Student teachers

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Student teachers
By Debbie

I have had 2 student teachers over the past 2 years. It was a wonderful experience for me. I was lucky to have two student teachers who were very competent, so I didn't have to work hard on skills (mostly fine tuning).
It can be such a learning experience to let someone else get involved in your class and teach them. As you evaluate their teaching techniques, you can't help but think about your own. I think I became a more reflective teacher after critiquing someone else.
The first day I had my student teacher I introduced her to the class and explained to them that she was a teacher practicing

her teaching before she got a class of her very own. I also told them that she had the same authority to discipline as I did, and I would show her where I kept the parent's phone numbers. (In reality, I would not leave her alone if we needed to discuss a problem with a parent. I would let her talk to the parent, but I would be there to support if needed.) By the second day, the student teacher was responsible for taking attendance, picking kids up from recess, taking them to lunch, and reading them a story after lunch. Every couple of days I would add one more element for the teacher to take over, starting with the most routine. (We actually worked out a schedule together so she would know when she was taking over which subjects.) It was hard for some students to accept her as THE teacher if I was in the room, so I did not alway sit and observe. Sometimes I would disappear to the lounge, or even help another teacher with assessments, while my student teacher was teaching. If I was in the room and a kid came to me to ask if he could go to the bathroom, I would kindly point out that I was "off duty" at the moment and he would have to ask the student teacher.

I also found that it was sometimes more valuable to let a teacher flounder than always point out when I felt something would go wrong. When we reviewed lesson plans before the teaching I might spot something that I would anticipate would be a "problem" (ie questions kids might ask, mistakes they might make because directions weren't clear enough, kids finishing early with no alternatives planned, etc.). If it wasn't a major issue, I would let the teacher try the lesson and see how she dealt with the problem as it came up. After the lesson we would review the problem, how she dealt with it, and steps to prevent it next time. Living through a lesson that flops, or an annoying management issue, can help a new teacher prevent those problems in the future. (They are more easily remembered than if I had just told her it may be a problem before she experienced it.)The debriefing process is very important. Even if I didn't see the lesson, we would dialogue about how she felt it went. We could problem solve together and discuss what went right (very important!) If I wanted to suggest a different technique or approach to a lesson I would use the phrase "What would it look like if you/they...?" This allows the student teacher to take the idea if they want and make it her own. Don't be too troubled if the student teacher has a different style of teaching than you. Your job as a supervising teacher is not to develop your clone, but to hone the teaching skills into effective instruction...which can look different from teacher to teacher. Be open minded, and enjoy the experience to watch another teacher in action...it's an opportunity most of us don't get. (By the way, you might be able to get an opportunity to go and watch some of your collegues teach while you have a student teacher. I loved this chance to get fresh ideas!) I hope this helps. Enjoy!