Thanks for stopping by again today! We're moving on to part 3 of our series but first:
Part 3: First Day and Beyond!
This can be a super nerve-wracking day! If you have made contact and know what you are wearing (from previous posts) then you are ahead of the game. With contact before, you should know somewhat your role for that day. For me, we had Open House before school started so we got to meet quite a few students and parents before school which was great. I even got to help and put a part in our presentation. What a way to feel welcome!
DO - Prepare yourself
- Remember it is the first day for students too! They are nervous as well.
- Hopefully your teacher introduces you but ask to make sure students know that you will be in the room for awhile and what your role is.
- If your teachers asked you to have anything ready, make sure you have read books, arrived on time, went to any meetings or open houses.
DO - Make a presence in school
- Make friends with secretaries, other teachers, janitors and anyone in school.
- show up for extras- PTA meetings, Professional Development opportunities, Getting classroom ready, etc.... This shows dedication and that you are taking your role as a student teacher seriously.
- Do your best work! If you have a great lesson/project/presentation invite the principals to come watch and see what is going on. It really keeps the lines of communication open and shows you are proud of what you and the students are learning.
- I asked the principal to come observe during reading time. I had the experience of a full teacher observation with pre and post evaluation meetings. The feedback was great and it shows the administration that you are trying to improve. I encourage you to do the same even if it is scary to ask - they are usually more than happy to do it.
 |
| here's a picture of our Author Celebration with our red carpet! Such a hit! The memories were invaluable for me and the students! |
- As you get further along, you will be planning everything! That can be overwhelming at first but realizing teachers do it all the time, it can be done. Ask your teacher for pointers and specific ways that he or she plans so you don't upset the balance too much.
- Use resources such as blogs, TPT, teacher books to help! Do not reinvent the wheel, teaching curriculum can be done with what others have created.
- Management is hands down the toughest issue you will deal with. College does not prepare you for that! Having a multitude of strategies can help. Again, watch how your teacher deals with a problem use the same strategies and get feedback to see how you could handle it better.
DO - Try new things
- This is your time to try new things whether with management or curriculum within the teacher's parameters of course! A really positive cooperating teacher will be there to help and offer guidance if something does go wrong. After finishing, it seems some teachers like have a different perspective in the classroom but some teachers have trouble giving up control. Be sensitive! It is their classroom and they are gracious enough to let you teach their students for a short time.
- We did some crazy marshmallow activities here.
No comments