1. Dress & You Or Why You Shouldn’t Wear That Rage
Against the Machine Shirt
First impressions are the most important. In teaching, you
will be making impressions every single day. A good impression begins with a
good appearance. You may be comfortable in acid-wash jeans and tribal face
paint, but others may not be comfortable in seeing you wearing such. When selecting
your outfit for the day, keep in mind that your student teacher is going to
judge you based on appearance first. Look the part, don’t just think the part.
Keep comfort in mind. You may like your stiletto strap on heels, but if you
have to go barefoot half way through the day to survive them, consider some
sensible flats instead. Set a good example before you complain about your
student teacher arriving in those neon pink Bermuda shorts.
2. Hygiene Or Why Your Student Teacher Shrinks Back in
Horror When You Smile
Appearance isn’t the only facet of a first impression. If
anyone can smell you before they see you, this is definitely the wrong
impression to be making. This applies to both bad and “pleasant” odors. If you
find that your daily scenting ritual requires a dip bath in perfume or cologne,
then too much is being applied. If you find that students can gauge the amount
of time that has gone by in the day by the size of your armpit sweat like the
rings of a tree, then one might consider applying more deodorant or touching up
during the day. Keep some extra handy for emergencies. Brush your teeth. Just…brush
your teeth. It should not appear as if
you replaced your teeth with kettle corn when you smile. Your student teacher
will silently thank you for this in the long run.
3. Student Names Or “Hey You, With the Goody Batman Backpack”
You already know all of your students’ names. It shows you
care. A student teacher isn’t going to know these right away, and a student isn’t
going to feel like a student teacher cares about him when he is constantly
referred to as “that kid with the Justin Bieber hair” in formal address. Don’t
wait, set about to committing their names to your ST’s memory early. Use them
often. Make that connection as soon as you can to show the students that you both
care about them as individuals and not just statistics to be counted absent,
late, or present. You will find the students care more about you both in return
as well. Use seating chart strategies or getting to know one another games to
help if necessary.
4. Encouragement Or Why Your Student Teacher is Wearing Dark
Eyeliner and Listening to Linkin Park
The student teacher is a fragile creature. It’s made of
weak, squishy stuff crammed into a human-shaped bag. What I’m trying to say
here is that it’s very easy to hurt their feelings. There are going to be rough
spots. You should expect this. Don’t demand perfecting, guide toward it. Your
ST is learning, as you may be learning as well. It is your job to help them
learn the tools they need to succeed, not criticize their every move. Provide
the encouragement necessary to help them through. Let them know when they are
doing something right, and help them correct their mistakes. You will both be
the better for it in the end. Nobody wants a sad mopey student teacher lurking
about in the classroom all hour.
5. Cooperation Or What The “C” Stands For
Cooperate with your student teacher. Don’t stand in the way
of their ideas, learn to work with them. Allow them into your own planning
process and begin to build that professional relationship that will be
necessary to success. Include them in ideas and plan ahead for some cooperative
lessons before you hurl them out into the unknown by themselves. Model some
individual lessons then maybe allow them to replicate or modify the same lesson
for another class. Show them the ropes before you have them competing in prize
fights. Never forgot that your student teacher is not there to take over your
class with no aide. Be prepared to step in and assist when necessary even when
they have assumed full classroom duties. It’s not always the best idea to see
if someone sinks or swims when one is holding the life preserver. Also, watch
out for sharks. Keep in mind that your student teacher will not be able to
succeed without your help.
Cameron,
ReplyDeleteYou have included some very good (if not entirely professional and constructive) advice for CTs. I especially like what you wrote about the ST being a squishy creature whose feelings can be easily hurt. I also agree with your point about striving for perfection. I believe that sometimes, CTs often expect perfection before their ST is able to meet their standards. I think if CTs were able to read such advice prior to meeting their new student teachers, they might have better, more cooperative relationships with their STs.
Mr. Burge,
ReplyDeleteI think your first two bits of advice (chapters) were not the most appropriate for this assignment. If teachers do not dress appropriately or use proper hygiene, then that is something on a completely different level. That is just something we should all be aware of. I think you could have given better and more helpful advice there.
That being said, I enjoyed what you included about student names. I agree that helping constantly in a classroom with different activities helps us commit their names to memory.
I also agree that student teachers cannot be successful without their CTs.
Katie