Online Reflection #5: Chapter Synopses of an Extremely Well-Written, Applicable, Made-Up Book

Chapter 1—At the Beginning

In this chapter, you will find valuable information regarding your student teacher’s first day as a…well…student teacher.  Your student teacher will undoubtedly be nervous and excited.  This chapter will help you address topics such as How to Introduce Your Student Teacher to the Class, How to Make it Clear to Your Students that the Student Teacher is Welcome in Your Class and Has Authority, and the ever-popular Make Sure You and Your Student Teacher Have a Plan Implemented In Case You Have to Leave for an Emergency.  As the cooperating teacher, remember that addressing these keys issues (and many more discussed in the first chapter) within the first week of school will substantially decrease the amount of stress your student teacher will experience during the semester—and trust me, she is under lots of stress already.  Furthermore, addressing these immediate concerns and needs will set the foundation for a collaborative, genuine relationship between you and your student teacher.

Chapter 2—Communicatio est eximius duper momenti!

This phrase, Latin for communication is super duper important! should always be at the forefront of your mind—as well as your student teacher’s mind!  Communication must be the cornerstone upon which your relationship with your student teacher is built.  This chapter will address the important reasoning behind exemplary communication skills, so that you can initiate and perpetuate constant communication between you and your student teacher.  In this chapter, you will learn about thoroughly discussing daily lesson plans, activities, exams, whole unit instruction, and classroom management ahead of time.  Trust us, it looks really bad when you and your student teacher reach a conversational impasse during lecture time.  Oh.  It’s also super awkward.  Communication is absolutely critical to your student teacher’s success in your classroom (and her own someday!), and it is your job to establish an impeccable, open line of communication from day one and maintain it throughout the whole semester.  And don’t worry.  The whole chapter is not in Latin. 

Chapter 3—Your Student Teacher (aka “The Sponge”)

In order to help your student teacher become as successful as possible, she needs resources.  Lots of them.  Since you have (presumably) been at this whole teaching thing for a while, we plead with you to provide a proverbial flood of resources and directions to your student teacher.  Feel free to unload anything and everything you can think of onto your student teacher.  This will overwhelm her—but in a good way.  Even though she cannot possibly use everything you provide her in a single semester, if she is smart, she will save the resources for later.  Be especially mindful to share with her tons of graphic organizers, rubrics, and activity ideas.  Your student teacher wants to be in your classroom; thus, she is eager to soak up any advice and resources she can.  Your “Sponge” will be so entranced by the virtually limitless realm of lesson plan materials, that she may feel burdened with finding the best stuff ever.  Yet you can help her tremendously by pointing her in the right direction—sharing ideas, worksheets, favorite websites, heck—even asking your colleagues to share with your student teacher can be beneficial!  Your student teacher will be eternally grateful for anything you can share with her, so anytime you come across something awesome, pass it along!  She is there to learn from you! 

Chapter 4—Maintaining Professionalism with Your Student Teacher

We know.  It’s soooo tempting to become good buddies with your student teacher.  You are, after all, fostering a relationship that can continue long after your student teacher leaves your classroom.   And while this is a GREAT thing, you need to be careful.  As a teacher, your reputation is always on the line.  The last thing you want to do is mar your professional image by getting overly-chatty or gossipy with your student teacher.  This chapter will remind you not to gossip about co-workers or the administration with your student teacher; it will also highlight the discussions you should have with your student teacher regarding problem students, parents, and faculty.  Additionally, this chapter will ask you to ponder just how much of your personal life you should share with your student teacher.  Lastly, this section of the book will show you how to address issues that may arise with your student teacher: what if she dresses like a tramp?  What if SHE is the gossipy one? and of course, What if my student teacher has bad breath?  You are the example your student teacher will look up to and tend to emulate—give her an outstanding example to follow!

Chapter 5—Helping Your Student Teacher Have a Life

Trust us, although she probably won’t ask, your student teacher will want to know how you balance work and life.  In this chapter, we will ask you to focus on questions such as: Do I come early or stay late—or both?!  Should I take grading home with me?  What is the most effective way to maximize planning period so I can actually enjoy an evening off every now and then?  How involved should I be with extracurricular activities at my school?  Then, once you have considered these questions, share your answers with your student teacher.  Of course, each teacher has different responsibilities and commitments; however, you should strive to strike a balance between who are as a teacher and who you are as a person.  You need to be able to demonstrate that you are BOTH an educator and a human being.  Also, this chapter will help you to understand that you will need to reassure your student teacher that her first year of teaching will be crazy hectic, but she will survive.  Lastly, this chapter will specify how you can encourage her every step of the way by offering suggestions, ranging from verbal affirmation to hard liquor (just kidding…well, maybe not).  Your student teacher will never forget the time she spent in your classroom.  So make that time memorable, professional, and encouraging!

Online Reflection #4: Dear Me

Dear Me,

You.  Are.  So.  Close.  Two and a half more weeks and you will walk across the stage and receive your diploma.  Your road to becoming an English teacher has been paved with struggles, triumphs, late nights, way-too-early mornings, and (literally) blood, sweat, and tears.  As your final semester as an undergraduate draws to a close, purpose to insightfully reflect on a few aspects of your final years as a pre-service teacher.

You have done an excellent job with your time management as a student teacher.  Your organizational skills were impeccable; you divided your time and efforts as equally as possible among planning, teaching, grading, and homework.  You established a daily “quitting time” for yourself (after all, you DO have a life and you did NOT want your husband to forget your name…) and you took the well-intentioned advice of others regarding lesson plans, classroom activities, and management techniques.  Furthermore, your rapport with your students was top-notch.  You truly love being around them (even the…challenging ones…) and many have confided in you that you are their “favorite teacher.”  You exhibited a level of patience with teenagers that the title of “Teacher” clearly demands—even when they didn’t deserve your patience.  Even when mentally, you were screaming and banging your head against a brick wall.  But perhaps most importantly, you provided your students with challenging, memorable learning activities that facilitated independent thinking AND collaboration.  YOU helped them learn.  YOU proved to them that you believed they could succeed—and succeed they did!

For future reference:

• You are NOT above asking someone to help you make double-sided copies.  The copier is a     machine.  It will not mock you.  Throw your pride aside and seek out the answers to stuff you don’t understand.  People WILL help you—they were once in your position. 

• Do not compromise your classroom rules/routines/procedures—even for that one student who never annoys you and turns everything in on time and gets all As.  You are setting an example.  Stick to your guns.  You will earn more respect—from students, colleagues, and administrators alike—if you stand firm in your classroom rules.

• If you are going to remain a professional, you must continue learning.  Therefore, read anything you can get your hands on.  Read anything a colleague gives you.  Read EVERYTHING your principal gives you!

The program you are THISCLOSE to finishing helped you tremendously.  Spending countless hours in classrooms was well worth learning all you did—from lesson planning to collaboration to classroom management to the importance of literacy and diversity.  The various ways of facilitating discussion groups in an ELA classroom were especially meaningful and you should incorporate these into your classroom.  Often.  And remember, your paramount concern is students’ learning.  You must always be cognizant of students’ struggles (both academically and personally) and you must act as intercessor and advocate. 

As you reflect on the fifteen gazillion essays, assignments, and projects you have done over the last four years, to be honest, you would not change a thing.  You learned so much and you will graduate knowing you received a quality education.  You met some terrific people along the way and you were blessed to be taught by instructors who genuinely care about their students.  Consider yourself a “product of the system”—in a good way!  You are more than prepared to join the workforce and spend the next thirty or so years sharing your love of English with others.  

Last but certainly not least—NEVER GET RID OF THIS BOOK:

This book is your lifeline.  Even though you've read through it (twice), hang onto it.  Read it again.  And again.  And again.  And don't forget about all your other books.  Yeah, go ahead and hang onto them too.

You can do this.  You HAVE done this.  Your dedication has paid off and you will reap a lifetime of rewards.  Most importantly, though, you will provide your students with the same challenges and triumphs you have experienced these last four years.  And then, you will watch students smile at you because you helped them succeed.