Student Teaching Chronicles Part One

Every since I was a child, student teaching seemed like a dream just outside of my grasp. My student teachers in elementary school seemed so grown up and put together. As I entered middle school and high school, school began to feel like a never ending journey. Would I ever reach my destination at Student Teacher Town? Or would I forever be stuck at Studentville? 

In what now feels like a blink of an eye, I have just completed my first week of student teaching. Wow! All the years I have spent learning about every aspect of teaching and dreaming of my future classroom has begun to pay off. Every morning, I am out the door by 7:10 am and spend six hours teaching and working closely with some amazing teachers. Elementary school Hannah would never have been able to fathom this!

Millersville University recently started a new required program in which during the fall semester, students take college education classes and spend three days every week in an elementary classroom. Then in the spring, students student teach in that same exact classroom. So, even though I have only been student teaching for one week, I’m already jumping right back into the swing of things. I am in a fourth grade classroom with two teachers and 49 kiddos and they are some of the most creative and thoughtful students and teachers I’ve ever had! 

This semester, I thought I would document my student teaching journey for myself and others who are interested in student teaching or want to know what is is like! I wish that I had been able to read someone’s student teaching thoughts and feelings before diving in. For instance, I did not realize how tired I would be! My sleep schedule seriously needs some work, especially since I was sleeping in so much during winter break. Also, you truly need to find a comfortable pair of dress shoes before student teaching. Being on your feet and constantly walking around the classroom can hurt your feet if your shoes are not comfy. 

But seriously, I have already learned so much this first week. For example, it’s okay to make mistakes. Teachers aren’t robots that always do the right thing. I’ve accidentally told students the wrong information or misunderstood them but a simple apology and correction of what I originally said means a lot to my students.

I’ve also learned to take risks! In my classroom, we always encourage students to take risks by answering questions they may be unsure of or adding to a discussion or conversation with an idea that is new or different. However, it never occured to me until this week that I should also be taking risks! It doesn’t hurt to ask if I could try a new lesson idea out or make an interactive bulletin board. What’s the worst that could happen?

A big lesson I’ve learned is that teachers are NOT perfect. When elementary school Hannah thought that her student teachers were flawless and put together, she was wrong, big time. There will be days where you forget your lunch at home or forget to make copies of a worksheet. And that’s okay! Teachers are held to such high expectations, but it’s important to remember that not every day will be perfect. It’s also important to reflect on what made a day not so perfect and brainstorm ways to adjust lessons to be more successful the next day. 

So far, I’ve been able to teach several guided reading groups. These groups are so fun to teach! Each group has between four and seven students and it is a great way to interact with students on a more individual level. I get to learn about them as readers and help them grow through practicing fluency, comprehension, decoding skills, and more. I have even been able to connect the guided reading group lessons to previous writing and science lessons.

On my commute home on Friday, I thought of a few goals for my next week of student teaching. Here they are:

1. Take a risk and suggest an idea for something to try in the classroom.

2. Stay organized with my student teaching materials.

3. Plan out my upcoming weeks of teaching.

4. Get to know my students more.

If you are student teaching this semester and find yourself reading my article, I would love to hear about your thoughts and experience! I look forward to writing more about it soon.

HCXO,

Hannah N.

*photos courtesy of Pinterest

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