How Seattle University Prepares Teachers to Shape the Future of Education

Across the country, educators are working to build classrooms where every student feels a sense of belonging. They’re also managing new questions regarding equity as it relates to identity and community.

At Seattle University’s College of Education, students are preparing for those questions with responsibility and intention. Rooted in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, care for the whole person, our goal is to prepare educators who think deeply about their work and the communities they serve.

To see this principle in action, we spoke with two students from Seattle University’s College of Education teaching programs. Their stories reveal how graduate-level learning can reshape classrooms from the inside out.

Purpose Beyond the Classroom

For many educators, graduate study begins with a personal realization and a clear sense of purpose.

Meghann McDonald, a middle school teacher in North Seattle and a participant in the Master of Education in Transformational Teaching and Learning program, traces that purpose back to her early love of education and a growing awareness of systemic inequities.

Jay Thompson joined Seattle University’s Master in Teaching program after years of community-based teaching, including creative writing work in a county jail and later in Seattle Public Schools.

For both, graduate school became the bridge between calling and career.

“I’m a person who’s aware that there are social justice issues within education as a system and an institution,” McDonald explains. “I wanted to find a pocket of the world where I could have my own little sphere of influence.”

Seattle University’s emphasis on social justice aligned directly with the questions she was already weighing.

“I just love their equity lens,” Meghann emphasizes. “Everything that I have learned about is through that lens.”

That shared emphasis matters because it helps future educators connect their values with the kind of classrooms and communities they hope to serve. For students entering the profession from different paths, a clear mission can offer both direction and a sense of belonging.

“Going to a place that had a clear social justice mission—as well as a grounding in what seemed like the most liberatory dynamic of Jesuit values—made me feel like I would be at home,“ says Jay.

Learning Through an Equity Lens

Students enter classrooms carrying experiences shaped by their identities and by larger social systems. When educators understand that context, they can shift instruction to make learning accessible for every student.

Equity and cultural responsiveness in education are often discussed in broad terms. In practice, they are deeply personal principles that influence the questions teachers ask and the expectations they hold.

“It was really valuable to have the experience of learning the foundation of justice-oriented education as a whole,” Jay explains. “They made sure that all of us, no matter what or where we would go as educators, we’re firmly grounded in that.”

Jay studied how schools intersect with systems affecting youth experiencing homelessness, disability, displacement, or immigration status. That context helps educators make decisions with care while maintaining high expectations.

“The program’s determined that we hold the absolute highest expectations for every student,” Jay emphasizes. “That the knowledge of systemic barriers never translates into pity.”

 In classrooms, equity often looks like:

• Lessons that connect content to students’ lived experiences
• Classroom materials that reflect diverse communities
• Assignments that allow multiple ways to demonstrate learning

Meghann sees those principles at work in her own classroom. For her, equity begins with understanding students beyond academic performance.

“Through the Seattle U program, I really concerned myself with student-centered thinking,” Meghann shares. “How are we meeting the needs of all of our students?”

Transformational Teaching in the Classroom

Transformation in the classroom begins when students feel both challenged and empowered.

“It’s the moment where something clicks for a student,” Meghann shares. “Through the work of the classroom, they realize something about themselves, something new that they can do, or a shift in their perspective.”

Those moments grow from lessons designed for multiple learning styles, allowing students to engage through methods that may not appear in traditional assignments. At Seattle University, graduate students develop these habits through theory and field-based learning that asks them to reflect and revise, keeping students at the center of their work.

“When lessons are designed so students have multiple ways of interacting with the lesson, then suddenly your classroom becomes super student-forward,” Meghann says.

Connecting Theory to Classroom Practice

Graduate study often becomes the place where educational theory meets the realities of the classroom. Coursework introduces new theories and strategies, while field experiences allow educators to test those ideas in real learning environments.

Coursework That Builds Practical Skills

For educators already working in schools, that connection feels immediate.

Meghann teaches full-time while enrolled in the Transformation Teaching and Learning program, allowing her to bring new strategies from coursework directly into her classroom.

In one humanities unit, she asked students to examine ancient artifacts and then write ode poems about everyday objects from their own lives. The assignment connected history to personal narrative, allowing students to see themselves in the work.

“They encouraged us in our student teaching to try everything,” Jay says. “You will find something that you didn’t know would click with you by trying it.”

The willingness to experiment becomes part of the learning process. Educators are encouraged to seek feedback and to invite students to shape their own experience.

Field Experiences That Build Confidence

Field placements provide space for that experimentation. Under the guidance of expert mentors, students can refine their craft in real-world classroom settings.

Our teacher education programs include structured field placements and internships that help educators build confidence through ongoing classroom practice and constructive feedback.

Mentors such as Dr. Carol Adams, Robin Russel, and Colleen Loranger guide professionals on their learning journey, coaching them while they try, revise, and try again, translating big ideas into daily practice.

The Power of Connection

Teaching is relational work, but it can feel solitary at times, especially when planning happens behind closed doors.

Cohort-based graduate learning at Seattle University brings educators back into the community, where they can test ideas and grow together.

Building Professional Communities

Cohort structure deeply impacts how growth and learning happen. In a 2024 Frontiers in Education pilot study, researchers found that graduate students in cohort-based programs felt more connected to their peers and engaged more deeply in collaborative learning.

That collaborative graduate experience at Seattle University shapes educators' day-to-day professional practice.

Through cohort learning, educators strengthen their ability to:

• Collaborate with colleagues to refine lesson plans and strategies
• Reflect on classroom experiences with peers
• Share resources and new approaches across schools
• Approach challenges with openness to feedback and change

“They’re just the most amazing people in the world,” Meghann shares. “If I had my choice, I would plan everything I do in my classroom and community with them.”

That kind of connection matters, especially in a profession where teachers can end up working in isolation. Relationships formed through graduate study often become ongoing sources of collaboration and encouragement throughout an educator’s career.

According to Jay, “Being asked to collaborate, being asked to show our learning in creative ways, being compelled to reflect on our progress—that was more rigorous.”

The habits developed through that collaboration often carry into professional learning communities and leadership roles later in educators’ careers.

Mentorship With a Lasting Impact

Faculty mentorship plays a parallel role. Meghann recalls her first in-person summer session and the example her professors set.

“The professors from the very second that I walked in were modeling exactly the teacher that I want to be,” Meghann shares. “They’re student-centered, they’re caring, they challenge us in deep ways, but they do it with so much love and affirmation.”

That example can influence how educators lead throughout their careers. The examples set by mentors shape how teachers approach collaboration and support in their own schools.

Jay fondly remembers a course led by Dr. Kerry Soo Von Esch. One class session began entirely in Spanish so that future educators could experience what it feels like to learn in an unfamiliar language. Exercises like these reflect how Seattle University approaches teacher preparation: future educators practice the strategies they will later use with their own students.

Ultimately, the connection between peers and faculty members becomes part of a professional network long after graduation.

Personal Growth Beyond the Classroom

Graduate-level study pushes educators to consider who they are becoming in the work, building both habits that make work sustainable and the methods that make learning enriching.

Returning to school mid-career can also shift what growth looks like at home, making it a deeply personal experience, especially when family members witness the dedication firsthand.

“In your 40s, you can go back to grad school to assess and change how you’re doing things, and work really, really hard,” Meghann shares. “I hope all of those things are setting an example for my children.”

For the people closest to them, graduate education becomes a lived example of persistence and continued growth, even when they feel depleted. Similarly, teaching often attracts people with a deep commitment to service.

“A lot of us enter into education with a commitment to service,” Jay shares. “That can also help us run ourselves into the ground if we don’t take good care of ourselves.”

Building a career that lasts means building a foundation that protects your energy and keeps you flexible when the day doesn’t go as planned. That mindset can positively impact daily choices, from lesson planning to personal boundaries.

Preparing the Next Generation of Educators

When asked what transformation means, Jay offers a metaphor.

“Life and learning are a maze that they have been tasked with running,” Jay says of many students’ experiences. “Education with a transformational heart opens up the possibility that life isn’t a maze that you have to run; it’s a thing you are co-creating with the people around you.”

At Seattle University’s College of Education, graduate students are preparing to lead classrooms with that vision in mind. Through rigorous, reflection-based coursework and guided field experiences, they are redefining what it means to teach.

Take the next step in your teaching journey. Explore Seattle University’s graduate programs in education.