While a career in teaching can be challenging, I have found that mentoring a student teacher is great for remembering why I am so passionate about being an educator.  Having the opportunity to talk to another person who is excited to start teaching energizes my practice and helps further the profession by making sure our student teachers feel prepared . Here are five things I considered with starting a mentorship with my student teacher…

1. Logistics

Before a student teacher arrives for their first day, I make sure that they know where your school is located and the school parking situation.  I also let them know my school’s hours and dress code.  We also planned on meeting in the school office on the first day, so a couple of days before, I let the clerk know that my student teacher would be starting. I wish I would have asked for my student teacher’s phone number before and asked the security guard about the visitor arrival procedure before my student teacher came, but we figured it out. 

It is also important to give a school and classroom tour. Not only did my student teacher get to be familiar with the school building, it was a great opportunity to introduce her to other teachers and staff who were passing by in the hallway.

2. Schedules

As special educators, we know schedules are everything!  I made sure to go over my student teacher’s university requirements so that we could create a take-over schedule. Depending on the school, it might be a full take-over or maybe just some of the parts of the day. I like to write it out on a calendar because I am a visual person. It also allows both of you to plan around school holidays, special events, your student teacher’s class schedule and school testing. Also, share the different schedules you use throughout the day (master classroom schedule, mini-schedules, speciality class schedule, related service provider schedules) with your student teacher electronically and offer any hard copies they may need. 

3. Classroom Management 

While having a student teacher in the middle of the year showcases how smooth your classroom is running at this point, it doesn’t show a student teacher how to set-up procedures and classroom management systems. I found in my classroom, the middle of the school year is a great time to reevaluate and reteach classroom rules, routines and procedures. My student teacher will be reviewing the classroom expectations as part of our social studies lesson and introducing a carefully planned group contingency points system to help motivate students in the middle of the year and to give her experience in setting up a classroom management system. 

4. Starting Small 

The first week, we focused on observation. I suggested that during the first week that my student take over Morning Meeting because it is repetitive, but there are opportunities to make instructional choices (Go Noodle song, yoga poses) and it is a great way for a new student teacher to practice pacing. I also had my student teacher dive right into leading a Math Meeting group after observing me, which is another highly repetitive and straightforward option for a student teacher to take over.  Leading transitions to and from lunch, bathroom and specialty classes is also another great and simple way to have your student practice classroom management skills.

5. Collaboration Time

Setting aside time to reflect and collaborate is a must. Prep period is probably the best and most ideal time to do this, but I also let my student teachers know that I am willing to collaborate throughout the day and parts of lunch. Having a to-do list or agenda is always helpful for me, so that we can stay on track and make the most of our collaboration time. 

Boundaries around working hours was something I struggled with in my first years of teaching, so it was really important to me to be able to talk about having professional boundaries with a new teacher. Teaching is a rewarding job, but it can be overwhelming and there is so much to do.  I talk about the importance of taking lunch time to eat lunch and decompress and leaving the school building at the end of school hours. I explained that since the pandemic, I have been trying to have better work/life balance and while I do leave as school is getting out, I may do some work at home or pick one or two days during the school week to stay later after school. I also communicated that since I signed up to mentor a student teacher, I had no problem collaborating while eating lunch or being contacted after work hours. It is my hope that this encourages my student teacher to establish and communicate work boundaries that make sense for her. 

Hope this helps when you are beginning a mentorship with a new student teacher. As always, share your ideas below for working with a student teacher in your classroom. Stay safe and healthy!