For Xavier University graduate, Ashley Morgan, the student teaching experience was one she'll never forget. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education and is currently working towards her master's in reading and reading endorsement.
Morgan reflected on her time as a student teacher and the benefits it brought to her career as a kindergarten teacher at Shawnee Early Childhood School in West Chester, Ohio.
Hobsons: Tell me about the student teaching process at your college. How does it work? Do you teach for a quarter/semester at a time?
Morgan: I student taught for an entire semester during the fall. During the previous spring semester, we received our student teaching assignments. For Xavier, it is a prerequisite to spend ten hours in the assigned classroom before your technical"start date" to ensure that your cooperating teacher is a good fit for you.
Hobsons: What was going through your mind before you student taught for the first time?
Morgan: Before I began to student teach, it was really a mixture of emotions. It really is a foreign concept to teach every day, day after day, for months on end until you actually student teach. I had student teaching experiences before my"official" student teaching, but never for a full day (from start to finish) and never for every day for consecutive weeks. I was curious to see the dynamics of the classroom and excited to learn from my cooperating teacher.
Hobsons: How many students were in your class? What grade did you teach and what subjects?
Morgan: I student taught in a first grade classroom at Shawnee Elementary in the Lakota Local School District. The subjects were reading workshop, writing workshop, unit study (which consisted of science and social studies), and investigations mathematics.
Hobsons: What kind of planning does it take for one day of teaching? How many hours of prep work?
Morgan: Planning is always fairly time consuming. Counting planning and collaboration meetings with other teachers on your team, it usually takes at least two hours to plan for your entire week. As for prep work, teachers have a never-ending"to-do" list. You do the best you can with the hours you have, but it never seems like your list is quite empty.
Hobsons: What was it like being in charge of your own classroom?
Morgan: Exhausting! It worked out well, because it was a nice ease-in to what the"real" teaching world is like (having only one teacher in the room on most occasions). Keep in mind that although I was teaching the entire time, my cooperating teacher had to be in [the classroom as well]. Really, it was like team-teaching with two teachers in the classroom.
Hobsons: Do you feel student teaching (in general) is beneficial to up-and-coming teachers? How so?
Morgan: I do, because without student teaching, you really have no idea what the"real" teaching world is like. I found that I grew the most as an educator during this time. There is only so much educational theory you can learn and memorize before you need to jump into the field and learn what is practical to who you are as an educator and what is best for the children. During this time you pick up things you like and plan to do in the classroom and (in some cases), you decide on what NOT to do. Fortunately, I had a great experience and had a plethora of great management techniques to come away with.
by Natalie Pezzenti, staff writer
