Hello my lovely PW educators.

As some of you know, I am getting my degree in Secondary Education (english and theater), and I will be student teaching next semester. I know there are a lot of future educators, and I wanted to ask for any advice you could give for us newbies?

Thanks!

I'm somewhat a newbie too!  But I tell girls just getting out there to volunteer and substitute as much as you can.  Get your name out there, try different classrooms, grades and schools.  Prepare yourself for long days, long hours and being tired, but remind yourself everyday that you are doing something so rewarding.  At the end of the day, it's totally worth it.  You will always have a to do list, but prioritize...you are not superwoman!  Develop a schedule/system that works best for you.  And reach out to other teachers to mentor you! 

I'm sure I'll think of more!  Good luck and congrats!!

There is so much advice out there...and talking to any teacher who has been doing it for a while will help you learn a lot.  I hope you have a great CT b/c they are a good rescource.

I would say, the piece of advice that kept me the most sane during my ST was "Q-TIP." 

Quit Taking It Personal :)

I kept one (and still do) on my desk at all times.

When politics get hard or when a student/parent is particularly difficult, remember that it may have nothing to do with you.  In fact, most of the time it doesn't.  It's hard to remember in the moment, so it's always good to have the visual reminder.

Good luck.  You will learn a lot.

i've just started my second semester of student teaching (4th grade! last semester i did 1st grade) and have gotten some great advice from both of the teachers i've worked with:

- establish positive relationships with parents as early as possible so that they'll support you should any problems arise

- follow through with rules and consequences... if you don't, you'll lose the respect of your students

- be organized and plan well, but also know that things will not always go the way that you've planned... you have to know how to be flexible

- grow eyes on all sides of your head! you have to be aware of everything that is going on on your classroom

- constantly reflect upon and learn and grow from your experiences... it's continuous on the job training!

I'll add more - but something valuable I learned teaching MS was that not everything had to be graded.  It is okay for students to do work and you recycle it.  Don't tell them, but they will never remember.  Since you are doing English - don't read every single paper carefully - you'll never be able to.  Read some for content, some for grammer, some in detail, some for organization, etc. 

- Develop a good organization system.  For secondary, I think that color coding is key to sanity!

I'm in my 5th year of teaching... so still relatively new to the scene!  My very best advice is to not worry about making mistakes!  I still feel like I don't know stuff, and I'm not afraid to admit it.  My high school kids will ask, "what does that mean?" (referring to a musical term) and I'll say, "I don't know... let's get the dictionary and look it up!"  Also, just because you do something one year, one semester, one week, or one day, doesn't mean you can't change it.  I know I was in a constant state of flux for my first couple years.  If something didn't work, I looked for something that did and changed!

Know where you can find information, have go-to resources and people! 

Most of all.... HAVE FUN!!! :)

Wow, these are some amazing tips! Thank you girls, and if you ever think of something else, please keep this going... I'm going to need it. This semester I am doing a practicum in a middle school, and I am loving it! Now I don't know whether I want to student teach in a middle school or a high school... I've liked them both thus far :) one of the tips one of my professors gave today was
- don't miss a teachable moment.

It's hard for me sometimes to remember that those are everywhere, and that sometimes its okay not to go directly off my lesson plan, but to take a new direction with something.

AggieBride-

Welcome to the most rewarding profession!  I have been doing this for 10.5 years now! Somedays I feel like I am new and others like I have seen it all!  I teach MS Spanish. 

-love everyday- even the tough ones...learn from those days.

- Laugh daily...kids are funny great humans beings!

- connect...with kids, teachers, custodians, professors and PROFESSSIONAL Organizations! :-)

- leave work 1 time a week earlier than usual (when I started I was at my desk and hour before school started and left 5-6 hours after it ended...)  you'll need to stay but try to leave earlier once a week..you need to take time for you!

- network!

- remember the truly educated never graduate and keep current in your feild!

- give your cooperating teacher a little space each day!  It is heard being a cooperating teacher, sometimes you need to use the restroom! 

-LISTEN! if you are lucky you'll get to hear and see how people manage the stress of the day...my team ha over 100 years of experiance!  Listen to them, ask questions- learn!

Best wishes and PM if you ever have a question!

Thanks so much!! I love all this advice.