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Hey, edumagicians, welcome back to another episode of the Edumagic Podcast! Today I'm going solo on several things you can do this summer to prep for student teaching this fall—first, a little pep talk.
Some of you might be asking yourself, "Am I ready for student teaching? What if this is my first time teaching students in a traditional learning experience. How do I know I'm ready?" Let me start by saying you are ready. You can do this. You are going to do the best that you can for your students. If you weren't ready for student teaching, your college or university faculty would not be putting you in this placement. You got this.
What things can you do this summer prep for student teaching this fall?
Prepare your student teaching letter - https://www.sfecich.com/post/edumagic-episode-3-meet-the-student-teacher-letter the elements of a fabulous and informative meet the student-teacher letter.
Teacher-friendly photo: Fun and professional photo of you and just you!
Teaching story: Share the reason why you teach. Answering these questions:
Why do you want to impact children?
Why do you want to be an educator of excellence?
Who inspired you to be a teacher?
Background: Think of this section as information about you, such as family, where you are from, what you are studying, what you plan to do after graduation, do you have a specialization area or minor?
Fun facts or favorites: food, movie, restaurant, ice cream flavor, game, sport, etc. You get the idea, fun facts about you or hidden talents.
Contact information: You may want to put a link to your digital portfolio. You may also want to put something like, "To contact me, please contact (insert name of mentor teacher here)."
Sign it: End it with a signature and what you want the students to call you.
You can create your student teacher letter with canva or adobe spark. Consider creating a student-teacher letter for three different audiences - your students, your cooperating teacher, and your student's parents. Again the content may be the same, but you should address it to different audiences.
Question 2 What is the school like?
Dig into the district - Once you know when and where you'll be student teaching, you'll want to do some preliminary research to be the most informed and prepared.
Bookmark the school district's website
District calendar
District vision/mission statement
School/district policies
Faculty and student handbook
Social media profiles
School demographics
Review faculty profile
Which LMS is the school using?
What is new or innovative about that school or district?
Class/school/district newsletter
Which technology or LMS is the school or district using?
Question 3: How do I get to know my mentor teacher?
Let's start with some conversation starters with your co-op because communication is vital! Remember not only to ask the questions but also to answer the questions too!
Tell me about yourself and teaching story
What gets you excited about the teaching field?
What are the expectations that you have for me?
What are some ways that I can use the first few days to start building relationships with students?
Question 4: "What should I have in my student teaching binder?"
I get this question every year around this time, and I am here to share with you some of my go-to areas for a student-teacher binder. Get yourself organized! Start to build your student teaching binder! https://www.sfecich.com/15
Contact information for your cooperating teacher and college supervisor
School schedule for the school in which you are student teaching and your college/university
Calendar -Monthly. Weekly, Daily
Lesson plans separated for each subject area and a place to reflect
Professional development log