Mari Biscieglia has two adult children and “27 babies who are going to middle school in June,” she says. “I don’t want to see them go!” 

They’re fifth graders at Bunker Hill Elementary in Middletown, Delaware, where Biscieglia serves as a paraeducator and teacher candidate in Wilmington University’s Year-Long Residency Program. Like her students, she, too, will graduate this spring — completing her B.S. in Elementary Education (K-6). 

A Comprehensive Teacher Preparation Program  

“I think that the Year-Long Residency Program really affords a teacher candidate the opportunity to fully appreciate the nuances of what it means to be a teacher,” Biscieglia says. In a traditional 80-day student teaching placement, “I don’t think I would have as rich an understanding of these students and what makes them tick to effectively foster their growth.” 

For 10 years now, WilmU’s Year-Long Residency Program (YLR) in the College of Education & Liberal Arts has offered “an unparalleled opportunity to gain and apply skills and knowledge with immediate feedback and support from a seasoned mentor teacher,” says Dr. Stacie Zdrojewski, Wilmington University’s chair of clinical studies.  

Effective, Supportive Hands-On Learning  

“Research shows that the year-long co-teaching model provides the best clinical experience available to future teachers,” Dr. Zdrojewski says. They are fully immersed and engaged in the classroom, with “200-plus days of learning best-practice methodology/pedagogy, as well as authentic lesson planning, differentiating instruction and assessment of student learning in a field-based setting.”  

There are also financial benefits. Thanks to the Delaware Department of Education and local school districts, most year-long residents earn a substantial stipend for being part of the program and committing to teach in Delaware for three years after graduation. Plus, they receive a 50% tuition discount on WilmU courses during their residency.  

“The program has continued to grow over the last 10 years,” Dr. Zdrojewski says. “We are now able to place more teacher candidates in schools and districts as year-long residents. We also now include the residency in our Apprenticeship, Grow Your Own and Tutors to Teachers partnerships.”  

A Meaningful Teaching Experience 

Biscieglia joined the Appoquinimink Apprenticeship, which helps paraprofessionals become licensed educators and guarantees them teaching positions in the school district. 

“It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Biscieglia says. “I cannot imagine going through this process anywhere but WilmU. Everybody at Wilmington University has been nothing but kind and supportive.”   

Having “loved school as a kid,” she now loves “watching those aha moments” on her fifth graders’ faces and “being able to show a child that they can do something they believe they can’t, building that confidence.” 

Biscieglia leads by example, proving hard work and determination pay off. 

“Forty years ago, I wouldn’t have thought this is where I’d be, but here I am,” she says. “You’re never too old to try a new adventure.”