Overview:
This book is designed to help you deal with your student teacher and to make
his/her teaching experience easier for them to handle.
Chapter
One: How to Make Your Student Teacher Feel Welcome
The first few days are critical for the student
teacher. You can make or break their experience depending on how you treat them
in front of your class. This chapter will give you some suggestions on how to
introduce them to your students, some jobs they can immediately take over and
tips for having a positive attitude with them. The key is to remember they are
still students and learning so don’t just throw your keys at them and say, “See
you in three months.”
Chapter
Two: Introducing Them to Your Schedule
Your student teacher will have had no training on
how to load assignments in your grade book and will not have been briefed on
your schedule. Chapter two is designed to give you sufficient time to allow the
student teacher to ease into your responsibilities. There is a detailed time
line for you to follow. That way nothing is left to chance and you won’t forget
anything, especially little details like where the bathroom key is located and
what the best time for him/her to use it. It’s the small things that can make
all the difference.
Chapter
Three: Your Class or Their Class?
This chapter is designed to show you how to slowly
release control of the class over to the student teacher. Don’t worry he/she
will not ruin them, if you follow the simple steps in the chapter. We know it
is hard to let go. You have been with these students for the better half of a
year now and you have them well-trained. However, the whole purpose of student
teaching is for the student teacher to really get the feel for teaching,
including all the good and bad. This chapter even has some suggestions on how
to keep busy while they are teaching. And before you know it, those students
will be back under your thumb and you can get back to the business of teaching!
Chapter
Four: Resources and Computer Access
Your student teacher will need help. He/she will
come to you with basically nothing in the way of resources. We realize that you
have many secrets of the trade that you might not wish to share but we
encourage you to open up to your student teacher and give them the access to
your secret stash of lesson plans. They will be so appreciative and have less
of a chance to flop if you help them. This chapter also covers basic computer
etiquette which includes how to share the classroom computer with your student
teacher.
Chapter
Five: How NOT to Treat Your Student Teacher
This chapter is the most important chapter of the
book. It gives you specifics on how not to treat your student teacher. A few
pointers included in this chapter are as follows: do not belittle them, ignore
them or abandon them. Student teachers can have weak constitutions and
premature abandonment on your part could bring about wild mood swings or crying
jags in front of the students. Please use your best judgment with your student
teachers and read this chapter carefully.
Most importantly, be the best cooperating teacher
you can be and a strong mentor to your student teacher. It will pay off in the
end.
Ms. Haight,
ReplyDeleteYou have some original chapter ideas, and I loved reading them! Chapter three about releasing control would surely be appreciated by any cooperating teacher--it would be hard for me to "give up" a class and I'm sure CTs struggle with it too.
Also I would love to read more about the computer etiquette chapter. Even as we near the end of student teaching I feel awkward when I need to import grades...I never want to kick my CT off her computer. It's the little things that you mention that make this book one I'd want to read!
It's been great reading your blog, Ms. Haight! Best of luck next year. :)
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI particularly love your Chapter Five. Most of us have chapters on how TO treat a student teacher, but you went ahead and designated one on how NOT to, which might actually be more beneficial. I also like your Chapter Two. It's true; it is the small things that make the difference.
I've enjoyed reading your blog this semester. Have a great summer and good luck next year, Ms. Haight. :)