How do you see your position from being a student to a student-teacher?
I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity CSU has given me; immersing myself in the schools while simultaneously taking classes. The 4 phase program has really prepared me for what student teaching would have in store for me. Even though I was in a school 3 days out of the week the last semester, I didn't exactly feel like a true teacher. My dream has always been to teach in the Cherry Creek School District, therefore making it easier to feel like a teacher now that I'm living close in proximity to that district and taking on the responsibilities as a teacher. My role as just a student has changed in regards to how I approach the classroom and physically go through the day. As a student at CSU, I would only be at the schools for a limited amount of time (Highschool for half of the day and Elementry 1 day out of the week, and just on Fridays).
Having Lisa as my High School mentor teacher has taught me what responsibilities one has to take to become a successful teacher. Not only did I arrive early, dress professionally (checking all the standard boxes on what a teacher should do) but I learned how to become a leader and what it takes to be one. My mentor teacher not only was the District Coordinator but also facilitated and ran the CAEA Mid-Winter Conference for all of the teachers in Colorado. She gave me opportunities that I would have never had unless I was a student-teacher. Because of student-teaching, I was able to take part in 3 professional development days as well as facilitating and instructing a staff professional development day myself; which is something that I would not have been able to do as just a student.
The difficult part for me is remembering that I am still technically a student of CSU and have responsibilities to accomplish for the school. I find it hard being in the middle of both teachings and being a student since I'm incredibly passionate about teaching and can easily get caught up in the responsibilities necessary in becoming a great teacher. Student teaching is a lot of work and I know that I've gone above and beyond while also pouring my heart and soul into what I'm doing. I just need to remember that I have to balance and prioritize CSU as much as I do the teaching.
How do you shift between teaching and learning in your student teaching?
No matter how long I teach, I always want to think of myself as a learner. Every opportunity I receive to teach, I approach it as if it is a learning experience. There is a healthy balance one has to maintain with understanding the concept that you are the teacher and the authoritative figure in the classroom. Throughout the semester, I have set up a routine with my mentor teacher where the mornings before school starts are a time to go over what I need to focus on for the day and after school where we cover what went well and what I can work on for the next day. Contrary to popular opinion, I thrive off critical feedback. I want to be the best teacher I can be and to do so means that I am open to all feedback that my mentor teacher and students give me (in which case I am the learner). I learn from the reactions, situations, and outcomes from experiences with the students during the class as well as from my superiors who guide me.
How do you make your teacher presence evidently in the classroom?
The first step in establishing a teacher presence in the classroom for me involves professionalism. To stand out from the High Schoolers, I had to look different which meant dressing different from them (to put this in perspective, I wore professional business attire for the first two weeks of school). What I wore communicated to the students and staff that I was to be taken seriously and I was older than the students.
The second step was to create boundaries and relationships with my students and staff. I wanted to create mutual respect which involved getting to know each individual and being my true self. Once I was able to do so, my students trusted me and respected me when I told them my expectations and when something had to get done.
The third step was establishing authority. To do so, I knew that I had to have a projecting yet exciting voice and presence while I taught. I believe there is a balance between being serious and funny. I try to joke around a bit to let my students and staff know that I am human and can relate to them on a personal level, yet at the same time, I maintain seriousness with what my goals are and what needs to be accomplished.
How can different assessments help you establish your expectations for students?
Communication with your students is crucial in regards to what your end goal is with them on what you want them to accomplish and understand.
I believe that students thrive with a set routine and class expectations for each day. I decided to create sketchbooks for my students which would be used as an accumulative assessment for where each student is at and a guiding daily routine. Each day the student knew that they would have a "start" or initial drawing that would be added to their sketchbook to assess where they were at in understanding concepts and pre-assessing what they already knew. The start would cover terms and concepts they knew while simulation integrating new ideas to pre-assess and prepare them for what would happen with the up and coming project.
When given the main project, I would give an initial slide show of what we would cover, physical examples of the project I did, as well as daily goals for what needed to be done each day. Giving the students a timeline with goal dates helped the students prepare what needed to be accomplished on a daily basis as well as mentally prepare for what was expected of them in the future. I also would have a daily schedule written for them on the board each day of what we were doing and what I wanted them do finish, therefore helping them stay on track and focused.