Somewhere between “teacher” and “student” lies a 24-year-old who just finished their own finals in college—and is grading yours. They understand exactly how stressed you are about exams because they took one just last quarter.
They’re student teachers, and they’re everywhere. Most in math and science are here under the University of California, Irvine’s CalTeach program, a track that lets undergraduate STEM majors earn a bachelor’s degree and California teaching credential at the same time without needing four more years for a graduate in teaching. Only two universities in California offer it: University of California, Berkeley and UCI.
For Whitney Noh, a math major senior and Northwood student teacher, CalTeach offered a pathway to help her achieve her dream of being a math teacher. When she was first accepted to UCI, she planned to not declare a major. However, in the April before her freshman year, Noh thought back to when she had tutored struggling students in math the summer before—and something clicked.
“I knew I wanted to do teaching,” Noh said. “The priceless reaction of seeing them finally understand the math is really what sparked my interest—that I get to be that motivator for students and help them succeed. Whenever a math concept would click and there was just a smile on a student’s face, all of those moments.”
During the program, CalTeach students observe classrooms at all levels, starting with elementary. Those who choose to focus on high school then assist local teachers in their desired subject for the entirety of their senior year. Noh is under the supervision of math teacher Ibeth Ortiz Jaime, whose teaching methods Noh is able to draw and learn from.
“Mrs. Jaime does a great job with incorporating collaboration,” Noh said. “It’s really neat to see a classroom that uses so much collaboration with whiteboards. And she holds every student to a very high standard and wants them to succeed. I very much admire her strong teacher presence.”
Along with CalTeach, there are other local programs that assist aspiring teachers in earning their credentials. Student teachers Mason Brown-Barrett and Joseph Mackey came from a post-baccalaureate teaching credential program at California State University, Fullerton.
Brown-Barrett, a CSUF English major, didn’t find his way to teaching on a straight path. He considered law and medicine in high school, drawn each time by the same instinct to help people. But, having been raised by a teacher and supported by one during a difficult high school year, teaching was the field that stuck.
“I realized that this is another way I can help,” Brown-Barrett said. “I tried [teaching] out when doing a program in high school. And I ended up falling in love with it.”
Brown-Barrett is the student teacher for English teacher Marina Alburger. In second semester, he started teaching even periods in some of her European Literature and Humanities 9 classes and spends his odd days observing other teachers.
Mackey similarly took a winding road to science education, having switched majors more than once. Though he sometimes felt out of his depth while assisting students in science teacher Karen Gorospe’s Integrated Science 2 classes, he found reassurance while grading and seeing his help reflected in their work. He described the gap between classroom theory and actual teaching as the program’s biggest revelation.
“There’s a difference between the theory and the practice. There’s a dip,” Mackey said. “When you’re actually in there doing it, you’re not always going to have the right answers. You’re going to screw up here and there, but at the end of the day you’ve got to learn from the slip-ups and learn from the victories.”
Both programs provide support to student teachers for their classes and careers. According to UCI CalTeach director Ellie Marsh, their program focuses on exposing students to different types of schools they could later work in and pairs each student with a CalTeach faculty member aligned with their goals.
“That’s what makes them amazing teachers, because they are able to not only balance their coursework but their student teaching,” Marsh said. “It just takes a really special person to be able to do all of that.”
Some student teachers even find long-term work at Northwood, such as instrumental music director Cole Quizon. He started as a CSUF student teacher and was hired in 2024 after the school received Proposition 28 arts funds.
For Gorospe, who has now mentored four student teachers over several years—three from UCI CalTeach and one from the CSUF program— the experience has become its own kind of professional development.
“It really is gratifying to be able to help the next generation of teachers,” Gorospe said. “I love seeing growth and them becoming their own person and taking on that. That’s what I get out of mentoring, helping people achieve their goals and helping them on their journey.”
