Student teacher

I now have a student teacher.  For those of you who don't know, teaching is sort of like medicine.  The only way to get good at it is to do it.  While the theory classes are very interesting, and the stuff on brain development is good to repeat to yourself when you're listing reasons not to murder teenagers, but it doesn't ever tell you what to do in the classroom.  When do you have the power struggle to make a kid move?  When do you issue a detention?  When do you kick a kid out?  What do you say to kid who makes the double entendre comment that starts the whole class giggling?

So when you're done with those theory classes, an experienced teacher lets you come in and spend time with their classes, and eventually take over the class for some number of weeks.  I have now been cast in the role of experienced teacher (5 years!).  This man who will be working in my classroom with my kids is an experienced chemist and patent lawyer.  He is very competent in his previous work.  But now, he has to learn how to entertain and manage kids well enough that some of his vast knowledge and experience passes from him to them.  And I have to help him do this.

I hated student teaching.  There were a number of reasons, very few of which are internet appropriate.  But I will say that that step from competent person to newbie was incredibly hard and humbling, and I did not feel well supported when I took it.  I still learned more than I ever believed possible, some from the adults I was working with and more from the kids.  So, in honor of this step of teaching an adult, I will list some of what I learned in student teaching that still shapes my teaching today.

1.  I am an adult, and they are children.  My self esteem is not, and should not be, shaped by what they think of me.
2.  Each day is a new day.  No matter how horrible the child was yesterday, be happy to see him/her again today (even if I'm really not).
3.  Be clear in your expectations.  I must explain exactly what I want -- they cannot read my mind.
4.  Having secret standards is unfair.  All of the basis for grading must be explained up front.
5.  Don't yell.  When I yell, my voice gets high and squeaky and I just sound silly.
6.  Yelling in German is better.  Any language they don't speak would probably work.
7.  Be organized in my lessons.  Kids appreciate a coherent flow of topics.  Jumping around is not helpful to anyone.
8.  Give frequent grade updates.  Kids want to know how they are doing, and will forgive me a great deal if I give useful feedback.
9.  Go to events the kids are in.  They love seeing teachers there.

And most important of all:
10.  CARE ABOUT THE KIDS!!!!  If they know I care about them, they will walk through fire for me.

And to finish up, one great kid story:
    When one of my students, a kid who would rather distract than learn most days, saw the student teacher in the classroom on Friday, he pulled me aside.  "Is this a day where I have to be especially good?"  "What?" I asked him.  "Are you getting graded?  Do I have to be good?"  He thought it was my review day, where I was getting graded by the administration, and wanted to be sure to be good on that day.  When I explained that this was not that day, he replied, "OK, but just tell me when."  It was a good moment :-)

I love teaching, and hope my student teacher does too.