student teaching

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student teaching
By Kinderteacher

Well my first advice is to REST UP. The next few months will be difficult. Not hard mind you, but draining and time consuming.
While talking with your coop is helpful, it doesn't really give you the whole picture unless
you know what question to ask. First- find out what or if you are to teach a unit- and what unit this will be. Once you find this out, start now with getting info/devolp lessons/really cool activities, etc. I found that because I had prepared for my unit, I was able to get some sleep at night because I could just plug in lessons that I had already prepared.
Ask to see the

curriculm, this will not only help you to see what you need to do, it will also show your coop that you understand about the workings of a classroom.
Also, find out what Math you will be teaching. This is another easy area to plan for in advance. Granted, you don't know you children or their ability levels, but what ever you prepare in advance you can later adapt instead of starting from the begining.
Also, with Math, create some center ideas. Once again, you will be able to "plug" these in when they fit. And if you plan this right, these may take up a few days. This will help cut back on time.
What I also learned, ALWAYS go in with a simle. No matter how tired or overwhelmed you might be feeling, don't let this show to anyone. Enthusiam is a big part right now... let it shine.
Bulletin boards, have in mind and start working on some now. If you can start any that fit in your unit, plan on devloping these. Also, keep in mind about monthly themes... these are great for a lesson and also a bulletin board.
I had a really great experience with a power point presentation. No one at my school had ever done one before (because of the time involoved) If you can swing it, do it. It looks cool to the students and to the staff. All of the thrid grade teachers at the school where I s.t at, asked for a copy of my presentation.
Did I mention REST!
Another thing that I did that really helped me out was to created rubrics for a lot of things. This was considered an assest towards my abiltiy to objectivly evlauate my students.
Accept critisim (sp?) and ask for advice. Now this is kind of touchy because you don't want t0 look like you don't know what you are doing. But if you have a question- ASK!
Finally, look at this experience as a time to shine. It is your final hours in a type of "boot camp" that we all go through. Not all is easy, but trust me, it will help you in becoming a great teacher. Good luck! If you have any questions, plese post again. I also found this board when I was student teaching, and it was/is a great place to visit!