Trey King Presentation on Student Teaching

Expectations
Be flexible! Every week you should reflect and change your expectations of your cooperating teacher and your students.

Planning Lessons
Use the summer to write lesson plans.
The more variety you have going into student teaching the better.
Use technology to your advantage because kids eat it up!

Liability can be an issue, so make sure when you confront a student that your cooperating teacher is there to back you up.

When teaching at the elementary level get to know every student individually.  Smile, because they are excited to be there, as should you be.
Trey's cooperating teacher used a bell to be given to the student of the day.  The student was responsible for ringing the bell to keep the class attentive.  This also teaches them leadership and management of the class.

"You will fall on your face, but you better stand up and laugh."

Save your rules for your class. Follow your cooperating teacher's rules.

Participate in art club, because it develops relationships and connections.  Also, keep in mind that you are a student teacher, don't expect to be at your cooperating teacher's level.

When interviewing, ask what the community thinks of the school's art program.

Being Friends With Students

When observing at the high school in my hometown, it was difficult to stay away from the "friend zone" with students, especially because I have a younger sister and brother who attend the high school I was observing at.  The students who knew my siblings wanted to be friends with me as well.  There were students who wanted to talk about what they did on the weekend or other things that were going on in their lives, but I tried to avoid this by trying to talk to them about art or their particular project they were working on.  My cooperating teacher, thinks its important to get to know what goes on in her students lives outside of the classroom, but the age difference helps when avoiding being friends with students.  Her rule is if students want to talk to her about something that isn't class related she will listen, but also knows its her responsibility to report anything she feels the need too.

Assessing Art

My cooperating teacher assesses art on an individual basis.  She noted that it is very important that you get to know your students and their abilities to be able to assess art fairly.  For each project the student's complete she has a rubric.  When handing in their final project, she has the student evaluate themselves with the same rubric she uses to give them a final grade.  This gives her an idea of how the student felt they actually did compared to her own perspective.  It is important when grading to have measurable points given, but art can also be subjective and vary from student to student.

How To Prepare for Principal Evaluation

When I asked my cooperating teacher how she prepares for her principal evaluation, she explained how her main concern is making sure the day the principal is observing she has a lesson to teach.  With most of her classes the majority of class periods can be work days, so it is important that she plan ahead to make sure that she has a longer lesson to teach when the principal comes into observe.  Because she is a veteran teacher, she feels very comfortable with with her teaching practices.  Her years of experience has led to ease when preparing lessons.  The only thing she really has to do is make sure she also gives her principal the lesson plan beforehand.

Observing a Landscape Study

Teaching the Color Wheel

Bob & Darrel

After listening to what Bob and Darrel had to say, I became much more aware of how political the teaching profession is.  Politics are constantly changing, therefore our job requirements and benefits are adjusted from year to year.  Some important advice that Bob and Darrel gave are as follows:
1. Be Yourself.
Students figure out very fast if you are a "fake"
2. Follow curriculum.
3. Beg, Borrow, and Steal.
4. Listen to your Grandma.
"Be Kind"
5. Classroom Rules Make a Difference
Be consistent
6. A bad lesson and/or a bad week makes you a better teacher.
Take lesson plans seriously
7. What the hell is a VEBA?
8. Humor humanizes the room.
Those who hate chemistry like to come anyways.
9. Students are generous but not that generous.
10. Administrators are people too and they deserve appreciation.
11. Love your job.
12. Get to know your students.