Not Just Surviving, but Flourishing

by Kaleigh Klemm (May '08 graduate)

Most of you have by now probably heard how difficult student teaching is, either from other students or from your professors. If you are anything like I was, your stomach is churning just at the thought of managing and running your own classroom. However, as I find myself on the home stretch, I’ve taken a few minutes to reflect on those things that simplified my student teaching experience, and made it all the more enjoyable.

Planning is the area of teaching that originally gave me nightmares – I could just see it taking over my life. However, I’ve found that a good organizational method and a detailed plan book will take you far in your student teaching career. Because I like to see the big picture, I usually plan in units that take two to three weeks. I want to know before I even begin teaching a new concept where my students will be at the end and what they will have grasped. So before I even begin thinking of all the little details of each lesson, I write out a day-by-day outline stating what I plan on covering and the objective number. I can always add to this outline once I determine exactly how I want to teach each concept. It is then easy to take each day’s activities and write a lesson plan. Transferring the day-by-day outline into a plan book is also a breeze.

My next piece of advice involves utilizing those resources made available to you. This includes both material resources and people. I strongly recommend that you ask your clinical teacher for any files she has on whatever you are teaching. Even if your teaching style is different from your clinical teacher’s, he or she may still have helpful information, overheads, worksheets, or activities already available. Also, do not be afraid to ask your clinical teacher, other teachers, and other interns for advice. Everyone’s teaching style and classroom management style differs, so by discussing ideas and issues with them, you will acquire a vast wealth of knowledge that may be helpful not only during your student teaching, but also throughout your teaching career.

This brings me to my last suggestions: collaborate with the teachers on your team, in your grade, or in your subject area. We plan as a fourth grade team, and while I often plan activities for the whole team, they offer me guidance and often recommend activities that have worked well in the past. For instance, I talked with one of the teachers about possibly conducting an economy simulation, only to find out during team planning that another teacher had several resources for us to use. However, collaboration extends beyond just your team. By collaborating with the resource teacher, the special teachers, and the remediation teacher, you can guarantee the best education for your students. Collaboration also fosters a team mentality where everyone helps everyone else. Friendships stem from this attitude and result in a much more positive work environment.

I hope you will remember these few tips as you enter your Senior II semester. Find what works for you, and remember to begin each day with a fresh state of mind. Despite all the stressful moments, know that each day is a new adventure – an adventure that will lead you into the next chapter of your lives.