Student Teachers are the BEST
This semester I have a student teacher from Missouri Southern State University. If you have never had a student teacher before, I suggest you ask your building principal for one NOW. This is my second student teacher in my 9 years teaching at Joplin High School. I enjoy them for several reasons: 1. Fresh pair of eyes on your projects. 2. Time out of the classroom to get your LISTS done. 3. Collaborating with another creative person is AMAZING.
Student teachers are learning and hearing about the best/updated tools to learn and use in the classroom and I always like testing out these ideas in our classroom. I call it ours, because for the semester these students are his as well as mine. I also enjoy having him look over my lessons and find new creative spins to put on the projects.
2. Having a student teacher allows myself to have time out of my classroom to update my BIG huge todo list. Last student teacher I had I was working through my masters at Pitt State so I had tons of papers I had to write and the free time allowed me TIME to actually work during the school day. But I have also created some posters for my classroom and got some other things going that I wouldn't have had time to do while teaching full time.
3. Stop....COLLABORATE and listen. If I could Co-Teach full time I totally would. I love having another adult in the room even if just to have someone else to look at while that one weird student said that one weird thing they always say. I have enjoyed having him here with me to share in the awesome things my students were accomplishing. He will be missed!
