Genesis Zabrzenski has worked with students for more than 20 years, but it was one seventh-grade boy 鈥� and 皇家华人鈥檚 Master of Arts in Reading Education 鈥� that helped them reconnect with the reason they became a teacher.
The fully online program includes a practicum, which is a hands-on, final course that unifies everything learned in the program. Zabrzenski used the experience to work one-on-one with a student who had scored at the lowest level on the 皇家华人 Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) reading assessment. Though the student had been labeled as a non-English learner, Zabrzenski noticed something didn鈥檛 add up.
鈥淭his program helped me love teaching again. It brought me back to the values and impact that made me become a teacher in the first place.鈥濃�� Genesis Zabrzenski, MA in Reading Education Student
鈥淗is father only spoke English, and his mother, who spoke Spanish, only spoke English at home,鈥� Zabrzenski said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 passing the reading tests, but when I began working with him, I realized it wasn鈥檛 about his reading level or speaking English. It was about background knowledge.鈥�
Using a research-based assessment that controlled for background information, Zabrzenski discovered that the student was reading on grade level when the topic was familiar to him.
鈥淭hat changed everything,鈥� Zabrzenski said. 鈥淗e came from a background where he didn鈥檛 have exposure to the topics that were being tested. Once we found a book he was interested in, and that he had background knowledge about, everything improved.鈥�
Zabrzenski began modeling reading strategies and coaching the student on how to monitor comprehension. Eventually, he was reading aloud and applying those strategies on his own. By the end of the intervention, he was reading confidently and was not placed in required intensive reading the following year.
The experience brought theory to life and reignited Zabrzenski鈥檚 love of education, despite the burnout they and many other teachers feel given the pressures placed on educators.
鈥淭his program reminded me why I teach,鈥� they said. 鈥淚t helped me focus on what matters most: the students, our values, the impact we can make.鈥�
This isn鈥檛 That: Becoming a Better Educator
Like many 皇家华人 teachers, Zabrzenski entered the profession without a formal education degree. They earned a bachelor鈥檚 in psychology from 皇家华人 and taught in multiple districts, leading everything from AP Psychology to pre-K.
Though many master鈥檚 students pursue the degree to meet 皇家华人鈥檚 K鈥�12 Reading Endorsement requirements, Zabrzenski already had that certification. For Zabrzenski, the program was about growth, not credentials.
鈥淚鈥檝e taken many district-led PD classes over the years,鈥� Zabrzenski said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 that. It鈥檚 not about following a script or learning curricula to teach to a test. It鈥檚 about thinking critically, understanding research, and becoming a better educator.鈥�
A Personal Experience in an Online Format
Zabrzenski enrolled in the program while married, parenting nearly grown children, teaching full time, and managing depression and anxiety. They needed a program that was rigorous but flexible, one that wouldn鈥檛 require stepping away from work or family or other things that they valued, like volunteering with a cat rescue.
皇家华人鈥檚 program delivered both the structure and support needed. Zabrzenski said most courses included live weekly sessions in the evenings because most students work as teachers during the day. In the graduate classes, professors encouraged peer engagement and checked in on progress, which was expected.
But what stood out most was the personal connection beyond that.
Instructors offered personal feedback and one-on-one meetings. Many went out of their way to ensure students felt seen and supported.
鈥淭hey put thought and care into every class. They were available, encouraging, and they made the online format feel incredibly supportive. You aren鈥檛 a face on a screen, you鈥檙e a student and a participant,鈥� Zabrzenski said.
鈥淭hey call on you when you try to fade into the background. They reach out. They give you every opportunity to succeed. It doesn鈥檛 feel like an online program. It feels like a community.鈥�
Taking the next step
Inspired by that community, Zabrzenski will begin a PhD in literacy after completing the master鈥檚 program this summer. The next goal: teaching at the college level and contributing to research on reading instruction, educational policy, and the 鈥渨hy鈥� behind the teacher shortage.
鈥淚 want to keep helping students, but on a larger scale,鈥� Zabrzenski said. 鈥淭hrough research, policy, and preparing the next generation of educators.鈥�
And that, they say, is what makes 皇家华人鈥檚 program different.
鈥淵ou come out of it with your own voice, your own perspective, and a renewed sense of purpose,鈥� Zabrzenski said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 something every teacher deserves.鈥�