Student Teacher Expectations

Student teaching is a time of great personal and professional growth. It is hard work and can be both exciting and stressful. Flexibility in adapting to differences in school cultures, teaching styles, differing philosophies, and student needs will help to reduce anxiety and increase growth. Some general expectations include:

Earn the respect and confidence of your colleagues by demonstrating initiative, responsibility, and resourcefulness.
Become a “reflective practitioner.”
Learn from everyone around you, but especially from your students and from your mistakes.
Ask for assistance, advice, feedback, coaching and criticism and act on it as appropriate.
Plan regularly. Planning is one area where you should not emulate an experienced teacher.
Demonstrate high standards of ethics and professionalism in your dealings with colleagues, students, and parents.
Be responsible for initiation of Progress Reports, completion of the Log of Hours, and submitting all documentation to the university supervisor on/or before posted deadlines.
Video record teaching sessions regularly, selecting one lesson at the beginning of each placement to analyze using the Video Observation Report.
Write regular entries in your Observation Journal that describes your experiences as you develop into a reflective and capable teacher.
Prepare and present an e-Portfolio that showcases teaching exemplars from your internship experience.

More specific expectations that the student teacher should be familiar with include:

Child Abuse. The ST is required to comply with state regulations pertaining to child abuse and neglect recognition. Compliance is assessed through an online course provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Dress Code. The student teacher is expected to meet professional standards of personal appearance in every respect. It is important that the first impression is a positive and lasting one. In addition, the basic idea of dressing professionally is to distinguish the student teacher from the students. Respectable attire is necessary. Collared shirts, dress slacks, and comfortable dress shoes are acceptable examples. Casual clothing such as T-shirts, ripped jeans, and revealing clothing is not permitted.

Ethics. Accepting a teaching position places the student teacher in a position of authority over students. This comes great responsibility. The student teacher is expected to embrace a high standard of ethical behavior. The faculty in the School of Music have adopted the National Education Association Code of Ethics as the standard. The student teacher is expected to read and follow abide by these guidelines: http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm

Outside Activities. Commitments outside student teaching are not a valid excuse for failing to fulfill all duties and responsibilities of the internship. Performing in an ensemble, directing a church or community ensemble, private studio teaching, and working a part-time job are a few examples of outside activities that can interfere with student teaching. During the internship, student teaching responsibilities are the priority.

Principal’s Authority. The principal has the authority to suspend and/or remove the student teacher from interning in their school at any time prior to, or during the internship. Such dismissal may come without prior notification to the student teacher, the university supervisor, the Director of Music Education, the administration in the School of Music, and/or the Clinical Practice Office.

Professional and Legal Responsibilities. Students are legally responsible for exercising “reasonable care” for students’ welfare and for complying with federal, state, and local policies and regulations. This can be accomplished through reading the school’s teacher handbook. The student teacher is expected to ask the mentor teacher for access to this information.

Social Media. The student teacher is cautioned against posting any comments or images to social media pertaining to the (a) school district (b) assigned school site, (c) students, (d) parents of students, (e) faculty, and (f) staff therein. Inflammatory, derogatory, and/or disparaging remarks are the antithesis of acceptable teacher dispositions and can be considered grounds for immediate removal from internship.

Substitute Teaching. A candidate may occasionally substitute for their MT during the internship, provided that several guidelines are strictly followed. These guidelines are:

Students must already be fully hired and trained as a substitute in their internship location’s school division prior to any substitute teaching.
Students may only substitute in the classroom of their mentor teacher with the building administrator’s advance knowledge and permission.
Students may only substitute in the classroom of their mentor teacher when the mentor teacher is absent due to illness or family emergency. Students should accompany their mentor teachers to professional development activities when those are scheduled, and therefore should not substitute if/when the mentor teacher is out for such activities.
Students may not count hours spent substitute teaching towards their direct/indirect hours requirements for licensure.
Students may not leave their internship prior to its end date in order to serve as a long-term substitute teacher; completing the internship with fidelity and in a timely manner must always take precedence over substitute teaching.