With spring semester coming up, a lot of education students may be getting ready to begin student teaching. Student teaching can be both exciting and nerve-wracking! This is especially the case if you've already attended a bunch of meetings to prepare for student teaching and have already been given a ton of information. I'm actually starting my own student teaching experience this coming spring, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed from the five meetings that I've attended!

However, despite how scary student teaching may seem or the stress that can come with it, there are ways to help make it seem less stressful! Here are nine things that you can do during break to help prepare yourself to begin your student teaching experience.

1. Finish standardized tests

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This is one of the most important things to do before student teaching. If you haven't finished your OAE or any stars add tests for getting your license, start figuring out when you take them. This is something I have to work on myself before I begin student teaching. And if you're like me and are awful with taking standardized tests, it's best if you get as much done as you can before beginning your student teaching experience. Try using online tutoring such as 240 Tutoring to help you prepare.

2. Search for teaching or classroom ideas

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One big thing that you will want to do before you begin student teaching is to find any advice or ideas that you can use during your student teaching experience. That means looking on Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, or even just asking other teachers. Also, try reading books on teaching such as "Teach Like a Champion" by Doug Lemov, since these can give you some ideas on how to teach.

3. Start figuring out potential lessons

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Since you will be making long lesson plans for student teaching, you should start thinking about ones that you can create. Try asking your host teacher when you meet them what topics they plan to teach or look for the standards for the subject you will be student teaching. Getting a head start on this will help relieve some of the stress that comes with the workload for student teaching.

4. Look at the school website and calendar

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This is something you probably already know that you should be doing. You will always want to check the school calendar beforehand to look for any days that school will be off during your student teaching experience. You will also want to check and make sure to let your host teacher know what days your program may require you to take off beforehand just to be sure. You should also check the school website for information on student demographics and any information about the community of the school you will be teaching in.

5. Plan ahead on completing edTPA assignments and keep track of deadlines

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If you're part of edTPA, there are a lot of deadlines that are created on assignments that you need to complete for the program. Make sure that you keep these deadlines in mind so that you don't miss any of them. You'll also want to keep track of any of the seminars you will need to attend since these are important for completing the program.

6. Figure out how you will introduce yourself to the students

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Another way that you can prepare for student teaching is figuring out how you will introduce yourself to your students during the first week of school. You will want to decide whether you should make a presentation or send a letter to the students. Maybe even think about just making an announcement in the first minute of class and have a speech planned. It's a nice way to build a good relationship with your students during the first week of school.

7. Plan on meeting the host teacher beforehand

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If you haven't already, figure out when to meet with your host teacher before student teaching. It's good to plan this as soon as you get your placement. Also, figure out if you will need to have multiple meetings with your teacher before beginning your student teaching experience. You may decide that you want to get to know your host teacher better beforehand and meet on multiple occasions. Try to get an idea of this since it will help relieve some of the stress that comes with student teaching, and it can help you build more of a relationship with your host teacher.

8. Figure out your work schedule if you plan on working

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Even though it's recommended not to work during student teaching since student teaching is considered a full-time job, you can still work part-time while student teaching. It will be a lot more stressful for you, but if you think you're able to handle it, then you can try it. Before starting student teaching, though, you will need to make sure you let your host teacher know that you're working and plan when to work. Try to keep your schedule as stress-free as possible, and plan it around your school's start and end time.

9. Get a head start on completing any homework

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If your host teacher has given you any reading material or things to do to prepare for student teaching, then you should get all of this done early. For example, if your host teacher will be having students read a book for class, then you should read the book beforehand. It's good to get a head start on the content that students will be learning in class. It will help you feel more prepared during your first week of student teaching.

If you're stressing about student teaching, then you should follow all of these tips so that you can feel more prepared during your first week. Student teaching can be stressful, but it can also be exciting to finally be able to take control of your first classroom! So don't let all of the information you've been given overwhelm you and instead try to make the most out of the experience that you get from student teaching!