[:o)Teacher]

I am taking courses through a fully-accredited Online University in Chicago- Kendall College. We go by 10 wk terms, so I am only in the elementary classroom for a total of 8 weeks. It is supposed to be weeks 4-7 that I get to know the students and slowly begin taking over some classroom responsibilities. During weeks eight and nine I am the teacher and week ten, I phase out.

Well, I have been in the classroom for a week now and I am already doing morning meetings (foreign language, skill-games, etc.), making meanings (read book and help class discuss it, focusing on characters encountering problems and dealing with them as well as watching the character change by the end of the book) and a fifteen minute math exercise each day. I am apparently doing ok but I feel unprepared and uneasy about this.

My supervisor came in to observe me yesterday for the first time as I was teaching my first lesson!!! She wrote four pages of awesome encouragement and praise and two suggestions because she "had to have some type of suggestions or ways to improve" or it would look like she was not doing her job.

My question is, is it normal to be thrown into the clinical practice so early? How are other cooperating teachers requiring student teachers to "take over" their rooms during the student teaching process. Are teacher candidates creating two weeks or more of actual lessons or are they teaching what the teacher has prepared?

Thanks all,
Concerned in ChiTown

[Mrs.T92207]

I am a little jealous reading your description, haha! I am in the field for 16 weeks. I took over social studies and morning meeting after the 2nd week. Two weeks later I picked up Shared Reading, two weeks after that writing, and now I am picking up math next week and full time teaching the following week. I will full time teach for 4 weeks. I have to write all of my own lesson plans and my school does not use curriculum, so all of them are from scratch based on the indicators, which I am fine with in a way, but it is a lot more work than my friends in districts with curriculum. My university only requires us to do 2 weeks of full time teaching, but my supervisor is requiring me and her other supervisees to do 4 weeks.

[MissESL]

We worked the same way. YES it is. TAKE it because it may be a bit nervewracking but it is awesome practice. I finished my student teaching in two months, due to some medical things early on. You're doing fine! :-)

[su_cheer07]

I think that this is a great opportunity that you should take. Being in the classroom, I think that you get a whole new outlook on teaching. I am in a school and it helps me to realize my strengths and weaknesses. It is better to figure them out now and perfect them. When you actually get your own classroom you will be better. Also sometimes when you get into a placement, you may realize that is not what you want to do. Better to find out now !

Good Luck

[:o)Teacher]

I agree with what you guys wrote in response to my questions- this is an amazing opportunity and I am LOVING it! I just had to wonder if some cooperating teachers say, "Here is your classroom... take it away, I'll be in the teacher lounge," if teachers had a hard time letting student teachers become involved and create their own lessons, or if this is a typical learning environment for student teachers.


It sounds like we are all on the same page for the most part.

PS. The district curriculum is only for two days a week during the "reading block" and it is mainly focusing on comprehension, character studies and communication skills between partners. The books have all been great from what I have viewed (Boundless Grace; City Green; The Paperbag Princess; Julius, The Baby of the World).

Thanks again for reassuring me this is a great opportunity and seems to be typical.

-Heather