Director of Student Teaching Program Adjusts to the Job

Although Orin Gutlerner took over as the director of Harvard’s Undergraduate Teacher Education Program (UTEP) exactly one month ago, he is still working his way out of his predecessor’s shadow.

Gutlerner is filling the position after the previous director, Christopher C. Kim ’99, left to become the special assistant to University President Lawrence H. Summers.

“It isn’t easy being the new kid on the block,” Gutlerner said. “For now I just tell people I’m the new Chris Kim so they have some idea of what I do.”

As the director of UTEP, Gutlerner’s primary focus is the recruitment of students into the program. He said he is hoping to give the program more of a presence at Harvard by arranging information sessions at the Houses and by coordinating with other campus volunteer organizations to make their members aware of the program.

Gutlerner is also charged with advising the students in the program, who must cross-register in classes at the Graduate School of Education and spend a designated amount of time observing and student-teaching in Boston classrooms.

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education Deborah Foster, who oversees UTEP, said in an e-mail that she is delighted to be working with Gutlerner on behalf of those Harvard students interested in pursuing careers in teaching.

“He has a tremendous amount to offer UTEP,” Foster wrote. “He is passionate about teaching and about the enormous importance of public education.”

UTEP was established in 1985 by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education (GSE). It seeks to provide the opportunity for interested undergraduates to acquire their teaching certification for public schools by the time they graduate from the College. The program also advises students on how to apply for teaching positions.

As for his personal goals for UTEP, Gutlerner wants to leverage his relationship with young teaching talent to benefit as many school systems as possible.

He said he feels that some of the smaller urban school districts such as Brockton, Chelsea and Revere are overshadowed by the larger districts when it comes to benefiting from student-teaching programs. When placing graduates into schools, he said, he hopes to keep these areas from being overlooked.

Gutlerner is no newcomer to fusing education with public service. He spent four years with Teach for America, teaching fifth and sixth grade in North Carolina.

Even when he came to Harvard for his masters degree, Gutlerner continued teaching part time at a middle school nearby.

For the last two and a half years, he worked at the Massachusetts Department of Education directing alternative teacher-training programs.

Indeed, Gutlerner comes from a family that is very involved in public service and education. He said that his family experiences shaped his values and career path as he was growing up.

“This type of service is very much a part of who my family is,” he said. “[Public service in education] was something I knew I was going to do from the start—and I know I will always do this.”

Gutlerner said he wants to focus development work in the teacher education department by starting new programs, applying for grants and fundraising.

Also on the horizon is preparation for a state review, which takes place every five years and which all teaching programs must undergo.

Gutlerner was contacted by Katherine K. Merseth, director of teacher education at the GSE, when the UTEP director position opened. She said in an e-mail that she anticipates wonderful things from her former pupil.

“He is bright and extremely knowledgeable about teacher education,” she wrote. “He has many ideas and seems to have grasped the intricacies of Harvard already.”

For his part, Gutlerner said he sees himself remaining involved with UTEP for quite some time in the future. He said that he hopes to pursue doctoral studies and is appreciative that he can achieve both professional and personal goals at Harvard.

“After seeing how limited the resources are in some schools, nothing could be more important to me than staying involved in teacher education,” he said. “I have seen that a good teacher is committed and intelligent. If I can stay involved in finding these people and helping them pursue education, then that’s what I want to do.”