Suggestions from Other Student Teachers

· Establish a positive relationship with the students and the cooperating teacher as soon as possible. Make an effort right from the start to get to know each of the students and to establish a good rapport with them. Your cooperating teacher can give you pointers and identify the best ways to work with the students. In the placement I was in it was imperative that I work positively with the teacher and paraprofessional so that I could be part of the classroom team helping the students.
· So much is conveyed to students by means other than verbal. When you teacher is teaching look carefully and listen. Watch for ways your cooperating teacher gives directions and redirects behavior without saying anything.
· Get involved right away. Walk around the room to see what the kids are doing. Volunteer to do things for your cooperating teacher. Never sit down!
· Take a photo of the class on the first day, or make a copy of the class photo. [Note: Before you do this, ask your cooperating teacher for permission. Some districts, schools, and/or programs have regulations restricting videos and picture taking.] Write down the student names and learn them as FAST as possible.
· When you are starting to get to know the class, focus on a couple kids per day. Start with the ones that seem to be the most shy and/or have behavior problems. Find out about their interests. (How’s your hamster doing? How did your baseball game go last night?) This really helps you build positive relationships with them.
· Dress professionally! Even if all the other teachers are wearing jeans and tank-tops....they have jobs and you don't! ALWAYS act and dress like it is an on-going job interview (because it is)!
· Be prepared! Plan your lessons well. Over plan and have all your materials ready before you start your lesson. If you are clear in your mind about your expectations and what you are doing, you won’t need to think on your feet as much. And, you won’t have to come up with something extra to fill the period!

· Don't try to create everything by yourself - using other people's ideas is not stealing, it is just being smart. Your cooperating teacher, other staff members, and even your fellow student teachers can be extremely helpful resources. They can provide you with books, links, lesson ideas, etc.

· Ask your teacher to critique you often. After each session sit down and talk to your cooperating teacher - what could have been done more effectively, what worked...why.
· BE FLEXIBLE! Don’t let the unexpected upset you. They were doing a lot of testing that involved schedule changes in my school. Sometimes I had to postpone what I had planned to teach to work with students who needed extra help. There was another time that my co-op had to step into the hallway to talk to a parent. I had to take over without any notice. It was scary, but gave me a chance to prove myself.
· Actually sit down and make a list of other ways to say “Very good!” I had a tendency to say “Good job” all the time, which is repetitive and not effective after you say it 1,000 times. Make an effort to let them know what you like by making a variety of positive statements.
· Find ways to give immediate feedback to students and allow multiple responses. Asking a question of only one child lets the others tune out. If you do want to ask a single child to respond, state the question first and then identify the individual student by name. This keeps everyone focused on the question.
· Keep any reprimands/redirections as private as possible. It is best to walk over to the “offending” child and whisper to them quietly, or have a predetermined hand signal to get students back on task. Remember, “Reprimand privately and praise publicly.” I think public praise also inspires the other kids to be more
responsible as well.
· When you do have to reprimand a child or give him/her a consequence for misbehavior, try to praise him/her for something positive he/she has done as soon after he/she has “paid’ for the “mistake.” When little Susie or Jose has had a really good day (especially after having had a particularly terrible one), write the child a personal note of congratulations. This goes a long way toward keeping the child on the right path.
· Don’t wait until the last minute. If your cooperating teacher asks you to do something, do it right away! Take every suggestion as a direct order. Don’t wait to be told that you must do something.
· Get organized! Before student teaching I didn’t really have a system to store things or remember important dates. I carried a date book and filed all of my papers and student work, so I could find things when I needed them. When I went home, my mom couldn’t believe the change in me!
· Identify the group/class for your Teacher Work Sample right away. Set your goals and start developing your unit early in the placement. Time is toooo short!
· Don’t expect to have very much free time while you are student teaching. Even though you’re not getting paid, it’s like a full time job.
· Be on time (maybe even early) every day. Be ready to stay after school if necessary.
· Be courteous with the copier by making copies well before you need them.
· Get to know the students right away. Learn their names and call on them by name. Learn something special about each student. This is one way you can show your respect for them.
· Ask questions! Don’t make assumptions. If you’re not sure about something, ask for clarification. If you’re not sure how your cooperating teacher feels about something you do, ask for feedback.
· Watch your cooperating teacher to learn how he/she does things. Learn the classroom rules and procedures. Use these in your lessons and daily activities with the students.
· It’s important to tell your para what tasks you want her to do instead of asking (like I was doing!). Remember that you are the teacher!
· Make copies of everything – your materials and those of your cooperating teacher. Save lessons, ideas, and materials for when you have your own classroom.
· Be pleasant and positive with ALL staff (secretary, custodian, cafeteria workers, as well as other teachers). Develop a good relationship with all faculty members. Don’t get caught up in building gossip and hold your tongue in the teachers’ lounge. Try not to join in when teachers are criticizing something or someone.
· Be creative in presenting your lessons. Cooperating teachers look for new ideas. If your cooperating teacher just teaches from a textbook, supplement instruction with teacher-made materials and use a variety of strategies.
· Plan interesting attention getters for your lessons. Consider using real life props and making your own colorful posters, transparencies, etc.
· Have fun with the students! Try to keep a sense of humor. Humor goes a long way in connecting with the students. If a student gets mad at you for some reason, don’t take it personally. Be aware that it will not be easy for them to make the transition to having you take over the class. They will feel loyalty to their teacher, and some may be really resistant to you. But in time, they will warm up to you!
· Buy some fun stickers or stamps to use when correcting kids’ work. Write personal notes and encouraging comments on the papers too.
· Don’t always just call on the kids who raise their hands! The other kids will start to sit back and “check out” if you do! Keep them guessing, so they will pay attention and be ready to answer! Consider using a can of Popsicle sticks or stack of index cards with student names to call on students during class discussions. This will give them all an equal chance to be called on.
· Bring a camera EVERY DAY! This is sooo helpful in many ways. You can take pictures of your bulletin boards, displays, room arrangement, etc. You’ll also be able to get pictures of yourself working with the kids, which is great for your portfolio. [Note: Before you do this, ask your cooperating teacher for permission. Some districts, schools, and/or programs have regulations restricting videos and picture taking.] It’s a great way to preserve your memories too!
· Unless your cooperating teacher asks you, never offer feedback on her teaching, unless to tell her she is fabulous.
· Volunteer to do bulletin boards and anything else your coop doesn’t enjoy doing.
· Don’t assume you know everything there is to know about teaching. Do approach student teaching as a learning experience (remember, you are a STUDENT teacher).
· Even if you don’t agree with some of your cooperating teacher’s strategies and techniques, never ever criticize, question or argue with her. Use student teaching as a time to learn what you don’t want to do as well as what you do want when you have your own classroom.
· Don’t assume you will be provided with the resources required to do a good job. You might have to find/buy them yourself.
· Be gracious when your co-op offers suggestions, even if you don’t like them or think they will work. Say something like, “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll give it a try!”
· Don’t get defensive when criticized. Just say, “I’m sorry. I’ll work on that!”
· Don’t assume that everything that is new is good and everything that is old is bad.
· Don’t forget that when you see a student outside of school, your relationship with them must still be professional.
· Listen! Don’t talk all the time. It’s the best way to learn. Listen to what your CT says, and your principal, and the teachers next door. Listen to the grumbler and complainer (you may learn a lot about what not to do). Listen to the parent feedback and to the professional discussions at lunch. (You can listen to the occasional bit of gossip but say NOTHING and repeat nothing.)
· Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for feedback. Do take time to reflect on your lessons and progress as a teacher.
· Think ahead to getting references from the staff in the school. If you can, get the principal to observe a lesson (I never could), so you can use him/her as a reference.
· Be confident and believe in yourself. Millersville is a great school and you have been well prepared for student teaching.
· Seek out other student teachers to get their ideas, sympathize and laugh.
· Pretend you are confident, even if you are scared! (You will quickly gain more confidence the more you teach the class.) Kids quickly sense fear, and may tend to take advantage of it.
· Try to find some kind of common ground with your cooperating teacher. My cooperating teacher and I had a similar upbringing and grew up very close to each other. That was our common ground. I think it is important, even if you don't have the same philosophies or ideas, to find something that you do have in common or agree on and try to build your relationship on that foundation.
· Start every day fresh – don’t let problems or events from the previous day carry over. Especially don’t let emotions carry over from a problem situation with a kid where you would seek vengeance.
· Expect the unexpected, such as knowing how to handle students’ teeth falling out, vomiting, frequent seizures, or anything out of the ordinary that may occur.
· See if you can teach a unit in another class, either the same grade level or different. I did that and am so glad I did. I was able to experience another teacher's room setup and rules and how other classes besides mine functioned. Plus, the other teacher liked me so much she wrote me a letter of recommendation!

· Make sure to give a gift or some token of appreciation to the school and your cooperating teacher, even if it's just a little candy basket, to thank them for having you in their building.