to someone in the AUSL Teacher Residency who is unsure about enrolling in AmeriCorps?
A: I would encourage them to see AmeriCorps as a partnership and a support rather than an added burden. There are no words for the unequivocal support of my AUSL/AmeriCorps Manager who guided me and ensured my goals were met. The AmeriCorps requirements align perfectly with residency responsibilities and provide real financial and personal relief during an intense year of growth. Most importantly, carrying an AmeriCorps membership will deepen your perspective, not just learning to teach, but stepping into a larger tradition of service that will shape your career and how you see yourself in communities.
Christy’s experience is commonly shared among resident teachers who become AmeriCorps members. AUSL is proud to partner with AmeriCorps to help resident teachers with unexpected burdens and challenges that add uncertainty to their ability to pursue their teacher training journey.
Are you or someone you know interested in becoming a teacher? Applications for the AUSL Teacher Residency are now live and partnerships with AmeriCorps make it more accessible for resident teachers to follow their dreams of being in the classroom.
Apply today: https://connect.auslchicago.org/apply/
