Transitioning Between Being a
​Student and a Teacher

Organizing Yourself

Trying to juggle life and student teaching can be tiresome and frustrating if you are not organized

  • Try to take care of as many of your 'chores' or errands as you can prior to starting your clinical practice.
  • Take care of car maintenance, inspections, tires, etc. to insure that you have a reliable means of transportation.
  • Try to get all dentist and doctor appointments out of the way prior to student teaching.
  • Take care of your TExES and PPR the semester prior to student teaching.
  • Review your social media and make sure it is viewable by a 6th grader (this is the first place they will go to check you out).
  • Take a look at your wardrobe and lean towards professional, modest, and conservative.
  • Reach out to your cooperating teacher at the end of the semester prior to student teaching.
    • Meet the staff.
    • Get the band calendar.
    • Discuss the expectations.

Scheduling

  • Plan on being among the first to arrive at school each day
  • Plan on being among the last to leave school each day.
  • Plan to be teaching every period of the day; student teachers don't get conference periods.
  • Class schedules move very fast with very little down time in between classes.
  • You will most likely be involved in or observing sectionals before and after school each day.

Obligations

  • Your first obligation is to the students and directors where you are student teaching
  • Your personal life must take a back seat for now, within reason

Being a Team Member

  • If you want to be a part of a team, and you should, you need to behave as a professional
    • Be proactive in classes
    • Take an interest in the educational development of your students
    • Learn all of your students names
    • Make your strengths known to your team members as well as your deficiencies
    • Make yourself indispensable
    • Grow daily and especially work on those deficiencies

Professionalism

  • Look like the teacher you are striving to become
  • Most principals have a certain expectation as to professional attire
    • No jeans, except on spirit days
    • Clean shaven faces (or at least neatly trimmed facial hair)
    • Clean hair and general hygiene
    • Dress conservatively

Vocabulary

  • Sound like the educator you are striving to become
  • You are no longer with your peers, so don't speak to students or cooperating teachers as one of your peers
  • You are to set an example for the students you teach; and you do this with both actions and words
  • When teaching, use the appropriate musical terms - speak the language of music when talking about music
  • Under no circumstances should you use profanity or slang for profanity around your students