Get to know your students. Knowing who your students are, their learning styles, and their interests will help you to make the most of your instruction. It will make it much easier to personalize the content and to reach the students on their level. Also get to know your students outside of the classroom. Take every opportunity to attend games, plays, and school dances. Your students will enjoy seeing you at their event and will help you to earn their respect.
Don't be afraid to try new things in the classroom. Student teaching is your time to experiment while you still have your cooperative teacher there to guide and assist you. Ask for their advice; that's why they are there for you. Often times you both benefit because you as the student teacher are getting help from a veteran teacher's viewpoint and your coop may be hearing new strategies from you.
Work your butt off and manage your time wisely. The Professional Semester is intense. You are not like other college seniors who might have an easy last semester; you are a full time teacher. Time management is essential to this semester because along with your teaching duties, you also have Clinical Studies assignments. Try to do your best to work ahead and don't put those assignments off until the night before they are due.
Be ready for your students-no matter what your day is like. When your students come to your class, they are ready for the show. You can't let your personal life impede on school life. Find ways to mentally prepare yourself for every school day. Also, double check every morning that you have everything for the school day. I found it helpful to stay after school and prepare materials for the next day so you don't have to rush around the following morning.
Have fun and good luck!
Thank you Casi for all these tips! I appreciate the thought you put into this blog. You hit many different aspects, so it gives good advice about many parts of the semester to our future student teachers.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, thank you for the awesome job you did for Mr. VanKirk. The two of you could not have been better matched and it was fun to see, as the supervisor, your relationship with your cooperative teacher enrich the Professional Semester. He is truly an excellent teacher for both his students and ours. I know you will not be forgotten for your time at Shikellamy.
Keep in touch and best wishes for a wonderful future in teaching.
Take care!