The student teaching experience is designed to help the student teacher bridge that gap between the experience of being a student and that of being a teacher. Since the entire experience is focused on the student teacher, they have a special role to play in that process.
Among the things expected of the student teacher are the following:
Placing school duties and responsibilities ahead of personal wishes and accepting all duties assigned to him/her.
Striving to exemplify the attitudes and actions of a teacher rather than those of a student.
Conforming to school regulations and policies and to local standards of behavior (including criminal record, university conduct, and academic integrity records).
Reporting for all school appointments and duties on schedule.
Planning all work and submitting plans to the clinical educator 24 hours prior to the teaching of a class, or as requested.
Safeguarding all personal and confidential information concerning his/her students and using it only for professional purposes.
Refraining from making unfavorable remarks about his/her university program, chosen profession, cooperating school, and the community (includes verbal remarks, as well as written correspondence, or online postings).
Having an appreciative attitude toward all services rendered in his/her behalf.
Dressing appropriately and in keeping with faculty, school, or district standards.
Endeavoring continuously to discover and correct shortcomings.
Avoiding all partiality and favoritism toward his/her students.
Striving for personal and professional growth through continued study and effort.
Maintain the standards of the North Carolina Code of Ethics for Educators and the Code of Professional Conduct for North Carolina Educators.
The transition from student to teacher should be gradual and individualized. The student teacher should be given adequate opportunity to assist before being expected to do significant hours of actual teaching. When the student begins to teach, he or she should be given needed guidance and supervision by both the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor. For Teacher Education candidates, lesson plans should be studied and approved by the cooperating classroom teacher, and evaluative conferences should be conducted as frequently as necessary to help student teachers grow and to reassure them that they are succeeding.
During the full-time 16-week experience, the student teacher will carry the entire teaching load of the cooperating classroom teacher for at least five full weeks using the gradual release model most appropriate for the student teacher and clinical educator.
In programs where the candidate has two placements, the student teacher should carry the entire teaching load of the cooperating classroom teacher for at least three full weeks in one placement and five full weeks in the other placement. The sequence of the placements is determined by the student teacher, the cooperating teachers, and the university supervisor collaboratively.
We strongly suggest that this experience be deferred until all concerned are confident that it will be worthwhile for both student teachers and students.
We believe that the basic purpose of the public school is the best possible education of each child. The student teacher, given guidance and encouragement, should add to the educational opportunity of public school students by exposing them to different points of view, youthful enthusiasm, and an attitude of discovery toward the teaching-learning process. Student teachers should never attempt to replace or compete with the cooperating classroom teacher, but should collaborate and apprentice as a professional alongside the mature guidance of the experienced classroom teacher. In those rare instances where the best interests of the students are not being served by the presence of the student teacher, the Lenoir-Rhyne School of Education will act to improve the situation by formulating action plans, or if necessary, remove the student teacher from the classroom.