Several millennia ago, not long into my first year as a classroom teacher, my principal called me into her office one early morning. She said she had a question for me. Honestly, I was expecting her to ask, “Just how long do you think you can keep up this charade?” The first few weeks of school had been nothing short of a baptism by fire.
Instead, after I’d been seated for a minute or two of my preferred joking-around-and-small-talk, my principal asked, “Would you mind having a student teacher in your classroom for part of the semester?”
“Sure. Why not?”
See, I’m game for trying just about anything and I figured I might learn a lot from a student teacher. Also, there was the obvious ego inflation going on, as well as the potential upside of having extra help in the classroom. There’s little left in my memory banks of how this student teacher impacted my classroom or me. Mostly, I hope I didn’t scar her for life.
Have you ever had a student teacher in your classroom? What did you do to welcome him or her? What did you do to thank your visitor when they left?
Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
I had an outstanding experience as a mentor to a student teacher. She was a non-traditional student with 2 kids of her own. Even though she was still in her early 20’s she had a lot of parenting experience. (I personally know that beng a parent made me a much better teacher)
When I student taught I was never given the opportunity to take over full control of the class. I was never allowed to handle discipline issues or co-worker (team) concerns. So, I knew that whenever I would be given the opportunity to mentor a teacher I would provide her with many opportunities. Here are some I eventually gave her: creating lesson plans, newsletters, field trips, grade card reporting, P/T conferences, setting up a district email account so parents,staff, and team members could contact her, allowed her to take over my techer desk and computer. I moved to a back table and student computer. I gave her opportunities to observe classroom and teachers of her choice as well as ones that I chose for her. She sat in on staff meetings, district in-services, book studies, and student assistance meetings. We also did a MOCK interview with her before she left. One thing I remember discusssing with her was looking around to other districts outside of mine. She did just this and subbed in several other districts. Which led to a long-term sub job that led to a full-time job within 2 months. YAY!!!
Hi, I did much of the same things Tammy did. I was asked by the person who hires teachers to take a student teacher. When she arrived at my classroom we hit it off right away. She was a mother and grandmother. I am a mother and grandmother also. After my student teacher completed her experience with me she was hired as a teacher the following school year. In fact she was hired as a teacher at the same school with me.
I would suggest that you do as much or more as Tammy. Make the S-T feel like a colleague and give him/her many opportunities to display his/her talents. This experience will let you and the S-T know if teaching is where they want to be. I feel you have to be born a teacher and really, really, really LOVE what you do daily.
Hi I am a substitute and on those days when you decide to leave the whole class to your new teacher I get called in to please please not do a thing. It is such a delight to be part of their lives for that one day. To see such great teachers influencing the lives of their students. I come away from that day feeling refreshed and uplifted from their classroom. They have a genuine desire to do extrodinary work in the classroom – I am so proud to be a teacher.