Help! Student Teaching!

[Bramblef]

Help! I am nearing my last three weeks of student teaching and anticipate having to repeat the entire experience. I have been splitting my time between two subjects and two cooperating teachers. I just found out before christmas break that things were not going as well a I had thought. My CT did not mention ANYTHING to me prior to this meeting with both my university supervisors. I was told I could not be certified- and would need to do more time to get it. I am so frustrated. I am leaving without a certificate- and feel like I have been chopped in half in terms of my confidence. My teacher just aplologized for not taking enough time to go over my lesson plans and said that I really did have a deep understanding of the material. She said she made a big mistake, but can't take back the evaluation she just did. I don't know what to do. I have to do the extra time, but feel like much of this was not my fault- as I did not get the feedback I needed to change my methods.

Also, my teacher assumed and made up the argument that I was not able to handle the kids because I was nervous all the time- actually the kids don't respond to me because she just gave me full control of the class three days before my third evaluation. The kids still don't respond to me (7th grade), because she has interrupted me, and showed the kids that she does not trust my judgement- it hurts... and I don't know how to tell her without coming off as harsh or unprofessional. It seems all I can do take it as it is coming and do what the department wants me to do.

Any suggestions?:mad:

[Chef Dave]

I am sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, insofar as she has already submitted her evaluation, there is really not much you can do. I think it was unfair of her to submit this evaluation without first talking to you about it and/or giving you the opportunity to address any concerns ... but what's done has been done.

If you have to repeat your student teaching experience, I would suggest doing the following:

1) Get a copy of the evaluation. No matter how hurtful the comments are, read them. Identify all of your weak points and think about how you can address them.

2) See if you can be assigned to a different teacher ... at a different school so that you don't have any "stigma" attached to repeating a semester. Teachers have an unfortunate tendency to gossip, so it would be better for you to be at a different campus just in case this teacher shares her "concerns" with whoever replaces her as your cooperating teacher.

3) Establish better lines of communication with your new cooperating teacher. When I was a cooperating teacher, I took the time to touch bases with my student teacher at the end of each day. No matter how busy I was, I allocated a minimum of 30 minutes to discuss any concerns I had and/or to answer any questions.

Learn from this experience. Not all cooperating teachers are necessarily good at sharing their thoughts and concerns with their student teachers.

The next time you do your student teaching, make sure you touch bases with your cooperating teacher. Ask this person how you're doing. Solicit constructive feedback.

Again - I am truly sorry that this happened ... but look at this as a learning opportunity. Demonstrate to your university professor (or teaching assistant) that you can persevere and grow. Not only will this experience help you become a stronger teacher, but if you do really well, you can also get a nice letter of recommendation from the cooperating teacher and your university supervisor.

Best wishes!

David

[busbus]

It's unfortunate that this happened to you. However, as painful as it is, it's a very good learning experience for you. You now have some ideas about classroom instruction, classroom management, curriculum and many things related to the field of teaching. So, your background has been enriched. Now it's up to you to use this background and forge ahead with more confidence.

Remember, the Cooperating Teacher was assigned to COACH and MENTOR you! You are the CLIENT! As the client, you know your needs. Therefore, it is essential that you ask questions, ask for feedback. It could be about the lesson that you presented. It could be about your grade book. It could be about any activity that you do or might have to do that is related to the job of teaching.

If you have to do your student teaching over, PREPARE! Create your own NEEDS ASSESSMENT! Where are you confident? Where are you less confident? Where are you absolutely lost? Sometimes you have to guide the coach or mentor to serve your needs. Perhaps you and the cooperating teacher, at your initial meeting, can designate times for feedback and planning. Become a reflective practitioner and an active participant in your training. Between you and your cooperating teacher, YOU WILL COME UP WITH YOUR OWN PLANS TO IMPROVE where you are weak and YOUR OWN PLANS to enhance your strengths. Through specific probing questions from both you and the cooperating teacher, YOU will come up with these plans, the plans will provide the cooperating teacher with specific things to look for during observations. The feedback conferences should address specifics. This is an ongoing process. Student teaching is a joint effort.

I wish you the best of luck.