It can be so rewarding!

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It can be so rewarding!
By mentorteach

First of all, congrats! Getting assigned a student teacher in most districts is an honor, a rite-of-passage reserved for master teachers. I am so fortunate to have had two wonderful cooperating teachers to model my own mentoring
after. Before meeting my first student teacher, I thought back to those days, those of my own student teaching. What did I like and dislike? What were my regrets? Things I was scared about? It made me better prepared as a mentor. Several ideas:
-weekly reflection lists (perceived strength/weakness, what went well...etc.
-an ed-lingo scavenger hunt (What is differentiation?

Go ask the GT specialist, Mrs. Smith. What is an LBS? Go ask Mr. Phillips.) This made my most recent student teacher really nervous at first, but by the time she was putting together her lesson plans, she knew exactly who to visit for specialized advice in our school and what all the lingo meant.
-set up a special desk area for the ST, with some basic office supplies
-give the ST a blank planbook so that they can copy from your schedule each day in the am...it helps them get ready for their takeover period when they have to plan for a whole day instead of just one or two indiv. lessons (always a bit of a schock)
-have them lead a little lit circle with your low kids--gives them experience with low readers and didn't we all have that interview question about how to teach an integrated reading lesson?
-they can take digital pics of the bulletin boards for their "classroom in photographs." also, they can take pictures of displays and lesson products they see when they visit other classrooms in your school

Good luck!