"I enjoyed working with my ODU coaches and looked forward to seeing them in the classroom and receiving feedback. The TIR program was incredibly helpful in my development as a science teacher for 21st century students living in an urban area. I can say I gained so much insight from my professors who are all passionate and joyful about teaching. Without that level of sincerity and love of teaching, this would be an average teacher prep program. I have been inspired and gently guided into teaching and I appreciate everyone who poured their love into helping me succeed. The ODU staff sacrificed a lot of time and energy into us TIRs individually, and I am grateful for that!"

"The TIR program met or exceeded expectations by every measure.

My instructional coach was willing to engage in some serious conversations about techniques, methods, curriculum, assessment, and specific preparation for SOLs. She ensured that I was fully enabled to teach from the first day by providing necessary space, materials, guidance, and by preparing the class in advance for the presence of another teacher. What's most notable is that she was careful to include me as a fellow teaching professional and not to compromise my validity and authority in front of the students."

"This program was very supportive in helping all of us become teachers, from the financial supports to the staff of ODU and NPS supporting us every step of the way."

"I had an amazing mentor instructional coach who taught how to be an effective teacher and the TIR program taught me how to teach in diverse ways and how to teach culturally relevant lessons as well as to plan effective lessons and different types of assessments and how to use that data to see where those students are and if they are understanding the content."

"If I had to sum up my feelings about the TIR program, I would have to talk about the leadership of the program, my clinical resident coach, and my ODU coach. First, Dr. Underwood has done an outstanding job at establishing a program that gives candidates an accurate depiction of all the hard work teachers put in to ensure the success of their students. Her high standards of excellence motivate the teacher candidates to rise above any occasion and become leaders inside and outside of the classroom. She is very intentional and leads by example so that we can model her behavior and learn to teach in culturally relevant ways. It is transformational to experience culturally relevant pedagogy in our course work as a graduate student with Dr. Underwood. A mentor once told me that the universe evenly distributes talent, but does not evenly distributes opportunities. The TIR program under the leadership of Dr. Janice Underwood gives a unique opportunity that develops highly competitive teachers that will be the leading cause of change in the urban education system. Secondly, Ms. Crisden, my clinical resident coach is the definition of a mentor. She truly enjoys coaching and guiding you through the program. She understands her role and provides immediate and useful feedback. Her delivery of feedback comes from a genuine place as her goal is for you to be successful in the classroom. She has made my experience in this program memorable. I have learned a tremendous amount of information from her that I will cherish for the rest of my teaching career. Lastly, Mrs. Gregory, my ODU coach has been influential on my experience in this program. During her visits, she provided feedback that would leave me feeling empowered. Her suggestions were easy to implement and always ended with positive results. After completing this program, I feel that I am more than ready to take on my classroom in the fall and am prepared to implement culturally relevant lessons that I know will empower my students to highest levels of learning achievement."

"I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this program and surrounded by such powerful and passionate people. Every day I was inspired to make a difference in education with diversity principles and be a powerful educator that challenged my students to apply what they learned; thus, I operated at the highest levels of Blooms Taxonomy to encourage my students to do great things in science. Dr. Underwood is a truly amazing leader that I challenge myself to become more like. Receiving the honor of being able to participate in this program has changed my life because I have learned to teach in culturally affirming ways and create educational experiences for my students that not only get them excited about science, but also to encourage them toward careers in science. So, I know that I am making a difference in Norfolk Public Schools and in the lives of my students, which is the purpose of the ODU TIR program. I am making history and part of a TIR legacy!"