At Oyster-Adams Bilingual School in Washington, D.C., Jan Schuettpelz isn’t only teaching her 6th-grade science class, she’s also shaping the next generation of educators.
Schuettpelz is a mentor with GWTeach, a unique program at George Washington University that helps undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in teaching gain hands-on experience while working alongside experienced professionals.
As a mentor, Schuettpelz plays a key role in guiding aspiring teachers. She relishes the opportunity to share her love of this profession with younger generations.
“I've always been passionate about trying to make sure that I am acting in a mentor role in some capacity to new teachers because I think that's so important,” Schuettpelz said. “So when I learned that I could have students in the class, I just loved it. And now I have four sets of three students coming in, and it's a lot of fun.”
Schuettpelz has been mentoring future educators through GWTeach for over five years now. GW students in her class have said amazing things about Schuettpelz, who is a recent winner of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). The awards are the highest honor K-12 math and science teachers can receive from the United States government.
The PAEMST is only given yearly to one science teacher and one math teacher per state. For the 2025 awards, because there had been a backlog, multiple years of winners were announced. Out of the six D.C. awardees, four are active mentor teachers with GWTeach.
Jonathon Grooms, an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy and co-director of GWTeach, said this shows GWTeach students have an amazing opportunity to learn from some of the best teachers in the country.
Meghan Hollibaugh Baker, a clinical assistant professor and the director of GWTeach Clinical Practice, said that what sets this program apart from others is its focus on early, in-the-classroom learning experiences. These experiences are more successful in preparing aspiring teachers and fostering a love for the profession, she said.
Jillian Ayles, a senior studying history, said knowing GWTeach would provide her with early classroom experience was the main reason she decided to join. She felt it was the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on classroom experience and see whether teaching was the right career path for her.
“Getting that experience immediately in the classroom was formative, and I think that's something a lot of other teaching programs don’t necessarily offer,” Ayles said. “That’s the best part because I think people go into teaching because they want to work with kids, and so having that experience sprinkled in throughout the whole program is important. It makes you want to keep going and reminds you of why you're in the program, which I think is special.”
Ayles was in Schuettpelz’s classroom during her first semester in GWTeach and learned so much from the experience, including that being a teacher is the right career for her.
“I loved the way Jan interacted with her students and seeing how she creates such a positive and supportive classroom environment,” Ayles said. “She made learning so engaging while still challenging the students, which isn’t easy to do.”
By observing Schuettpelz’s classroom, Ayles noted how she planned engaging lessons that promoted collaboration and active participation, creating an environment where students felt comfortable asking questions and were excited to attend class every day.
She also saw that being a teacher, at times, means offering students emotional support and guiding them through personal challenges alongside academic ones.
“Being a tween is tough, and seeing how Jan dealt with those struggles was inspiring because she did it with such compassion,” Ayles said.
She loved her time in the classroom. She connected with the students and grew confident in her abilities as a teacher. She cherished the times she was able to bring lessons to life for her students and create those special moments as a teacher.
“I loved working with the kids. That part meant the most to me,” Ayles said. “Creating that bond with students and helping them learn and understand hard concepts was rewarding to me. I just knew, I wanted to continue doing this.”
While the students in GWTeach learn a lot from their mentors, the experience is equally as enriching for the teachers as well.
“I’ve been teaching for a long time so it’s nice to see the perspective of young people in my classroom, and I can learn a lot from them,” Schuettpelz said. “I've had lots of groups of students who have come in and just the way that they're interacting with kids, how respectfully they're treating the kids, it's amazing.”
She said watching how dedicated the GW students are as they interact with the children in her classroom fills her with hope.
“Teaching is an art,” Jan said. “It’s about finding your voice, your style and connecting with your students in a way that makes them feel valued. And when I see the GW students come in and have such an impact on my students, it’s beautiful to see.”
