I'm Certified!
I'm pleased and proud to announce that I'm now a Certified Instructor of the Taubman Approach. This is the culmination of over four years of work, and I'm so excited to have finally completed it!
I knew I wanted to pursue certification shortly after beginning my Taubman Approach studies in 2009. (Click here to read more about why I chose to study TA and how it has helped me.) When I began, I was living in Hartford, CT, to be within easier reach of the TA teachers and workshops. I knew, however, that my ultimate goal was to move back to Indiana. There was nothing like it being taught in the Midwest, and I wanted to help make the work available in my home region. Now, I am the only Certified Taubman Instructor in Indiana.
First, I had to complete the prerequisites - 30 hours of private study, plus preliminary supervised teaching. In 2013, I received an MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grant to help cover the costs of supervised teaching. After two preliminary rounds, I applied and was accepted to the Golandsky Institute's Professional Training Program in January 2014. This officially began my certification process.
The Golandsky Institute requires participation in three categories: private study (40+ hours), supervised teaching (20+ hours), and workshops. For my private study, I commuted to Lexington, MA (about 2 hours from Hartford) twice or more per month for lessons with Yoriko Fieleke. I also occasionally met with Bob Durso in Lexington and Edna Golandsky in NYC.
Supervised teaching involved gathering my students in Hartford and bringing Yoriko in from Lexington to work with them for a day. It was always a logistical challenge, requiring the schedules of Yoriko, my students, me, and the Peter Pan bus to align just right, but we made it happen every few months. I also occasionally took students to Lexington to see Yoriko at her studio, and also had them meet with Bob Durso in Hartford or via Skype from his Philadelphia studio. This was by far the most important and helpful part of my training. It allowed me to see a master teacher at work solving problems with my students, and helped me learn what to look for and which new strategies to try.
Finally, I attended two or more teacher training workshops per year in NYC and Philadelphia, and attended the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium in Princeton every July. At the Symposium, I serve as an assistant teacher, allowing me to gain more hands-on experience under the guidance of the Golandsky Institute faculty.
Once I finally completed all these requirements and was able to demonstrate a consistent ability to teach the TA skills to a variety of students, the Golandsky Insititue board granted me my Instructor level certification. There are two more levels to go - Associate and Master - that I hope to reach someday!
I would not have been able to accomplish this goal without the help and support of so many people! Thank you first to my husband Aaron for your unwavering encouragement. Thank you to my students, especially those who stuck with me through the entire retraining process, for your dedication, patience, and curiosity. Thank you to Yoriko, my teacher and mentor, for going out of your way so many times to help me achieve this, and for your continuing insight. Finally, thank you to all the Golandsky Institute teachers - none of this work would even exist without your tireless dedication.
I'm excited to continue my work with the Golandsky Institute, and I hope that all my students will continue to benefit from everything I've learned on my journey to certification.
