How Three Educators Turned Mentorship Into a Two-Way Street
This story begins with Jen Munson, a professor, and Joseph Park, a student. Their connection traces a line from Northwestern's MSEd program to a 5th grade classroom on Chicago's North Side. Park studied with Munson, then landed at Peirce School of International Studies, where Joshua Lerner became his on-the-ground mentor. Last year, the two teachers called upon Munson to be an expert commentator as part of a process known as lesson study — turning a professional development experience into a reunion, and a reminder that teaching is rarely a solo act.
A New Chapter for Joseph Park
When Park reflects on his time in Northwestern’s Master of Science in Education and Social Policy Program, one professor stands out above the rest. “She was hands down the best professor I have ever had,” Park said of Munson. “She was a big part of my time at Northwestern—and even my life after.”
Munson teaches Elementary Math Methods and Content, a course shaped by her vision of a collaborative math classroom, one where students work together to solve problems rather than tackling them alone. “We gave her a standing ovation at the end of the class,” Park said.
After earning his MSEd in Elementary Teaching in 2023, Park kept in close contact with Munson, whom he considers an “unofficial mentor.” Today Park works as a 5th grade math and science teacher at Peirce School of International Studies in Chicago. Through the Chicago Public Schools Teacher Induction Mentorship program, he was connected with Joshua Lerner, Peirce’s instructional coach and bilingual lead teacher.
Mentors typically meet periodically with their mentees throughout the school year, but Lerner’s daily presence in Park’s classroom deepened their relationship and created frequent opportunities for collaboration.
“I was very fortunate to have Josh as my mentor,” Park said, “He co-taught one of my classes that had quite a few bilingual students, and he is always in that mentor mindset.”
Park describes himself as a risk-taker in the classroom. “I like to try things out,” he said. “Josh would let me take the lead, but he was always there to support me, and I was getting constant feedback.”
Together, Park and Lerner developed lessons, focusing particularly on how to support English learners in their classroom. They incorporated strategies such as increasing visuals and integrating hands-on learning.
“We were always thinking about how to make our lessons richer, deeper,” Park said.
Before the school year began, Lerner asked Park to list the changes he wanted to make in his teaching practice. One insight stood out: Park had been expecting his 5th graders to take notes like high school or even college students. He made it a goal to model note-taking and set age-appropriate expectations.
At the end of the year, Lerner revisited the list with him. “I’d been feeling this fog of uncertainty,” Park said. “Seeing that list, and reflecting on all of the things I had done, definitely boosted my confidence.”
Joshua Lerner Reflects on Mentorship
Lerner wears many hats. He is a National Board certified teacher who has worked with Chicago Public Schools for more than a decade, and teaches Foundations of Learning in a New Language with the School of Education and Social Policy. He was also recognized as co-regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2025. While Lerner serves as Park’s mentor, he also views him as a teaching partner.
“One of the things you find out about teaching really quickly is that it’s filled with tensions – how do I find a balance between two directions I could go” Lerner said. “We were always able to process those things together.”
The partnership was tested when students struggled with adding fractions with unlike denominators, a concept both teachers knew was a common stumbling block. Lerner suggested a lesson study, a collaborative professional development process that includes bringing in an outside expert. Park immediately thought of Professor Munson.
The Lesson Study Cycle
Originally developed in Japan, lesson study is a teacher-led form of professional development built around a four-part cycle. Teachers first identify a challenging topic—at Peirce, that was fractions. Then they plan the lesson, paying close attention to learning goals, the student experience, and data collection.
As the team designed the lesson, they paid particular attention to how students think and the needs of English learners. “We wanted to bring a math problem off the page,” Lerner said. To do that, they leaned on realia — real, physical materials — to make content more accessible.
Once planned, the lesson is taught as part of what is known as a research lesson. Fellow teachers, as well as outside experts, observe and take notes. They then meet to share and reflect on their findings as part of a highly structured post-lesson discussion. In this case, Park and Lerner taught the lesson, and Munson served as one of the expert observers.
To help students understand how to add fractions with different denominators, the lesson study team used cups with fractionally precise amounts of colored liquid. The question posed to the students was: “If we pour these materials together, how much of a liter will we have?” They discussed the scenario with peers, examined the materials, and ended the lesson by pouring the liquids together to check the accuracy of their calculations.
“Many students are nervous to engage with fractions, and so one of our goals was not only to make the material visual and hands-on, but to also have a learning experience that was enjoyable and interesting; many of the students enjoyed the lesson,” Lerner said.
Munson observed the lesson and afterward shared her findings with the team. One stood out: Peirce's structured note-taking routine, in which students closely track each other's strategies, may have worked against some learners. Some students took notes quickly, but others struggled. “If a student couldn’t record and listen simultaneously, they fell behind. So I wondered about the disadvantages of such intensive recording.”
During the lesson, about a quarter of students were “heavily participating”—raising their hands and contributing—while others were silent but busy writing, Munson said. They were not disengaged, but their focus on recording left little room for active listening or joining the discussion.
“We need to make time for thinking in classrooms,” Munson said. “If you are too busy representing the strategy you are writing down, how can you also be listening to the discussion about the next strategy? You’re still recording the last one.”
Munson was quick to note that her role wasn't simply to praise. "There are so many amazing things happening in that classroom," she said. "But the goal isn't to clap and celebrate — it's to figure out how to push ourselves to improve our practice, and that was my job."
Jen Munson on Lifelong Learning
Munson stays in touch with many alumni, who often reach out when navigating their careers or challenging professional situations. As much as Munson helps them, she also gains value from these conversations.
“We prepare these teachers, and we send them out into the world,” she said. “If we never hear back from them, it would feel like falling off a cliff.”
She is particularly interested in hearing how they grapple with the ongoing learning that teaching demands. “This is a learning profession,” she said. “We have to engage in career-long learning.”
For Munson, alumni who reach out when they’re wrestling with something difficult are demonstrating a hallmark of strong teaching. “Many of the challenges people face are ones that thousands of teachers have encountered, so it’s useful to have someone who isn’t part of your insular network provide an outside perspective,” she said.
When Park asked Munson for help with the lesson study, she eagerly agreed, in part to see Park in his element. “It’s really amazing to see people in their own contexts and taking on their identities as teachers,” she said.
Teaching and Learning: Together
For Park, Lerner, and Munson, teaching is never solitary; it is a shared, ongoing journey of learning. The work of teaching is deeply interconnected. Each educator brings curiosity, vulnerability, and a commitment to continuous growth.
Park’s journey from graduate student to practicing teacher, Lerner’s dedication to thoughtful mentorship, and Munson’s ongoing investment in alumni all demonstrate that teaching is not a solitary profession but a shared pursuit. Their work illustrates a powerful truth: meaningful learning happens when educators support one another, ask hard questions together, and remain lifelong learners themselves.