Why do we student teach?
From TC’s Cooperating Teacher Handbook:
The student teaching experience provides preservice teachers the space and opportunity to learn how to ask important questions about teaching and learning, come to know children and adolescents by observing and interacting with them consistently over time, apply newly acquired knowledge, theories, strategies and models in a variety of contexts within and across classrooms, and experiment with, design and adapt practice according to learners’ needs.
My cooperating teacher (a TFA alum) and I were talking about different routes into teaching and what my experiences student teaching have been. The conversation sparked when my cooperating teacher asked, “Isn’t student teaching supposed to be like a first year experience?” This was a very interesting question for me that I wasn’t sure how to answer. I’ve certainly been feeling like this semester has been a first year experience: I’m learning those important fall on your face then get up management lessons that many of my other teacher friends learned in their first year, I’m exhausted (and I’m only teaching a half load), and I’ve become 20x the teacher I began this semester as.
Last semester’s placement was very different though, and many of my other student teaching friends do not have as grueling of placements. Many people’s student teaching placements look much more like tutoring with occasional lessons thrown in. Your CT isn’t legally allowed to leave the room, even though some of the most valuable classroom management lessons might happen if they did.
Do you think the TC purpose statement has student teachers doing enough? Should student teaching just be a “space” to “ask questions” and “experiment”? Or should student teaching be closer to the residency experiences that many master’s programs and alt pathways are starting to incorporate?
Or should we just step in like the TFA peeps? Thoughts? What have you all been feeling as we approach the end of winter term?
I was thinking of this on the way home. Do I wish I student taught? Yes. If only under the direction of an AMAZING mentor. Someone who gives me great advice and is a successful teacher.
However, half of teaching is creating and upholding the systems for your students, which is something that TFA teachers learn quickly by teaching in their first year, and student teachers may not fully embrace.
One other point, TFA teacher do teach summer school every day for 2 weeks. This is supposed to simulate the student teaching period, and in my opinion is enough to get teachers prepared.
Yes! Amazing mentor is definitely the key. That is what has set this semester apart as an amazing growing experience for me.
Garrett, I think you’re right that the systems part is a big piece all teachers figure out in their first year. Did you feel like your 2 week session was enough to learn the other half? I’m not sure though that I would say a 2 week experience would have been enough for me. I’ve seen how much I’ve grown with the last three months of daily teaching with feedback, collaborative planning, and conversations. I know that I’m going to be 5x the teacher I would have been after this experience.
I am getting really excited for my first year! I should be hearing back from 2 networks in the next week with final decisions! I’ll keep you updated