Student teaching requires that the teacher candidate be on the school site for the full school day, five days a week, during the entire placement period.  The candidate must spend the usual number of hours a regular teacher is required to spend at school each day, plus any additional time required for instructional planning, attending faculty or staff development meetings, and conferencing with the mentor teacher, college supervisor, parents, and students.

The teacher candidate will follow the school district or school schedule and calendar for school days, holidays, and vacations.  Any exceptions must be approved by the Director of Field Services.  The Pacific Union College schedule of vacations, holidays, and days off does NOT apply during the student teaching experience.

The teacher candidate is expected to be on duty every day during the student teaching placement dates with the following exceptions:

• • Three days are excused for verified illness. A teacher candidate who misses more than three days of teaching due to illness (or other causes) will be required to make up the time at the end of the experience.

  • One day is allowed for a job interview if the candidate will be looking for a teaching position at the end of the experience.

If a teacher candidate is ill, she/he is responsible for contacting the mentor teacher, the college supervisor, and the Education Department as soon as possible so other arrangements can be made for the day. A day off for an interview must be arranged several days in advance of the requested day.

Unexcused absences, excessive absences, or absences taken without notification are cause for dismissal from the student teaching experience.

The teacher candidate is limited to one college class and 15 hours of work per week in addition to full-time student teaching and student teaching seminar. Student teaching is the candidate’s primary responsibility regardless of other commitments.

Pacific Union College holds a harassment policy which applies to faculty, staff, and students. All teacher candidates, college supervisors, college faculty and other college representatives are held accountable for compliance with this policy. Violations may lead to disciplinary action that could include suspension or termination. Students or employees who believe they have been the victims of sexual harassment will have access to both informal and formal grievance procedures.

Sexual harassment is not acceptable in an educational setting. While working in a classroom, the teacher candidate will first and foremost honor the school district policy on harassment and discrimination. If any instances of harassment or discrimination occur while the teacher candidate is in the classroom, then the candidate should comply with the school district’s reporting and discipline procedures unless instructed otherwise by the district. At the same time the PUC student is also obligated to adhere to the PUC policies covering the same issues. If a Pacific Union College teacher candidate, representative or employee is involved in a sexual harassment situation, Pacific Union College and the district will deal with it as expediently as possible.

Because teacher candidates are doing the same job as a regular teacher in the classroom, they are required to comply with all federal and state reporting rules for any observed instance of harassment or abuse of a student.

Each teacher candidate is required to read the Pacific Union College Work Place Harassment Policy distributed at Student Teaching Orientation and have on file a signed sheet verifying that they have received and read this policy. The candidate should also receive, at the time of site interview, a packet describing the school district’s harassment and discrimination policy.

(Effective 30 March 2009)

The Education Department has established the following policies in regard to unsupervised student teaching and substitute teaching by the teacher candidate.

Unsupervised Student Teaching

Full-time teacher candidates may be left alone in the classroom without direct supervision by their mentor teacher at the point when they begin to take over actual full-time teaching responsibilities in the classroom. Early in the experience, when the candidate is assisting the teacher and doing part-time teaching, the mentor teacher should be present in the classroom to offer support and direction. Taking complete responsibility for the classroom without direct supervision is a desirable and essential part of the student teaching experience, and it is expected that this will take place during the last half of student teaching and continue for a minimum of four solo/co-teaching weeks. The mentor teacher will determine the time at which the candidate is ready to take on this full supervision of the class. When the teacher candidate is left alone in the classroom, the mentor teacher should be on campus at all times as a resource for the student teacher. If the mentor teacher must be off-campus for a short time during the day, another credentialed teacher on campus, approved by the principal, should be appointed to be the resource person for the teacher candidate until the mentor teacher returns.

Substitute Teaching by the Teacher Candidate

The primary responsibility of the teacher candidate is to learn from a highly qualified credentialed mentor teacher. However, we do allow the teacher candidate to substitute teach under the following conditions:

• 1. Full-time teacher candidates may serve as substitute teachers for pay in the classroom ONLY if they hold a CCTC-issued Substitute Permit which has been requested by the school district. That permit should be obtained from the school district. In SDA schools, the candidate must hold a Conditional Certificate.

  2. If the candidate holds the required Permit or Certificate, they may substitute for their mentor teacher on a short-term basis, not to exceed a total of five days during the entire student teaching experience. They may not substitute for other teachers in the school or school district during the student teaching experience as they are responsible solely to their student teaching assignment.

If the teacher candidate does not hold an Emergency Permit (or Conditional Certificate), s/he may not under any circumstances serve as a substitute teacher.

If the mentor teacher is absent for a full day or more, and the teacher candidate does not hold the required Permit/Certificate, then the school must meet district and county requirements by hiring a qualified and credentialed substitute to oversee the classroom and mentor the teacher candidate, even though the candidate may have control of the class and be involved in “solo” teaching.

• 1. Read the teacher’s handbook, if one is available, and discuss its contents with the mentor teacher. Be sure you understand its requirements and prohibitions.

  2. Thoroughly discuss school safety rules and regulations. Be certain you know what to do in case of emergency before assuming complete control of the classroom.

  3. Be aware of the potential hazards associated with any activity and act accordingly to protect children from those dangers.

  4. Be certain you know what controls the district has placed on the curriculum you will be teaching. Are there specific texts and/or methodologies that district policy requires or prohibits?

  5. Be certain that student records are used to enhance and inform your teaching. Make certain that strict confidentiality is respected.

  6. Document any problems you have with students or as a teacher in case you are called upon to relate details at a later time.

Mead, J. and Underwood, J. 1995. “A legal primer for student teachers.” In Slick, G. (ed.). Emerging trends in teacher preparation: The future of field experiences. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks, CA. Pp. 49-50.