Q&A with Susan Toma-Berge
The longtime School of Education community member shared her journey, from her start as an Ed.D. student and supervisor of four teachers, to becoming the director of the school's teacher education program.
By Carol Jean Tomoguchi-Perez
March 11, 2024 Susan Toma-Berge, the MAT program’s director of teacher education, has seen many changes during her career at the School of Education. Starting out as a supervisor of four student teachers and earning an Ed.D. along the way, she progressed to become the multiple subject coordinator of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) + Credential program and saw the school through major obstacles, such as the Covid-19 pandemic when she, along with other members of the MAT team rose to the challenge of shifting the program from in-person to entirely online. Today, as the director of the teacher education program, the former elementary school teacher reflects on other impactful events and the influential people she has met during her career. Q: What is your current role, and what does the work entail? |
A: In my current role I am the director of teacher education in the School of Education. I oversee the MAT program. I have the honor of working with the program coordinators, students, instructors and supervisors in the multiple subject and single subject MAT program.
How many years have you worked at the School of Education, and in what roles/capacities?
I started with the School of Education back in 2006 when it was still a department. I worked as a supervisor of four student teachers while I was completing my Ed.D. program at the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. I visited student teachers at their school sites to observe their teaching and provide feedback. My career in teaching started as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles working with primarily Spanish speaking students and families. I taught in a modified bilingual model, which sparked my research interest in supporting English learners.
How has your role at the School of Education evolved over the years?
I think I have held almost every position in the MAT program. In addition to supervising student teachers, I taught courses in both multiple subject and single subject programs. My areas of interest are working with English learners, and educational policy and inquiry. I served as the multiple subject coordinator for almost a decade. I supported our elementary candidates throughout their student teaching experience, worked with their supervisors and communicated with mentor teachers. Our program evolved over the years depending on the people involved, research, policy and, of course, the pandemic.
I’ve shared this story multiple times now at conferences, meetings and community events, but a pivotal moment for me as part of the MAT program was the horrific shooting that took place in Las Vegas in 2017. I remember thinking it was a tragic story that took place far away. My perspective changed when we then learned that one of our students was at the concert, who thankfully survived. We then learned how many in our program were somehow connected to this event and it made visible the need to build community within our program, in order to prepare teachers who can be resilient, but also attend to the needs of their own classroom communities. Fortunately, many serendipitous events occurred to support a reimagined MAT program with a greater focus on community both inside and outside UCI – a focus on families, equity and social justice, and a student-centered approach.
I believe our community-building efforts allowed the MAT program to weather the catastrophic events of 2020 when local schools closed and moved online. Together with our (then) director, Virginia Panish, and (former) single subject coordinator, Acacia Warren, and our tireless instructors and supervisors, we were able to shift the entire program to an online format. All of us spent way too much time on Zoom. While it was a challenging time for everyone, I was so proud of our team. We had built a community amongst our MAT candidates and emphasized the importance of learning about their students and their school communities before the school closures, so our students had the support they needed to complete their student teaching requirements.
The classes of 2020 and 2021 had a very different experience in their student teaching, but they persevered and learned many valuable lessons. Fortunately, our schools have all but returned to in-person instruction, but remote teaching has not gone away. This past year when the Tustin (Calif.) hangar caught fire, several schools nearby transitioned to remote teaching again. That was quite a learning experience for our student teachers.
How many years have you worked at the School of Education, and in what roles/capacities?
I started with the School of Education back in 2006 when it was still a department. I worked as a supervisor of four student teachers while I was completing my Ed.D. program at the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. I visited student teachers at their school sites to observe their teaching and provide feedback. My career in teaching started as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles working with primarily Spanish speaking students and families. I taught in a modified bilingual model, which sparked my research interest in supporting English learners.
How has your role at the School of Education evolved over the years?
I think I have held almost every position in the MAT program. In addition to supervising student teachers, I taught courses in both multiple subject and single subject programs. My areas of interest are working with English learners, and educational policy and inquiry. I served as the multiple subject coordinator for almost a decade. I supported our elementary candidates throughout their student teaching experience, worked with their supervisors and communicated with mentor teachers. Our program evolved over the years depending on the people involved, research, policy and, of course, the pandemic.
I’ve shared this story multiple times now at conferences, meetings and community events, but a pivotal moment for me as part of the MAT program was the horrific shooting that took place in Las Vegas in 2017. I remember thinking it was a tragic story that took place far away. My perspective changed when we then learned that one of our students was at the concert, who thankfully survived. We then learned how many in our program were somehow connected to this event and it made visible the need to build community within our program, in order to prepare teachers who can be resilient, but also attend to the needs of their own classroom communities. Fortunately, many serendipitous events occurred to support a reimagined MAT program with a greater focus on community both inside and outside UCI – a focus on families, equity and social justice, and a student-centered approach.
I believe our community-building efforts allowed the MAT program to weather the catastrophic events of 2020 when local schools closed and moved online. Together with our (then) director, Virginia Panish, and (former) single subject coordinator, Acacia Warren, and our tireless instructors and supervisors, we were able to shift the entire program to an online format. All of us spent way too much time on Zoom. While it was a challenging time for everyone, I was so proud of our team. We had built a community amongst our MAT candidates and emphasized the importance of learning about their students and their school communities before the school closures, so our students had the support they needed to complete their student teaching requirements.
The classes of 2020 and 2021 had a very different experience in their student teaching, but they persevered and learned many valuable lessons. Fortunately, our schools have all but returned to in-person instruction, but remote teaching has not gone away. This past year when the Tustin (Calif.) hangar caught fire, several schools nearby transitioned to remote teaching again. That was quite a learning experience for our student teachers.
Could you share a story about a woman (or women) who had a significant impact on the School of Education?
One woman who has had a tremendous impact on the work we do here is civil rights icon, Sylvia Mendez. I had the honor of meeting Sylvia when she was an invited guest speaker for our students. The instructor, Dr. Marisol Rexach invited Sylvia to speak about her experience as a child in California during segregation, and to share her family’s story about their court case, Mendez v. Westminster (1947). Her talk was so positively received by students and faculty that we invited her annually to share her story with our students. It was when the School of Education invited Sylvia Mendez to be our commencement speaker in 2017 that I had the privilege to work closely with her to prepare for the speech. We met a few times before the event and I listened to her stories about being turned away from the “White” school, while her fairer-skinned cousins were welcomed (but chose not to attend) with updated books and beautiful playgrounds. Ms. Mendez and her siblings were required to attend a segregated “Mexican” school with outdated textbooks and broken playground equipment. She spoke about her parents, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, who joined other Mexican families to challenge school segregation. The Mendez family worked tirelessly on this lawsuit, ultimately leading to the desegregation of schools in California. This court case, Mendez v. Westminster, was cited as precedent during another historic court case, Brown v. Board of Education, eight years later. Ms. Mendez, in her eighties, is still active in spreading awareness of this court case. She spoke to our candidates last summer over Zoom, and she is still just as motivated to share her story and remind us of the history of schooling in California. I am inspired by her courage, generosity and positivity. |
Who are some of the influential women who have worked here, and what impact have they made?
There have been so many incredible women that have worked at the School of Education. The woman who comes to mind first is Virginia Panish. She was the director of the MAT program before me and she was the model of patience, attention to detail and effective leadership. I learned so much from Virgina during our years together. Even in her retirement, she will answer my questions and share her wisdom. Lots of amazing women have walked these hallways and each have had an impact on the MAT program in their own way. I am excited about the new women and men who have joined our MAT team. They bring deep knowledge and fresh ideas to our shared goal of supporting new teachers. In some ways I feel like a bridge to the past, but with eyes to the future.
There have been so many incredible women that have worked at the School of Education. The woman who comes to mind first is Virginia Panish. She was the director of the MAT program before me and she was the model of patience, attention to detail and effective leadership. I learned so much from Virgina during our years together. Even in her retirement, she will answer my questions and share her wisdom. Lots of amazing women have walked these hallways and each have had an impact on the MAT program in their own way. I am excited about the new women and men who have joined our MAT team. They bring deep knowledge and fresh ideas to our shared goal of supporting new teachers. In some ways I feel like a bridge to the past, but with eyes to the future.