It is time for student teaching! Are you ready? The long hours of studying, classroom instruction, and on-site placements have given you the tools to succeed.
No matter how prepared you feel, there will be days when you may feel overwhelmed. Use the checklist below to help you get the most out of your student teaching. The activities will challenge you to be (and stay!) accountable to yourself and your commitment to the student teaching process.
Checklist for Student Teaching
- Be open-minded and willing to jump in with both feet.
- Start a daily journal. Write about what went wrong, what went right, and what you would do differently.
- Read the school’s discipline policy. It is important to know it and understand it.
- Program your cooperating teacher’s phone number and the school’s phone number into your phone.
- Have a daily re-cap conference with your placement teacher.
- Find out when your placement teacher arrives and leaves school. Follow his/her schedule.
- Never, ever be late to school. Ever.
- Attend all grade level team meetings, faculty meetings, etc.
- Attend at least one PTA meeting.
- Participate in various duties: lunch, study hall, cafeteria, bus, playground, etc.
- Meet with the school’s guidance counselor and interview him/her.
- Watch, listen, and learn from all of the school’s personnel: instructional support teachers, aides, other specialists, the secretary, janitors, etc.
- Ask questions whenever you do not understand something.
- Dress professionally every single day. Follow the school’s guidelines and ask your cooperating teacher for clarification if you are unsure about what to wear.
- Attend parent/teacher conferences.
- Attend a school board meeting.
Download a free printable copy of the checklist here.
As a student teacher, your job is to experience as much as you can during your placement. Do not be afraid to ask for help or clarification whenever you are unsure about something. The more you ask, the more you will learn.
Really Good Resources for Student Teaching Success:
- Join the Really Good Teachers of #TeachChat on the second Wednesday of every month at 9pm EST for free online professional development. Click here to find out how to join!
- Ask a question, read great ideas, and be inspired by Really Good Teachers on Facebook.
- Download free eBooks written by a teacher for teachers in the Really Good Resource Center.
- Be inspired and get ideas by following Really Good Stuff on Pinterest.