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Post by nitad on Oct 13, 2015 20:35:16 GMT
We are in BC (Canada) so I don't know what it's like elsewhere but my 22DD started her mini practicum today with a grade 1 class. I got a text from her on lunch break saying the teacher was on her phone all morning and she won't be there for this afternoon, Thursday afternoon or all day Friday!! WTF!?! Is this normal?
Luckily DD is pretty competent and confidant but it hardly seems fair. Somebody needs to show her the ropes. She is still a student herself.
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,706 
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Post by Dani-Mani on Oct 13, 2015 20:40:12 GMT
We had a teacher have a major famil emergency today so it probably did look like she was a dud to people who didn't know her when in reality, she is one of our best teachers.
I wouldn't be so quick to judge. It's your daughters first day. Give it time.
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lesley
Drama Llama
My best friend Turriff, desperately missed.
Posts: 7,177
Location: Scotland, Scotland, Scotland
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Post by lesley on Oct 13, 2015 21:06:42 GMT
It does sound like she was thrown in at the deep end. Hopefully the kids were young enough not to notice her inexperience!
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by rickmer on Oct 13, 2015 21:09:50 GMT
well at least she will be getting some real hands on experience. i am sure there are other student teachers that just get to clean up the classroom and not as much opportunity to actually teach. i hope it goes well for your DD, hoping she sees it as an opportunity to shine!
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Post by shanni on Oct 13, 2015 21:16:14 GMT
My dd's teacher this year is actually doing his student teaching. He's the only teacher in the classroom. I was not happy when I found that out, but what can you do? I don't know how they got away with hiring a teacher that hasn't actually finished their schooling, but I live in a rural area and it's hard to attract good teachers, so maybe they couldn't find someone who already had their teaching certificate? It seems off to me, but dd likes him and so far he seems to have a handle on things, so I'm trying not to worry too much.
It seems like there should be more direct supervision, but perhaps the fact that the teacher didn't feel the need to intervene can be taken as a good thing? That she feels your daughter has things handled?
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Post by nitad on Oct 13, 2015 21:18:47 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I told her that same thing... Just jump in and go for it. And I don't know the reasons behind it all and I certainly hope the teacher isn't having to deal with anything awful. I just also hope that someone will step in and provide a little guidance for DD. I can't wait for her to get home tonight so I can hear how it all went.
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Post by gorgeouskid on Oct 13, 2015 21:19:38 GMT
Not normal. Student teachers are usually put with exemplary master teachers.
Hope the teacher is not going through something awful.
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Post by marysue63 on Oct 13, 2015 21:32:48 GMT
When I did my student teaching I observed for the first week, then slowly added subjects until the last two weeks when I the whole day. And the regular teacher was always there. I can't imagine throwing a new student teachers into the classroom like that! Legally I don't think the school can have an unlicensed teacher all alone in a classroom.
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CeeScraps
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~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
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Post by CeeScraps on Oct 13, 2015 21:33:30 GMT
Tell your dd not to be afraid to ask for assistance from a neighboring teacher. Hopefully others who are there are competent enough to give her great advice and guidance.
Also tell her to plan a lot more than she thinks she needs. That way she will have things to pull out if she needs it!
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Post by annaintx on Oct 13, 2015 21:41:17 GMT
Not normal. Student teachers are usually put with exemplary master teachers. Hope the teacher is not going through something awful. Around here, they can't get enough teachers to volunteer to take a student teacher, so we have to use whomever the districts give us. Sometimes they are great, sometimes they aren't. OP--give it some time. If it looks like the mentor teacher isn't very present, does your DD have a student teaching supervisor? She can talk to her supervisor about her concerns. What ever you do, don't contact the school. We have had several seriously over-involved parents follow their students through their fieldwork to student teaching, calling and complaining to us all along the way. (I work in teacher education.) Good luck to your DD! |
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Oct 13, 2015 21:46:51 GMT
When I did my student teaching I had to teach in the class room by myself for 6 weeks/ 30 days. I had 7 weeks to complete it. So I was teaching by the end of the first week otherwise we were worried if I got sick or had an emergency or snow days I would not get the required hours in.
I had done a number of practicums so I felt prepared... but scared as hell.
When I had student teachers working with me, we would teach every other day for the first two weeks. So they got their time but were less pressured to do it all.
Boost her up I bet she is more ready than she knows!
Good luck!
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Post by leannec on Oct 13, 2015 21:51:27 GMT
I'm a teacher in Alberta (on a leave of absence) ... here, a student teacher would never be left alone in a classroom for more than a few minutes ... If the teacher in charge was away that day there would be an accredited substitute (they all have Bachelor of Education degrees here) ... not an ideal situation but it is what it is ... I had a horrible student teaching situation while in University so it could actually work out better for your dd if her assigned teacher is a flake  |
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Post by monklady123 on Oct 13, 2015 21:54:52 GMT
In this county that wouldn't be allowed. They'd get a substitute in to sub for the regular teacher, then the student teacher would be there to do whatever. I've subbed in a classroom that had a student teacher and it was kind of odd, in my opinion. I mean, I'm not a certified teacher and although I taught for four years overseas I've never had teacher training in this country. The student teacher has had all of her course work, plus the "mini" as they call it here (like student-teaching-lite, lol) the previous semester...yet she wasn't allowed to be in the classroom alone without a sub for the regular teacher. lol. She knew more about teaching that class than I did. Oh well... we had fun and she was so young and enthusiastic. I hope that stays with her! Anyway, since clearly the rules are different where you are I hope your dd rises to the occasion and wows them all. |
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on Oct 13, 2015 22:50:50 GMT
Not normal. Student teachers are usually put with exemplary master teachers. Hope the teacher is not going through something awful. Around here, they can't get enough teachers to volunteer to take a student teacher, so we have to use whomever the districts give us. Sometimes they are great, sometimes they aren't. The universities have no control over what teachers agree to take student teachers. They could be wonderful teachers or they could be counting down the days to retirement. |
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Post by Merge on Oct 13, 2015 23:05:33 GMT
Waaay back when I student taught, my high school rotation included a good cooperating teacher, but my elementary one dropped the keys in my hand and said, "See you in six weeks."  In my current district, teachers must have at least five years' experience and be recommended by their admin to take a student teacher. There is a LOT of extra work involved with having an ST so anyone looking for an easy time isn't likely to sign up. |
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Post by scrappychick on Oct 13, 2015 23:16:56 GMT
Well, in our district, teachers are being innundated with a number of meetings and trainings that take place during the school day. It's probably something like that.
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seaexplore
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Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Oct 13, 2015 23:37:51 GMT
I'm a teacher in CA. When I got my credential 17 years ago, I did my student teaching in my own classroom, by myself, no master teacher in the room with me. I did a full year of high school science, full schedule. My master teacher was in the same building, one door down but I was on my own.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 14, 2015 0:02:06 GMT
There will be a sub for the teacher as a practicum teacher here is not insured to not be supervised. Even those with full on student teachers have to get a sub for insurance and supervision reasons.
Sometimes life happens and something comes up. Otherwise this sounds unprofessional.
My partner's student tecaher this year started teaching the 2nd day of class for 2 weeks because my partner was on maternity leave still. I supervised from acrossed the hall and she had a sub in her room. Hell of a way to get her feet wet.
Usually we do a gradual release. First observation, then take over a class or two, then more until the whole day is covered and the teacher leaves the classroom, but is still in the building
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Post by meridon on Oct 14, 2015 0:06:14 GMT
When I did my student teaching I observed for the first week, then slowly added subjects until the last two weeks when I the whole day. And the regular teacher was always there. I can't imagine throwing a new student teachers into the classroom like that! Legally I don't think the school can have an unlicensed teacher all alone in a classroom. This. I've had at least 5 student teachers (we call them interns) with me in the last 7 years and they would not be allowed to be alone with students for a long stretch of time. I'd say maybe 10 minutes, max if I needed to step out to go to the bathroom or return a phone call or go run some copies. If I will be out, I have to have a sub, even though I have an intern. S/he cannot be used as a sub for me. And I start out shadow teaching (I teach the first couple of periods of the day and then they take over with my lesson plan) and then we move to the intern teaching a lesson I give them 2-3 days a week and then by the end of the term, they are doing 10+ consecutive days of just them teaching all day but under my supervision. That's what is normal in my area. Maybe other states/teacher ed programs have more flexible requirements. But to answer the question, not I would not consider that normal and hope the teacher she's paired with isn't a flake and/or isn't going through some sort of family crisis or something. |
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Oct 14, 2015 0:11:09 GMT
Cooperating teachers can have huge differences in philosophies when it comes to their interns.
Here a student teacher spends some time in a classroom observing and maybe giving a mini-lesson/demo before he will start his internship. Most of the time he will observe multiple teachers and his internship will be in one of those classrooms.
Some cooperating teachers feel like interns should be thrown into the classroom once their official internship starts. Some do it completely - student teachers must take on the full day's class load, figure out their own behavior management system and develop their own plans. Some CPs baby step it.
I'm a fan of baby stepping but both philosophies seem to have the same success rate. Overall. Baptism by fire results in more interns quitting during the internship whereas baby stepping has more teachers quitting during their first year or that following summer.
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Post by nitad on Oct 14, 2015 0:20:57 GMT
UPDATE.... so DD got home and was exhausted but not overly stressed. She does think the teacher has some sort of medical issue going on and that's whats causing her to be away. Turns out they do have a Sub (or TOC) coming in to cover as well so DD won't be alone but the teacher has left a note for the TOC that DD can handle the class. I guess she made a good enough impression on her first morning! So the good news is she wasn't completely distraught when she got home (not that I expected that) she was thrown a little because it wasn't what she had expected. She laughed though and said I think a day teaching never goes exactly as expected! I'm very proud of her and it sounds like she handled herself well. I hope this was just a blip and not the norm for the rest of her practicum. This teacher/class may or may not be her full practicum which begins after Christmas break.
I'm very excited to be watching her taking these steps though!
Thanks for all your insights and comments!
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Time to get off the internet!
