It is my LAST blog before student teaching, you guys! I cannot believe it! We are down to less than a month left in the semester and it has absolutely flown by for me, I have never experienced such a mixture of emotions in one semester and I have never had a semester full of more personal growth. Not just growth in knowledge but growth as a professional. I feel more prepared to walk into a classroom and take over than I ever have and that is a great feeling. There is always room to grow and constant opportunity for learning but I finally feel like everything I have learned and experienced throughout my college career are coming together and clicking in a way that it never has before. I feel ready to apply it and take charge of a classroom. I know that will be my greatest learning experience to date and I am so thrilled to finally be at that point as I know you all are as well. I will be missing your blog posts and I am hoping we can all keep our blog posts going as student teachers- is that a requirement? If not, it should be! Some of my most important learning experiences that have stood out to me have taken place through collaborating with you guys. I know we have all grown in the NCTCS- Teachers demonstrate leadership because we have all engaged in collaborating with you guys every week to grow as a professional. This is a skill that we can all take with us and that will be so valuable to us as new teachers. I have a new understanding and appreciation of what you can truly learn from your peers and your colleagues. I have grown as a person and as a professional working with you all and feel like I have gained a new family! Now, it is time to take everything we have learned from each other and our professors and apply it- it's where the rubber literally meets the road! As the days between now and student teaching grow smaller and smaller I am spending even more time making sure I know every little detail and part of what makes my clinical classroom run smoothly everyday. Knowing exactly how my CE would handle different situations has been on of the biggest goals because I know that very soon, I'll be handling these situations. I want to walk in prepared the first week of January to take over and most importantly, go above and beyond what my CE, supervisor, and school administration expect from me. While student teaching may seem like a big hurdle, the next task is even greater! I want to be a first year teacher that is prepared for anything and everything. 

This week and in the weeks to come, I am spending time getting even more prepared for my student teaching experience! Here are some of the best tips I have found, many of them reiterate what Clarker have been telling us all along! 

I found these to be really practical and honest and they are from the point of view of a teacher who has obviously been right where are now and has had student teacher in their classroom- These are the 7 habits of "amazing" student teachers- 

1. They take opportunities to be helpful instead of waiting to be told what to do. Don’t get me wrong: There’s nothing impolite or unhelpful about asking, “What would you like me to do now?” but there is something incredible about realizing my student teacher has anticipated and met a need without me even addressing it. Sometimes when I zone out or get bogged down with one of my 2,045,778 emails, I’ll look up and my student teacher will be doing something I didn’t ask her to do but is totally wonderful, like straightening the bookshelves or supply closet, cleaning off desks, or organizing the mountain of papers threatening to take over my back table.

2. They say goodbye to their comfort zones. Student teaching is scary, y’all. It’s like meeting your future spouse and their 120 children for the first time … on the day of your wedding. We all have limits on what we are and aren’t comfortable with (and it’s important that both the student teacher and mentor teacher share and understand these), but good student teachers know that there is no better time to fail or make a fool of yourself than now, in a controlled environment with support from the mentor teacher.
3. They share ideas. Student teaching is not (or at least should not) be a one-way street where the supervising teacher simply tells the student teacher what to do the whole semester. Personally, I’m so grateful for my student teachers’ fresh lesson-plan ideas and new ways of doing things, and I know my students are too.

 4. They are direct but kind. One of my favorite things about my student teachers has been that they respect me enough to let me know about their needs and suggestions directly and in a kind way. Just before break, my student teacher said some version of, “I would really like to know more about your planning process—can you show me more of that next semester?” I loved that she let me know this directly instead of going the rest of the year wishing things were different, or worse, going into next year not knowing how to plan a unit because her mentor teacher would go into a silent, scary Planning Trance at her computer.
5. They embrace the grunt work. I think I’ve made it clear that I’m not a supporter of the king-servant ideology regarding the student teaching experience. But that being said, I think it would be a disservice to the student teacher to let them think that teaching is purely lesson plans and classroom management. My student teachers have been absolutely amazing about helping me make copies, grade, move furniture and do other odd jobs when asked—and with smiles on their faces! (I have no idea who they learned that from. I walk down the hall on Monday mornings singing loudly in a minor key.)
6. They welcome feedback—positive and critical. Everyone loves positive feedback—that’s easy. But what’s trickier is accepting and welcoming critical feedback. Good student teachers interpret critical feedback as opportunities for growth, not reasons to slash the tires of their mentor teacher.
7. They are flexible. I remember being frustrated as a student teacher when my mentor teacher would tell me I had a certain amount of time to teach a lesson or unit and then suddenly change the amount of time at the last minute. Now, with a few years under my belt, I know that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s rare for any teacher to always have more than a few days’ notice about field trips, schedule changes, assemblies and other things that affect lesson/unit planning. Both of my student teachers have been so flexible with last-minute changes, which is not only a relief to me, but is good practice for the unpredictable world of teaching in which they are making their first steps

Resource: http://www.weareteachers.com/7-habits-of-amazing-student-teachers/

Out of all of these, the one that stands out to me the most is be FLEXIBLE. Administrators are looking for flexibility, it is so important in the teaching profession. I think we all need to remember this as we begin student teaching because there is going to be a lot thrown at us! Flexibility and adaptability will be key!

Have a great week and share any personal tips you have with me in the comments! 

-Skylar