Tips for Student Teaching

I am so happy that you are here! If you don’t already know it, this is truly one of the most exciting times in your educational life!! During this season, you are more than likely filled with anticipation and excitement about what is next to come for you!

You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again, but becoming a teacher is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things a person can do. However, it’s okay to be nervous, worried, anxious, or scared as well. I mean, come 'on, if being responsible or 25 tiny humans doesn’t scare you even just a little bit, then you must be a superhero!

If you’re reading this, I am going to assume you have a few nerves and you’re looking for just a little boost of reassurance and direction. That’s a good thing! In my opinion, if you’re not nervous, it must not be that important.

I want you to know that I am here for you. I am here to help you, to offer advice, and even just to listen.

Being a student teacher is hard. However, the next few weeks and months are going to be one of the most exhilarating, challenging, rewarding, encouraging, and fastest times of your life. One day you’re meeting your first group of students and before you know it you’re sending them off into the next grade! Then, without a breather, you’re preparing for interviews and your first class of your own!

Through it all, just know, you are right where you are meant to be! I can’t wait to watch you learn, grow, and blossom into the teacher you were born to be!

So with that, I have a few pieces of advice for that apply to any new teacher in training!

Tip #1: Get Organized

All student teaching experiences are different, but there is one thing I know all past student teachers can agree on; it helps to be organized. Set up systems for yourself that are going to help you stay on top of things, keep your notes straight, file important papers, mark important dates, etc.

If you already know me, you know that there are two things I am a firm believer in – Binders and digital calendars. You’re going to need to get yourself a binder and organize it into sections. If you aren’t sure about what to put into a student teaching binder, no worries, I got you! You can grab these printable templates here!

printable-student-teacher-binder-templates

What to Put in a Student Teaching Binder

Within the your new binder, you’ll want sections for your lesson plans, notes, class lists, IEP’s, grades, student data, etc. If possible, print the page dividers on cards stock to separate your sections. If you don’t have card stock or plastic tabs to separate your sections, you can also use sticky-notes as well! This binder is going to house a ton of important information, so you’ll need to be sure to keep it in a safe space at all times!

Using Digital Calendars to Stay Organized

As for digital calendars, if you’re not already using one, you’re going to want to set one up ASAP! If you’re new here, you probably haven’t heard, but I am obsessed with Google Calendar! I prefer Google Calendar because it syncs with everything, but Microsoft’s online calendar is another great option.

When you set up your digital calendar, it’s important that you turn the notifications on. I know, nobody likes getting a million notifications, but trust me, you’ll want these!

You’re going to use your new digital calendar to keep track of all important dates, meetings, events, etc. Paper calendars are great, but your mind is going to be filled with so many things you’re trying to remember. You can set your digital calendar to remind you of events an hour, half hour, or even 10 minutes before. No more forgetting that you have recess duty today or an IEP after school. Give your brain a little break and let your calendar remember everything for you.

Anything that you want to be reminded of needs to be put into your Google Calendar! Having girls night next week? Add it to your calendar. Going to see your grandma after school in Tuesday? Add it to your calendar. Whether it’s a dentist appointment, a college paper that’s due, an application deadline, or any other significant event in your life, it needs to go into your calendar. Once upon a time, one of my friends kept track of every outfit she wore during student teaching in her calendar to be sure she wasn’t wearing the same thing too often. I’m definitely not asking you to be that level of crazy, however, forming good habits about time management now is going to be your saving grace when you’re a first year teacher trying to keep track of all the things.

Seriously though, there is nothing worse than double booking yourself and having to explain to one person or the other why you need to bail on an event or why you can’t bring a dessert to the potluck, etc. If you know exactly where you need to be and when, you’ll feel so much more planned, prepared, and ready to take on whatever the day has for you!

If I still haven’t convinced you that you need to be using a digital calendar, you can check out this blog post for more convincing!

Tip #2: Be a Role Model

Stand Out Amongst the Rest and Get A Rockin’ Student Teacher Letter of Recommendation!

Okay friends, when we are getting ready to enter the professional world, this can be a touchy subject. I am almost willing to bet there has been a time in your life when someone has told you how to act or what to wear, and I am guessing at least once in your life the conversation didn’t go so well because it absolutely wasn’t what you wanted to hear.

Because of that, I am going to keep this very straight forward. Of course, I want you to be who you are and express yourself in a way that represents your truest you, however, you’re now a role model for students who are paying attention to absolutely every single thing you do from the way you talk, dress, look, and act.

Watch out! If you wear the same color scrunchy three days in a row, your students will surely comment on that. Do you have a tattoo on your arm that pops out if you reach your arms too high? I bet your students will notice it on day one. Don’t worry, I’m not knocking on tattoos, I have one on my wrist. My point is, make sure you’re wearing appropriate clothes, bathing regularly, and please sis, use some dry shampoo if you don’t want to wash your hair everyday. Nobody wants to see your day two, three, or even day four greasy hair, I promise! And as always, when talking to students, staff, admin, parents, or any other person that you interact with throughout the day, be sure to keep your conversations positive and professional. This alone, will make you stand out amongst the rest and help you get that rocking student teacher letter of recommendation that you’ve been dreaming of for years!

Tip #3 Clean Up Your Social Media

I know, I know, I know, you don’t even want to hear me say it, but it’s time to clean up that social media! You’ve heard it before, and trust me, you’ll hear it again! But it’s time to delete those crazy college pics. I’m sure you can envision what I’m talking about, and if you don’t have any pictures like that, kudos to you! If you do though, I absolutely understand that those are the nights you never want to forget. However, your future principal absolutely, positively does not want to see how wild and crazy you once were or even still are, when they are trying to choose between you and another candidate.

And don’t worry, if you’re thinking, “But don’t they want to hire someone who is fun?” Yes, they absolutely do, but there are so many other ways to show that you’re a fun person to be around. So do us all a favor and upload those photos to the cloud or put them on your hard drive. Going forward, be selective about what you share and what you let people tag you in. Avoid pictures, quotes, and comments that might cause people to question your character. Avoid social media arguments like the plague, or I guess we could say like the Covid. Just kidding, kind of.

Take time to update the privacy settings on your social media. Go through your posts from Instagram, VCSO, and Tiktok. If there is anything you would be embarrassed about a student seeing, you need to take it down. Remember, that doesn’t mean it’s permanently deleted, but hopefully it won’t resurface and reach the public eye.

Anyway, believe it or not, if your cooperating teacher hasn’t already looked you up on social media, I’m sure your students have and I can guarantee that if there is anything inappropriate on your social media, a parent will be bringing it to your admins attention and that will definitely not be good when it comes to receiving a letter of recommendation.

The biggest thing to remember here is that, yes, you’re allowed and entitled to a life outside of school, but just like your mother would say, make good choices. Not everything needs to be posted on social media.

So what do you think? Are you interested in reading seven more tips for student teachers?

If so, I have seven more tips for teachers in training and I would love to share them with you!

Feel free to click the picture below and I’ll send the other seven tips straight to your inbox!

First Year Teacher Support Podcast

How do you feel about podcasts? I’ll admit, I wasn’t super into them at first either. However, once I realized the impact they can make, I was hooked.

I have a First Year Teacher Series Podcast that is streaming on all platforms. Through this podcast, have had the incredible opportunity to interview first year teachers during their first few months in the classroom, share teaching tips, lessons, ideas, and so much more!

And guess what, I release a new episode every Wednesday! Whether you’re driving to school, driving to the gym, or folding some laundry at home, this podcast is surely one you do not want to miss as you begin your new teaching journey!