You have taken a myriad of content related classes for what you want to teach, several education classes, created those long and tedious lesson plans, attempted the mystery of Universal Backward Designs (aka Unit Plans), completed your field observation hours, taught a lesson here and there and now the time has come. You are now going to teach for a semester or two, depending on your state. Here are some things I have learned during student teaching and hopefully it will help you.
Have a best friend or significant other:
Your best friend or significant other will see the mental, physical and emotional stress you will be put through. Your best friend or significant will be your unwavering champion through it all. One of the things I have learned is that being a teacher is not easy, not by any means. You are going to be elated, sad, frustrated, angry, happy, sad and confused. Your best friend and significant other will offer sage advice and help you vent. I am fortunate enough to have a best friend who not only had gone through student teaching but is a practicing teacher. Her counsel always helped. I wasn’t sure about a lesson plan? I texted my best friend. I had a bad day? I texted my best friend! I needed a drink after a looooooong week? I texted my best friend and made those plans. I wanted to share an AWESOME day? I texted my best friend. My best friend is the reason I kept my sanity!
Take Care of Yourself:
Remember when I said that student teaching will take a physical, mental and emotional toll on you? I meant it. You're not going to know exhaustion like this. Student teaching will push you to the brink and then some. You’ll be physically exhausted due to doing assignments for other classes, creating lesson plans, creating lessons and doing background research.
A lot of times, you will be staying up late. It won’t be fun at the moment but the reward of teaching a phenomenal lesson is so much sweeter. You will be mentally exhausted due to lack of sleep, thinking of your lessons, your students, what could you possibly add at the last minute, and thinking on your feet. As for emotional exhaustion? Oooh, that’s a doozy. Your range of emotions will go from zero to a hundred at lighting speed.
One day, you will be happy because of an amazing day and another day, you will be sobbing in front of your advisor, saying, “I can’t do this anymore!” to anger at another student or yourself. Don’t be afraid to have a Mental Health Day. Sleep as much as you can.
Budget your time wisely. Best friend or significant others offering you gifts of alcohol and food on a weekend, by all means, have at it! And, don’t forget to eat. That’s very important. Student teaching does do a wonder on your waistline due to the stress. I lost a few pounds because of the lack of sleep, food and the constant stress.
Make time for yourself as much as possible. Your sanity comes first. You can’t really be delirious at the school you're working at.
Leave Your Emotions At the Door:
Had a fight with your roommate the night before? Your alarm didn't go off? Couldn’t have breakfast? Parents dropped a bombshell? Professor assigned a paper or gave a bad grade? NONE OF THAT MATTERS ONCE YOU’RE IN THE CLASSROOM! When you’re in front of the students, your emotions must be in check. Your anger, frustration, feeling of desolation cannot enter the classroom. Students will feed off of it and it will affect their mood and actions as well. Conceal, don’t feel. Your number one priority is your students and their education. Your advisors, supervisors and cooperating teachers are observing you and many situations will arise that will test you in ways you never thought imaginable. They will want to know how you can handle the pressure inside the school and classroom. Make. Them. Proud.
Leave Your Ego At Home:
By a similar vein, your ego has no place in the classroom. Teaching is a very humbling profession. Your attitude must never be, “I am the teacher and you're the student, so what I say goes.” No! You are a STUDENT teacher. You are learning as you’re going. You are going to make SO many mistakes and you have to be able to say, “I’m sorry. I made a mistake. How can I fix it?” Sometimes, this will happen in front of a student other times in front of your cooperating teacher. Your reflective and humbling attitude will go a long way in the school you’re teaching.
Ask Questions:
As I have previously stated, you’re a student teacher. Emphasis on the student part. You will never have as much experience as the teacher who has been there a year, five years, ten or fifty years longer than you. Ask as many questions as possible. Unsure of how to teach the Vietnam War? Ask other teachers. What should you make sure to impress on the student regarding the Vietnam War? Ask your teacher. Classroom management issues arise? Ask other teachers. It takes a village to teach a child. Your willingness to learn, ask questions and learn from other teachers will serve you well. Your student teaching experience will mold you and will teach you so many things that you couldn’t have possibly known.
Don’t Be Afraid to Switch Things Up:
One thing that I relied heavily on were Powerpoint presentations. Let me tell you something: It got old really fast. Sometimes, you need to have a tech-free day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I can do something exciting and really know what the students know. Technology has its place and use. Don’t overdo it. One of the best lessons that I have taught were Discussion-Based Lessons. Have your students read the section or chapter beforehand? Have them write a few questions and have your own questions. This will tell you a couple of things, a) Who did the reading? B) What nuances did they pick up on? C) By acting as a facilitator and having students dominate the guided conversations, you see the learning in action. Lectures will take you so far but have students inquiring and learning from each other will help them learn as much if not more by a traditional lecture. You can start off the discussion by asking a couple of questions and then letting the magic unfold… if they remembered to write down the questions or do the reading.
Keep Your Line of Communications Open:
If you are dealing with something you do not think you can handle by yourself, contact whoever you can. Preferably the supervisor you are being mentored under. You can get his or her phone number or email and do not be afraid to use it. By the same vein, talk to your cooperating teacher. He or she has a lot of experience and it is likely he or she has gone through the same thing. If your teacher cannot help and supervisor is busy, take it up with your advisor at your university or college. Either have an office hour or have him or her come to your school to talk. It is vital that your lines of communication is kept open because if anything happens, you are covered.
Keep Your Seminar Professor Apprised of Everything:
The way it worked at my school is that not only did we have Student Teaching but we also had Student Teaching Seminar. This professor is also a fount of knowledge. This class requires paperwork, student teaching feedback, edTPA stuff (which can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating), and a vent session. In this class, you and your fellow student teachers will vent, laugh and cry. These people will also be your go-to people for help and advice. Like I said, teaching requires a village!
Enjoy Every Minute:
You will have good and bad days, but if you're like me- you will fall in love with teaching and your students. Student teaching is an eye-opening experience which is basically a small peephole into what the next fifty years of your life can look like. Your experience will shape you and will teach you so much. The experience is also brief. Enjoy every second and be present. Get to know your students! Be genuine and treat the students as your kids. When you're done with student teaching, you will miss the brats (I say with affection) like crazy. You will wonder about their futures. You will get angry if you ever catch them drunk driving when you warned them not to. The knowledge that you impacted at least one student will stay with you and the student(s) forever.
Stay Away from Drama:
While this was not my experience, per se, but this is also important to remember. Don’t do it. The temptation to talk about your cooperating teacher will be great. Never give in to it. You won’t know how, but it will get to your cooperating teacher. Have your cooperating teacher’s back. In fact, do not participate in other teachers' smack talk about anyone else. It is NOT your place. It is not professional and your advisor or supervisor will kick you up and down the campus for it. By the same vein, do not get caught up in your students’ drama. You will kick yourself for it and will possibly draw your cooperating teacher’s ire. Never meet with a student to discuss anything one-on-one. Always meet in the presence of the cooperating teacher(s) and principal, if necessary. Leave the gossip for your best friend or significant other OFF school premises.
RUBRICS:
Yes, I know, they are a pain. They are just one more thing that you have to do in your long list of never ending things. Trust me, they are your best friends. If you give your prompt sheet, you should have a rubric. The rubric should express your clear objectives and your rationale for the grades the student gets. Your rationale for the grades must be very clear and the rubrics will help the student, co-teacher, parent, and principal see your reason. Your co-op teacher and principal will be your greatest allies in the school. Do not get on their bad side. In turn, they will also have your back.
All in all, your student teaching experience will make or break you. It will help you see whether or not you should be a teacher. It will give you an insight of what it really is like as a teacher. Your lesson plans and unit plans will become more meaningful. It is a lot of work and will take everything you have to give. As long as you have a clear pedagogy, compassion and understanding and the desire to teach, you will do fine. You will love and hate your experience at the same time, but the knowledge you acquire will stay with you forever. Like I said, you will miss the kids, the teacher, staff room (that's where the goods are) and the other teachers who guide you. Just be present in the classroom. If you are meant to be a teacher, it will feel like a rush of adrenaline and easy as breathing. Just take each day as it comes and view it as a learning experience. Have fun!
