Survival Tips for Student Teachers

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In 10 Keys To Unlocking The Best Possible Student Teaching Semester Ever from So You Want To Teach? by Joel, he gives a list of 10 things to help Student Teachers:

1. “Relax
2. S.U. (Shut Up)
3. Approach each day with excitement
4. Learn like crazy
5. Ask questions…all…the…time
6. Discuss with other student teachers and young teachers
7. Get a life
8. Revisit your educational philosophy.
9. Reevaluate student success.
10. Keep a journal”
You can read more about each one by clicking on the link to his post.

I wanted to add a few other ideas to this because it is really hard to be a student teacher. You feel excited and nervous at the same time. (These aren’t in any special order but in the order as they came to my mind.)

1. It never hurts to butter up your supervising teacher. Bringing them a treat every so often will get you a warm spot in their hearts.

2. Ask your supervising teacher if he/she wants you to share new strategies that you learn in class. Maybe that will give you something to discuss and learn your teacher’s view on that strategy.

3. Ask your supervising teacher what procedures are important to know and then write these down so you can refer to them.

4. Share your hobbies with the students. When they learn more about you personally, they will be more receptive to your teaching.

5. Never badmouth your supervising teacher. If you disagree with that teacher, talk about it in your university class but make sure you talk about what that teacher is doing and not about their personality. You never know who may be hearing you and it will get back to that person.

6. Make sure you act and don’t react when students misbehave. Have a plan of action beforehand if there is misbehavior. Discuss with your supervising teacher the best ways to handle this.

7. If you keep a journal, ask your supervising teacher to read it and make comments (either verbally or written to your journal entries). I kept a journal on my student teachers and we spent about 5 minutes after school reviewing this. Then if needed, we would discuss it. We both found these beneficial.

8. Take vitamins, eat healthy, and get exercise. Student teaching is a stressful time and your body will be more susceptible to illness. You will be around more people than you are used to and many of these children quickly pass on sicknesses.

9. Wash your hands more often. You will be touching things that many of the students touch and many germs will get passed on this way.

10. Smile! No matter how you are feeling, always smile. People will perceive you to be a positive person. Students will react to you with a more positive attitude. You will feel better and help you get over times when you feel nervous.

I hope all of these tips help student teachers be more successful. If you think of any others, please feel free to add them in the comments so we can all learn some more tips!


Original image: 'Life Vests' http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124458380@N01/2459883961