The moment a teacher-in-training looks forward to the most while pursuing their education and teaching license is the day they start Student Teaching. We dream of the kind of classroom we will be in and what our students will be like. We hope that we’re placed with a supportive teacher who will do anything to help us succeed. But Student Teaching isn’t all rainbows and unicorns (although there are sometimes those moments); it’s also a lot of hard work that wears on you physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. For those of you who are about to start student teaching or who will sometime in the future, here are some tips of things to know and things to carry with you as you go into student teaching:
1. The Pencils You Bring Won’t Be Coming Home With You.
No matter how many times you tell students and no matter how many times you point out that cute sign that says, “Please return the pencil you borrow when you’re done!” those pencils aren’t coming back. Just accept it and move on. This is a battle that is not worth fighting. What helps me cope with the loss of my pencils is knowing that students have other classes and will need a pencil there too. That pencil went to a good cause.
2. It’s Okay To Walk Away For A Bit.
There will be some days that are harder than others. There have been days when I love the kids I teach and feel like my lesson is airtight and that it goes well every single class period. But sometimes there are days when I’m stressed and frustrated and I just want to sit down and cry. Those days will happen no matter how prepared you feel or how great your host classroom or host teacher is. Know that this is normal and that there are two of you-- you will be able to escape if you need to, even for two minutes to breathe and collect yourself enough to keep going. This does not make you a failure-- it shows you care and that you’re putting your all into what you’re doing.
3. Communicate. Be Honest.
Check yourself regularly-- are you doing okay? Do you need help with anything? How are you feeling? The nice part about student teaching is that you have a slew of people who are there to support you in ways that aren’t as readily available once you become a teacher. Take advantage. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tell someone and help can be given to you, or solutions worked out. But more importantly, don’t just expect people to come and help you and figure everything out for you. Come prepared with solutions to your problems. Whenever you can, tell others what you can need and take the guesswork out of everything.
4. Bad Days Don’t Mean You’re A Bad Teacher.
Even veteran teachers have hard days-- horrible days. Sometimes, despite all of the community building you do, the classroom management strategies you employ on a regular basis, just aren’t enough. That doesn’t make you a terrible teacher. It just means that you and your students are human. That’s to be expected. Your students will go through trying times; their significant other will break up with them, their family will say something that pissed them off at home, someone will have said something stupid and bothersome on Facebook, and god forbid a really long break from school is fast approaching and they’re really excited to slow the pace school has set for them for a while. And you’re tired, even though you’re trying so hard to look like and act like you’re not run down. There will be days like this. You just have to roll with them.
5. Appreciate The Good And Great Moments.
Just when you feel like you won’t be able to make it another week, a student will make you laugh so hard your sides hurt. Or they’ll say something really sweet to you that just makes you want to hug them out of happiness. Or they’ll finally grasp a concept you have been working tirelessly to help them understand. When those things happen, you’ll suddenly remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place. It won’t matter that you only got four hours of sleep last night or that the other four days of this week were varying levels of frustrating, because those times led up to this moment. And this moment makes everything worth it.
Best of luck to those who will be starting their student teaching experience this Spring. You’re about to have the ride of your life.
