Student Teacher Series: Connecting & Pre-Planning

This Spring semester, I'm fortunate to have my very first student teacher! Guess what's even better than that!? She's a BUTLER STUDENT TEACHER!! I'm thrilled to have a Butler student teacher in my classroom this semester, and to connect over our love of BU and all things teaching. She started in mid January, and it's been great so far! We're learning so much from each other, and I'm honored to be a part of her teaching journey.

The excitement I've had over mentoring a student teacher has given me plenty of ideas to share within this blog space. I decided to do a "Student Teacher Series," a collection of blog posts that focus on having a student teacher in a classroom and how to best support them over the course of their placement. I hope to provide a routine, themed space on this platform for all those wanting a student teacher, those who currently have one or are a student teacher themselves.

This series' first topic focuses on the natural timeline of having a student teacher: early connection & pre-planning. I hope you gain insight into how our journey as cooperating/student teacher began, and how it has set the foundation for our time together this second half of the school year.

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Connecting

When I was first told about getting a student teacher, I was elated! I was excited by the potential of mentoring another soon-to-be teacher and providing guidance and support. I also liked the idea of observing the curriculum I've taught for years in action by someone else, with my own class of students. I knew I would gain a lot of great experience by taking on a student teacher, so I was eager to say yes!

Before I could even reach out and introduce myself, my student teacher reached out to me directly and initiated the conversation! I loved it! She stated she was in the process of getting our district's "new teacher" trainings completed and wanted to know if she could come in prior to her official start date to meet the kids and tour the building. How could I say no to that!? She was eager and excited to get started, and I appreciated her enthusiasm.

While in the process of scheduling her visit to school, we also met up 1:1 on Butler's campus to officially meet and get to know one another. While she and I connected over mutual interests and got to know each other as people and teachers, we also took time to discuss how she envisioned her student teacher experience with my class. She shared what she did at her previous placement the semester prior, the structure she benefitted from in terms of taking over subject areas, as well as how she wanted to connect with me in our planning. We had a great conversation and looked forward to her being in my class. She did come in prior to start date and got acquainted with me, the students and our school. She got a head start with learning the kids' names, how to navigate our schedule, and how my classroom worked. The way in which we built a relationship right from the start was encouraging to me and the students as well.

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Pre-Planning

Prior to my student teacher's official start date, I took my notes and feedback from her and created a visual calendar for both of us to utilize. I created a month-by-month calendar that showed her responsibilities each week. I made sure she had information on staff meetings before or after school, holiday breaks, how she would phase in with teaching subjects, as well as when she could observe other teachers (later series blog posts to come, don't you worry). I made sure she had any and all contact information of mine and the schools, gave her maps, schedules and gave her access to our grade level files & documents. I'd rather give too much information than not enough, you know?

Another part of the pre-planning process was incorporating her into our classroom community. I had her create a "Star of the Week" presentation to share with the class, which they LOVED! I set up her own desk space in our classroom so she'd have a place to call her own. I gave my coworkers and colleagues a heads up about her arrival so they would be aware of her time in my room. I also had many conversations with my class about what a student teacher does and how she would play a role in their learning this semester.

Another important piece of the pre-planning process was doing RESEARCH! I didn't come up with all the answers to having a student teacher on my own. I read articles, searched websites, browsed Pinterest (come on, I can't resist) and talked to other teachers who had experience with student teachers. I also reflected upon my own student teaching journey and what I gained or learned from those experiences. To keep it simple, I wanted to feel confident going into this opportunity and feel like I was supporting my student teacher with all the tools and resources they would need.

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I share all of this with you as a way to educate and help provide understanding on how to set up a student teacher for success. Connecting and establishing a relationship early are key components to a strong experience, as is planning ahead for what they will do while in your classroom. If I hadn't done this, I would have struggled to be a strong cooperating teacher. I'm glad I tackled these steps before she arrived, so that I would be more prepared to give her the mentorship she needed and deserved.

As I continue to share my thoughts and experiences on having a student teacher over the next few months, I emphasize that these are my own opinions, not factual evidence. I'm providing my own perspective on how a successful student teaching experience should be for all those pursuing a career in education. Others may think differently about the topics I'll cover in this series, and that's their prerogative. I'm willing to share perspective and encourage those navigating the student teacher experience in whatever role they might be playing. I look forward to continuing this series of content and pushing this insight out to all those willing to listen.

Sharing Perspective. Encouraging Perseverance.

~Kendall