Thank you for sharing. There are a lot of college students getting ready for student teaching this fall. I totally agree that student teaching is necessary but does not prepare us for "real teaching".
Mr. Thain Yes! this was an awesome video! I am one of those new student teacher this fall and I am binge watching all relevant videos! Thanks Michelle!
Virshone Brinkley Sproles same here except I have been doing student teaching for 2 years with my high school. My school district has already offered me a job and I accepted it
I'm 18 going into my second year of college for education and I was second guessing literally everything I don't know if I wanted to do this anymore. I've watched literally all of your videos and it makes me want to teach again! You are my teacher goals! I realized I wanted to teach 1,2, or 3 grade! I'm so thankful I found your channel!!
Oh my goodness! I can't believe all your mentor teacher had you do! I had a student teacher and I can't imagine making her do so much work. Student teaching is stressful enough! Bless your heart!
I found your channel about a week ago and I honestly haven't stopped watching all of your videos😂 I'm literally addicted to your videos💖💗 I've binged watched all of your videos and I've came to a point where I've watched all of your videos I have nothing else to watch until you post😂💕
same but i find her a few months ago I found her Channel and I just got completely addicted no reason I never really wanted to be a teacher nothing like that but she's just I don't know I just really like it
Honestly it sounds like your mentor teacher took advantage of you with the whole lesson plan situation. I feel abundantly blessed because my student teacher experience was amazing and my mentor was a God sent. At the time I was doing my student teaching, still taking university courses on Saturday, and was studying to take my State certification tests. I had so much fun and felt so much support from my mentor and the whole 2nd grade team. ❤❤❤
It's crazy to see how different it is to receive a teaching credential in different states. Here in California the requirements are so much. It takes 5 years to receive a BA and credential. You have to student teach typically full time for 16 weeks mon-fri, before that there's 125 pre-hours you have to do Then there's 3 c set exams, 1 basic skills test, 1 literacy test, and 4 teacher performance assessments. Then there's about 20 observations lol. Then class after a full week of teaching lol. Anyway, you rock Michelle :) this really makes me realize how much there should be more consistency through out the states in regards to a teaching credential.
Jasmine Flores I got my credential and degree in California, and girl, I don't miss everything we had to do to get. However, I'm currently teaching in Idaho. So it makes all the work not worth it. Other than the extensive tests, experiences, and TPAs
Thank you so much for posting this video! I found your channel a couple days ago and it has been incredibly motivational and has given me a feeling of support on my journey to become a teacher! I am entering my student teaching next month and have been terrified. Your videos- especially this one- have been a tremendous help. Thank you for being such an inspiration not only to myself, but to all your viewers as well. :)
I love how real your tips are! You gave a realistic look into what student teachers are going through/ will go through. I just finished my short placement and start my long placement in Jan. I also started vlogging my experience and use many of your resources from TPT.
Thank you so much for this! I begin student teaching on August 1st, and I am terrified. I like hearing student teaching experiences from others and how they compare to being in a classroom of your own.
I feel like our student teaching experience were the exact same! It was so intimidating and hard to do with miscommunication and someone who doesn't have clear expectations.
I love your channel so much. I'm going into grade 10 next year and at this point in my life I'm looking into becoming a teacher. I love being around kids and I volunteer at my dance studio as an assistant teacher, and teaching is something I'm really starting to enjoy. Sometimes I really doubt that being a teacher is something I can handle, and I question if it might be a terrible career choice for me. But even though you show the less exciting sides of teaching, seeing all the different aspects of a teacher's life makes me feel like it's something I can accomplish, and that even though it won't always be easy, it is doable, and I am so grateful for that motivation.
I'm not sure if you have a video like this already or are even interested in doing it, but I start my first year teaching next month and would love teaching outfit inspirations from another younger teacher! Maybe a lookbook of your typical teaching outfits :)
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I still have a lot to go until my student teaching, January 2019 but i love hearing from other teachers, and how it went for them. As always, you are the best and im looking forward to more videos. Hope I can be like you one day. Lots of love.
Trying to pay you to write lesson plans? Needing to write sub plans if you were going to be out sick (which, I guess, she would use, since why would they need a sub for a student teacher if the real teacher was already there)? Yeah girl, that mentor teacher was definitely using you. She seems like she was too lazy to write her own lesson plans!
I know right. It makes you wonder if she did that to any more mentor students besides Michelle. I know that if any of my mentor teachers tried to pull that, my university would have looked into it.
I could definitely relate to your experience! My laptop died while I was doing lesson plans that was due to my mentor teacher the next day. It was very late at night and I cried and called my parents! I know exactly how you feel! It was miserable!!!! Each and every moment, good or bad, was a learning experience. Now that I am going into my third year this September, Looking back now, I feel that my student teaching experience could have been so much more meaningful. I just wanted to say that I watch your channel religiously, and I thank you for being so open and honest about your teaching career. You will definitely make a great mentor teacher one day!!
I was lucky to do my student teaching in the fall, and I can definitely say it was SUPER helpful to see all the beginning of the school year preparations. I did my student teaching in a first grade class, and I was so lucky to have a wonderful cooperative teacher who really embraced an "all-hands-on-deck" mentality. If I was teaching, she was supporting students, assessing, or reteaching. If she was teaching, I worked with students one-on-one or assessed. It felt like a partnership, and the students really got a lot out of having two teachers working hard for them at the same time. I loved student teaching!
I just discovered your channel and I am obsessed! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and tips! It's encouraging coming from a younger person in the field!
I love the rain forest idea. I plan on teaching visually impaired students in the elementary school level. Having the rain forest idea that you described would really work in that situation because it could be tactile which is very important when working with students with visual impairments because they depend on touch.
This is by far the most thorough student teaching experience video that I have seen. I really feel like you covered every aspect while being personal and honest.
I definitely agree with all of your advice, especially with getting to know your fellow interns. I'm New York we have to take a test called the edTPA. It's more of a big portfolio with an English, math, and video portion. I collaborated with the other intern who was with a fifth grade class and it really made the whole experience so much easier. We couldn't use the same lessons but we gave each other ideas and support (I recorded the video for her and vice verse). It really makes the experience better when you have someone you can talk to who knows what you're going through.
I'm in my junior year at college, going for teaching, and I'm not a morning person either!! I thought I always sounded crazy saying that while wanting to be a teacher. Glad I'm not alone in that!! 😂 also, I'm terrified of student teaching because I've heard so many different stories.
I'm student teaching right now and your tips are really so helpful. I'm blessed with an amazing mentor teacher for my middle school experience and it is similar to your second experience. Thanks so much for your great videos and inspiration!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'll be student teaching in the fall. Your videos have given me a lot of great ideas and tips I'll use in the classroom. They've really helped! :)
I have done student teaching through a program at my high school. I have been a part of this program for 2 years already and I absolutely love it! I have been working with special education students from grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade because of the work I do with the kids I am known throughout my school district and was offered a job by my school superintendent. Last year he did a pre-interview with me to know for himself if what he knew from others throughout the district about me was true. It was. He told me I already completed half of my interview and once I'm out of college I already have a job
I am a month away from starting my first year as an Elementary Ed. Major and your videos have not only inspired me to strive to be a better teacher but you have helped me see what lies ahead of me (: You are so incredible!
Michelle, you are very wise for being so young! What a great summary of the demands on a student teacher. You definitely have a gift for teaching and explaining things! I've been at this profession for 30 years and still love what I do. I'm thankful there are still new and young teachers who truly are called to the work! Great video!
I like how you pointed out needing to know expectations on both ends. This is something I struggled with for both of my sessions. My teachers were great but they were struggling with this as much as I was. I do feel like my first teacher prepared be more and would try and throw me under the bus but in a good way. She would say ok this is what is happening so what would you do next. My second half was during testing and it through the whole thing off. They tried to accommodate me as much as they could but it was just hard in testing.
Lesson planning sounds so scary and daunting!! Probably because I have no idea how it works! Im in college right now and thinking of going down the child counseling and psych route because running a classroom sounds so challenging and i love working with kids one on one
Thank you so much for posting this video! I am getting close to taking all the fun classes to become a teacher (almost done with my general college classes). I also have a job right now where I teach an after school reading program for 7 little first and second graders. Having this job has really opened my eyes as to what to expect and that I don't actually know at all what I'm doing, but it's great practice for when I get further in my degree. As I get closer to doing these student teaching experiences, I have been getting more and more nervous not knowing what to expect. This video has helped me a ton when it comes to knowing what to do/not do, what to expect and what I have ahead of me. Of course, all of these things have made me think to myself, yes, this is exactly what I want to do with my life, it's going to be extremely hard, but that much (or more) rewarding. So, extremely long story short, thank you so much for your channel and videos. They have helped me more than you can know.
I have been a teacher for 15 years. I teach Biology and AP Biology. I always wondered if I missed out by not going the traditional route to becoming a teacher. I think being thrown into the classroom like I was made me a much better teacher. I took over a class in October of the school year that previously had 4 substitutes that quit. I remember on the first day there was a boy who whispered that he gave me a week. Ha! I reminded him of what he said at his graduation 3 years later. You gave me some great ideas for the future student teachers who will be assigned to my department.
My student teaching experience was a nightmare. My teacher had no control over their own class, and towards the end, was never in the room. So I was teaching 100% by myself from day 1. My supervising teacher was let go at the end of the semester, that was another hot mess. Thankfully the principal wrote me a letter of recommendation.
I just finished my student teaching and I'm going to start my 1st year of teaching this fall. I totally agree that no amount of student teaching is going to prepare you for your first year of teaching. I had a whole year of student teaching and I was in four different classrooms. I'm a double major between elementary and special education. I have always wanted to be an elementary teacher, but I fell in love with special education through my student teaching. My last mentor teacher in high school special education was my favorite. I didn't enjoy the grade level, but she was a great mentor teacher. I really enjoyed my experience in kindergarten general education and 5/6 special education. I'm going to be teaching elementary special education this fall. I'm so excited for this upcoming year. I had a great student teaching experience.
During my student teaching, I was in a high school and my mentor teacher tested me many times by sitting in the back of her classroom on her computer and not jumping in at all. Even if I was failing (which was all the time), she just let it happen. In some ways, I understand why she was doing that, but it was A LOT to handle- especially since I had very little experience with classroom management at that point. Needless to say, there was hardly any co-teaching that went on, and it was extremely discouraging without that support. I am currently working as a parapro and I’m still deciding if I want to teach, but it is great to hear that I wasn’t the only one who had a somewhat tough student teaching experience. Thanks for sharing!!
In norway, as a teacher student, we must have 3 weeks of student teaching each semester. so basically you are just thrown into it like 5 weeks into the program it self haha. it was soo hard omg, because by then we had not learnt much. Being a teacher student is actually really hard! I always go to your videos when I'm in need for some inspiration, or motivation to continue my studies, because to be honest there have been a few times where I´ve asked my self if this is what I want to do. But you always make me realize why I want to do this, so thank you! your videos are so helpful. Hugs from Norway
I was in the same boat. When I student taught, the teacher was going to school for her masters, so I did everything while she just did school work. It was frustrating as I didn’t really know how I was doing, where I was going with the lessons, etc. She just had me reuse her lessons from the prior years, so I didn’t really learn how to create lesson plans. She didn’t tell me how I was doing throughout the year and when I asked, she said “great” and left it at that. I have my English education degree, and it was such a small school that I taught a different grade level each period. I was working each night until 11 or 12. It turned me off to teaching so much so that now I am working in a corporate job and going for my masters in business administration.
Michelle I love your videos! I studied education and ended up working in higher ed but I love watching all your videos! I totally wish I had had these videos when I was a student! Thanks for your honest telling of your story!
I love your videos so very much! Seeing how hard you work just motivates me to do even more in my life :) Thank you for sharing a piece of your life with all of us here on RUclips!! I can't thank you enough :)
I love these, I'm starting college this August with a major in elementary education, I'm excited but scared to death 😂 Your channel is such a big help and motivator, so thanks so much for filming these even though you have so much on your plate already. I hope to have your work ethic 🙂
I havent even watched the full video, only saw the first little clip about your long lesson plans, and GIRL I can relate!! I'm in the thick of teachers college. Looking forward to the rest of the video :P
Michelle, I found your channel a few weeks ago and have since watched ALL of your videos. Now I don't even know what to do with myself. lol! I was so glad to see this long video this morning, so I could sit down with a cup of coffee and watch you. Thanks for all you do! I can't believe how much you take on, but you are such a blessing! P.S. Your eyebrows look awesome 😀
How did you feel comfortable making a fully transparent and honest video about your student teaching experience, knowing that your Partnership Teacher could come across it?! I want to make a video about mine, but worry about being “toooo” honest if you catch my drift. And omg the flash drive story has me dying
Michelle! Your student teaching experience is so much like mine. In Canada, we do 2 years of student teaching, I am on my second year now. However, last year I was with a teacher that was really involved with the school, which was great, but also meant there were a lot of substitute teachers. I also have to make full lesson plans for my University and submit them to my faculty adviser. Next school year, I will be teaching 50 to 100 % of the time and will have to make full lesson plans (5-8 pages) for EACH lesson I teach. Ahh!
You are seriously my favorite!! Thanks for sharing your experiences and keeping it real. I can't wait to start my teaching program in the Fall! Sending you love from GA! ❤️❤️❤️
I'm 17 and I really wanna be a teacher and right now I'm taking an educating and training class. We go to elementary schools for like 2 blocks during school and we basically are helping out the teacher. Currently I'm in a 5th grade class and I'm working on my lesson plan. I love your videos they are helping me a lot and getting me more excited to become a teacher.
i love, love, LOVE your videos soooo much 💖💖💖 i’m graduating high school in a month and starting my elementary ed degree in the fall and you make me so excited for my future!!!
Where I live, teachers do some observation in classrooms during their college coursework, then their student teaching is a full year (August - May basically) when they're done with all classes.
My first day student teacher my partner teacher said "you are well below my expectations for a first year student teacher" That sentence combined with my professor's "you've got great ideas, however at the moment you are just not fit for it. You're not ready, yet" led to me leaving the field. I didn't even get to teach. It's been three years, I'm thinking of going back, but I left with horrible memories, and a lot of doubt of whether I can teach...So I can't decide what to do.
My mentor teacher had a stroke during my first fall block, my last year. I graduated in June. There was a sub; however, I had to teach. It was a challenge; however I think it made me a better teacher. It allowed me to think about what I would do in my own classroom with students who may take advantage of a situation like this. For example, some of my students thought that because my mentor teacher was out on a medical leave, they could control the classroom because I was just the "student teacher". It wasn't until three days in that they realized that, yes, I am the classroom teacher. They still have to treat me with the respect that they would show my mentor teacher. It was a great time. I don't wish this on anyone else, but for me it made me a stronger teacher. I learned how to solve problems without the help of anyone else. I had to think if I had my own classroom; what would I do? There would be nobody to help me.
This will be my first year teaching and I went the route of alternative certification therefore my student teaching is my actual job in the fall! Im doing an Under the Sea theme this year and I have decided to document my first year so I can remember it all! Love your channel btw
Amber TheNaturalJewel I'm doing something similar to alternative certification. It's like an internship where you're actually a teacher instead of student teaching. Where I am in CA it's called the impact program.
I had a similar experience, too. I did my student teaching in the Spring and so I missed those critical beginning of the year procedures that are SO SO important. My mentor teacher gave me 100% control of ALL of his classes on my THIRD day. I had no clue what I was doing. And literally, I would stay up grading his work, my work, etc., and writing lesson plans and I would get up at 5 AM to finish. When I would get to campus, he wouldn't even show up. If he did, he was late. There were days were he just wouldn't come at all. And on those days, I could have been earning money as a sub, and he knew this, but having me earn money as a sub would take away his days that the county/state were giving him. Like you, he would contact me asking me for lesson plans after ST was over. It was HORRIBLE. I learned nothing and my first year of teaching was a disaster. I definitely learned the hard way. ST did not prepare me in the slightest for being in the classroom, because I had no guidance. None.
You were most definitely taken advantage of by your mentor teacher. My mentor allows me to be as creative as I want and I don't have to submit anything to her. I am taking over Science currently and will be taking over math in the next couple weeks, taking over the full day for both subjects. We have two semesters, internship and residency. In my internship, I had two formal observations and recorded myself three times. In residency, I have three formal observations and two mentor observations- on top of getting my credential exams passed. It's very tough to keep up, but I am grateful that my mentor understands that I am a student, and a mother. I don't have time to create these elaborate lesson plans and run everything by her. We co-planned but never co-taught together (which I'm hoping we'll be able to do at some point just to see our students faces lol!). Schools should really look into the people that they're allowing to be mentors because pushing student teachers like yours is not beneficial. You can be an amazing student teacher even with less restrictions and expectations. I really hope schools are watching and listening because we don't need burnt out student teachers before they even land into the profession offically.
Loved this video, so helpful! Can you do a video of how you create some of the templates you sell on your tpt store, such as the programs you use and how you create it?
I am so impressed by your energy!! I'm currently in a credential program and this was very informative. I was struck when you mentioned you are an introvert. I would love to hear about how that has affected your teaching style. As an introvert who is easily drained by a lot of collaboration and being around a lot of people I want to know how to conserve my energy in a classroom. Do you think an introverted teacher can be as effective a teacher as one who is an extrovert. Also, how do you accommodate your introverted students?
I'm going into my senior year of high school and I'm very conflicted on what I want to do. For the past few years, I've been set on nursing but I took the early childhood class at my school this year (You help teach the pre-school program in our high school, make up all the lesson plans, teach them out, set behavior standards) and i loved it so much. Everyone keeps telling me to go with nursing because it has better pay and job stability. But I feel like my heart is telling me to go with teaching. Any advice?
I totally agree that student teaching doesn't really prepare you for your own classroom! I remember the first day I actually had to teach my own class and I was like "Am I actually qualified to do this?!" because I felt like I had no idea what I was doing! i definitely had a cooperating teacher in my second experience like you did that gave me such constructive feedback, it actually made me upset one day but it really showed me he was looking at my teaching versus my other cooperating teacher who sat and played angry birds while i taught.
Being a 17 year old, I have less than a half year to decide what I am going to do after school. I have 2 interest: Teaching and event planning. They kind of go together but don't at the same time. Everyone keeps telling me to go with event planning (parties, weddings etc.) because of the money. I do love both but I get stuck when comments like this come up. How do you suggest I handles these comments?? Congratulations on the move by the way😁😁😁
I don't know what country you are in, but event planning can take you in many different directions career wise. I would recommend finding a way to study both. Have your interest, and a good backup career option. (Not a teacher or an American.)
If you think you want to be a teacher, get involved in any kind of children's program NOW. I can't stress that enough, try to work with the age group you'd think you'd land on for teaching. Volunteer for afterschool programs in your town, at the library, summer camps, it gives you a taste of working with children so you can know if you actually enjoy it or not.
I have to disagree with substituting, plus she's 17. If you don't know you want to be a teacher, throwing yourself into a classroom with no guidance or help and no prior training would leave anyone running for the hills. The lack of classroom management skills alone would be a disaster.
I know the feeling, I had to decide between education and fashion merch. I love teaching and working with children so much more. What I suggest is find a way to work with both and see what you love more
Could you do a video on advice for college students? Time management, study tips, organizations to be in, etc? I would really appreciate it! :) I absolutely love your videos, you are so inspiring and make me so excited to be a teacher!
I know this video is 6 years old, but was very helpful to me as I am completing my second student teaching experience in learning support. I am a preschool assistant teacher and decided to go back for my bachelor's in 2021. I was able to request not only a grade level, but also a teacher. I also had a former "Teacher of the Year" for my first mentor. She used a hot glue gun to attach most things to the block walls. I have been observing in this school since late February of 2023 and reconnected with teachers that my own sons had when they were in school. We have one large elementary with approximately 1,200 students, grades K-6 and a brand new principal and vice-principal. I loved the first grade class and continued my SPED portion in the same grade level with the same students. I will be sitting in on my first IEP meeting in a week or so. While I love teaching preschool, I also really enjoy the first grade and the teachers are all very supportive of each other. I have also worked through the summer with reading tutoring and Kinder Camp and will likely get on the sub list so I can teach through the summer if I choose. Being an adult learner and a parent, has definitely helped me along this journey and I am grateful for the growth that I have seen through my last 8 years of preschool teaching and now finishing my degree! I am also not as burnt out as other teachers. Who knows where I will end up, but I do have options and everyone keeps encouraging me to come work with them!
I loved hearing about your experience! I did a video on my student teaching experience as well! I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to co-teach with your mentor teacher. My partnership teacher co-taught with me the first few weeks, but then let me take over. You might think that your mentor teacher is ignoring you, but they are listening and thinking of ways to help you as they multi-task their responsibilities. At least, that's how it turned out for me! I feel like the more freedom and independence you have, the better the experience.
I start my year of student teaching this fall and I'm so nervous and excited about it. I'll be in the classroom four days a week for teacher contract hours and in college classes one day a week. It's going to be so tough to juggle 15 hours of classes and four days of student teaching!
Im in Australia doing a Master of teaching in secondary education (I had already done an undergrad degree in science and decided to change to teaching after) . The MTeach is 2 years and at my uni we had 2x 6 week placements. In these placements we would observe for the first week and then went straight into teaching on our own for the remaining 5 weeks (5 weeks straight). We obviously have a reduced load (8-11 hours of teaching per week(. It was a lot to get used to and was full on!
My college did the same types of things yours did.... the experience was wonderful. But I agree didn't completely prepare me for my first year of teaching .
Great video! My student teaching was in a high school so it was very different. Lol However, I should make a vlog about my experiences with student teachers! I have had three full time student teachers in my career. Two were amazing and one, I can only say wow (sarcastically). I always love your videos in how honest and open you are!
Do you have a video on how you handle confrontation with parents and between children? I work extended day now to gain confidence and behavior management skills. I have one child that cries almost every day and seems to have confrontation with all the other girls. I also have some children that have teachers in the school as their parents and I find it very intimidating.
Great video! Brings back memories! (ps I never watched my videos when they recorded my lessons! I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was there I know what happened haha!) PS where did you get your top? It's so cute!
Here we only do student teaching where you are in a classroom all day, everyday for only a semester. I had a wonderful experience. Great mentor, great school. My other experiences where you are in a classroom for a minimum of I think 40-60 hours per semester for 2 years wasn't as great. One semester I didn't mesh with the teacher that well. She was not too helpful and I never did feel welcomed in her class. One time she even had me waiting out in the hallway for an hour because testing had gone over and by the time it was over I couldn't stay because I had to go to work and it was lunch time. Everything those few months stressed me out so much that I was constantly getting sick that semester. Luckily it was only a semester and I ended having way better experiences.
I feel like you were narrating my student teaching story. I also had a fifth grade class. Oh and one other great thing about teaching middle school is you get to teach only one subject area for the most part 😀
Omg can you imagine having Ms.Ferre as a mentor? It would be a dreeeaaammm!!!!
Thank you for sharing. There are a lot of college students getting ready for student teaching this fall. I totally agree that student teaching is necessary but does not prepare us for "real teaching".
Mr. Thain Yes! this was an awesome video! I am one of those new student teacher this fall and I am binge watching all relevant videos! Thanks Michelle!
Virshone Brinkley Sproles same here except I have been doing student teaching for 2 years with my high school. My school district has already offered me a job and I accepted it
I'm 18 going into my second year of college for education and I was second guessing literally everything I don't know if I wanted to do this anymore. I've watched literally all of your videos and it makes me want to teach again! You are my teacher goals! I realized I wanted to teach 1,2, or 3 grade! I'm so thankful I found your channel!!
wildchildforever73 you started when you were 16? Wow..
How is it going????
can you do a video about the begining of the school year. like how you start a class, teach procedures and rules, etc. that'd be really great.
21tmitch yes yes yes!
21tmitch Yeeessss! I'd like to see a Beginning of yr video too!
please!
I could really use that video for next month!! Pretty please???
yes please do it soon! I know you just finished teaching. but I go back to work July 24th so I could use the video soon.
Oh my goodness! I can't believe all your mentor teacher had you do! I had a student teacher and I can't imagine making her do so much work. Student teaching is stressful enough! Bless your heart!
I found your channel about a week ago and I honestly haven't stopped watching all of your videos😂 I'm literally addicted to your videos💖💗 I've binged watched all of your videos and I've came to a point where I've watched all of your videos I have nothing else to watch until you post😂💕
Kain Kim same I found her last week too
Kain Kim I found her channel when she was creator on the rise, her thumbnails were well-done which made me subscribe.
Same
same but i find her a few months ago I found her Channel and I just got completely addicted no reason I never really wanted to be a teacher nothing like that but she's just I don't know I just really like it
same, actually! it's really nice to see a different look on teaching that I'm not getting right now
Honestly it sounds like your mentor teacher took advantage of you with the whole lesson plan situation. I feel abundantly blessed because my student teacher experience was amazing and my mentor was a God sent. At the time I was doing my student teaching, still taking university courses on Saturday, and was studying to take my State certification tests. I had so much fun and felt so much support from my mentor and the whole 2nd grade team. ❤❤❤
I'm not even a teacher and I just watched (and enjoyed) this whole video. lol I love getting an real inside look at another profession. great videos!
It's crazy to see how different it is to receive a teaching credential in different states. Here in California the requirements are so much. It takes 5 years to receive a BA and credential. You have to student teach typically full time for 16 weeks mon-fri, before that there's 125 pre-hours you have to do Then there's 3 c set exams, 1 basic skills test, 1 literacy test, and 4 teacher performance assessments. Then there's about 20 observations lol. Then class after a full week of teaching lol. Anyway, you rock Michelle :) this really makes me realize how much there should be more consistency through out the states in regards to a teaching credential.
Jasmine Flores I got my credential and degree in California, and girl, I don't miss
everything we had to do to get. However, I'm currently teaching in Idaho. So it makes all the work not worth it. Other than the extensive tests, experiences, and TPAs
I've been wanting to hear your student teaching story ever since I found your channel a few months ago! I'm so glad you made this video!
Your hair and makeup is on point in this video 👏🏻 you slay it anyway but you look extra amazing in this one
Thank you so much for posting this video! I found your channel a couple days ago and it has been incredibly motivational and has given me a feeling of support on my journey to become a teacher! I am entering my student teaching next month and have been terrified. Your videos- especially this one- have been a tremendous help. Thank you for being such an inspiration not only to myself, but to all your viewers as well. :)
I love how real your tips are! You gave a realistic look into what student teachers are going through/ will go through. I just finished my short placement and start my long placement in Jan. I also started vlogging my experience and use many of your resources from TPT.
Thank you so much for this! I begin student teaching on August 1st, and I am terrified. I like hearing student teaching experiences from others and how they compare to being in a classroom of your own.
I feel like our student teaching experience were the exact same! It was so intimidating and hard to do with miscommunication and someone who doesn't have clear expectations.
I love your channel so much. I'm going into grade 10 next year and at this point in my life I'm looking into becoming a teacher. I love being around kids and I volunteer at my dance studio as an assistant teacher, and teaching is something I'm really starting to enjoy. Sometimes I really doubt that being a teacher is something I can handle, and I question if it might be a terrible career choice for me. But even though you show the less exciting sides of teaching, seeing all the different aspects of a teacher's life makes me feel like it's something I can accomplish, and that even though it won't always be easy, it is doable, and I am so grateful for that motivation.
If only all teachers were like you!
I'm not sure if you have a video like this already or are even interested in doing it, but I start my first year teaching next month and would love teaching outfit inspirations from another younger teacher! Maybe a lookbook of your typical teaching outfits :)
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I still have a lot to go until my student teaching, January 2019 but i love hearing from other teachers, and how it went for them. As always, you are the best and im looking forward to more videos. Hope I can be like you one day. Lots of love.
Trying to pay you to write lesson plans? Needing to write sub plans if you were going to be out sick (which, I guess, she would use, since why would they need a sub for a student teacher if the real teacher was already there)? Yeah girl, that mentor teacher was definitely using you. She seems like she was too lazy to write her own lesson plans!
Asking a student teacher to write lesson plans after they leave your classroom seems so inappropriate! I couldn't believe that.
I know right. It makes you wonder if she did that to any more mentor students besides Michelle. I know that if any of my mentor teachers tried to pull that, my university would have looked into it.
I could definitely relate to your experience! My laptop died while I was doing lesson plans that was due to my mentor teacher the next day. It was very late at night and I cried and called my parents! I know exactly how you feel! It was miserable!!!! Each and every moment, good or bad, was a learning experience. Now that I am going into my third year this September, Looking back now, I feel that my student teaching experience could have been so much more meaningful.
I just wanted to say that I watch your channel religiously, and I thank you for being so open and honest about your teaching career. You will definitely make a great mentor teacher one day!!
I was lucky to do my student teaching in the fall, and I can definitely say it was SUPER helpful to see all the beginning of the school year preparations. I did my student teaching in a first grade class, and I was so lucky to have a wonderful cooperative teacher who really embraced an "all-hands-on-deck" mentality. If I was teaching, she was supporting students, assessing, or reteaching. If she was teaching, I worked with students one-on-one or assessed. It felt like a partnership, and the students really got a lot out of having two teachers working hard for them at the same time. I loved student teaching!
I just discovered your channel and I am obsessed! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and tips! It's encouraging coming from a younger person in the field!
I love the rain forest idea. I plan on teaching visually impaired students in the elementary school level. Having the rain forest idea that you described would really work in that situation because it could be tactile which is very important when working with students with visual impairments because they depend on touch.
This is by far the most thorough student teaching experience video that I have seen. I really feel like you covered every aspect while being personal and honest.
One of my favorites! I can't wait to start student teaching. Thanks for all your honesty! ❤️
I am going to college in January for Elementary Education. I absolutely love your channel and I look to you for so much inspiration as a teacher!
I definitely agree with all of your advice, especially with getting to know your fellow interns. I'm New York we have to take a test called the edTPA. It's more of a big portfolio with an English, math, and video portion. I collaborated with the other intern who was with a fifth grade class and it really made the whole experience so much easier. We couldn't use the same lessons but we gave each other ideas and support (I recorded the video for her and vice verse). It really makes the experience better when you have someone you can talk to who knows what you're going through.
I'm in my junior year at college, going for teaching, and I'm not a morning person either!! I thought I always sounded crazy saying that while wanting to be a teacher. Glad I'm not alone in that!! 😂 also, I'm terrified of student teaching because I've heard so many different stories.
I'm student teaching right now and your tips are really so helpful. I'm blessed with an amazing mentor teacher for my middle school experience and it is similar to your second experience. Thanks so much for your great videos and inspiration!
Love your videos!! My student teaching experience was great!! Can you do a video on using daily 5 and guiding reading? By the way, love the makeup!!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'll be student teaching in the fall. Your videos have given me a lot of great ideas and tips I'll use in the classroom. They've really helped! :)
I have done student teaching through a program at my high school. I have been a part of this program for 2 years already and I absolutely love it! I have been working with special education students from grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade because of the work I do with the kids I am known throughout my school district and was offered a job by my school superintendent. Last year he did a pre-interview with me to know for himself if what he knew from others throughout the district about me was true. It was. He told me I already completed half of my interview and once I'm out of college I already have a job
The quality of this video is AMAZING!!
That's a great idea turning those lesson plans into your TPT store!
I am a month away from starting my first year as an Elementary Ed. Major and your videos have not only inspired me to strive to be a better teacher but you have helped me see what lies ahead of me (: You are so incredible!
Michelle, you are very wise for being so young! What a great summary of the demands on a student teacher. You definitely have a gift for teaching and explaining things! I've been at this profession for 30 years and still love what I do. I'm thankful there are still new and young teachers who truly are called to the work! Great video!
I like how you pointed out needing to know expectations on both ends. This is something I struggled with for both of my sessions. My teachers were great but they were struggling with this as much as I was. I do feel like my first teacher prepared be more and would try and throw me under the bus but in a good way. She would say ok this is what is happening so what would you do next. My second half was during testing and it through the whole thing off. They tried to accommodate me as much as they could but it was just hard in testing.
Lesson planning sounds so scary and daunting!! Probably because I have no idea how it works! Im in college right now and thinking of going down the child counseling and psych route because running a classroom sounds so challenging and i love working with kids one on one
Thank you so much for posting this video! I am getting close to taking all the fun classes to become a teacher (almost done with my general college classes). I also have a job right now where I teach an after school reading program for 7 little first and second graders. Having this job has really opened my eyes as to what to expect and that I don't actually know at all what I'm doing, but it's great practice for when I get further in my degree. As I get closer to doing these student teaching experiences, I have been getting more and more nervous not knowing what to expect. This video has helped me a ton when it comes to knowing what to do/not do, what to expect and what I have ahead of me. Of course, all of these things have made me think to myself, yes, this is exactly what I want to do with my life, it's going to be extremely hard, but that much (or more) rewarding. So, extremely long story short, thank you so much for your channel and videos. They have helped me more than you can know.
I have been a teacher for 15 years. I teach Biology and AP Biology. I always wondered if I missed out by not going the traditional route to becoming a teacher. I think being thrown into the classroom like I was made me a much better teacher. I took over a class in October of the school year that previously had 4 substitutes that quit. I remember on the first day there was a boy who whispered that he gave me a week. Ha! I reminded him of what he said at his graduation 3 years later. You gave me some great ideas for the future student teachers who will be assigned to my department.
I'm curious, would you ever consider having a student teacher in your room one day?
My student teaching experience was a nightmare. My teacher had no control over their own class, and towards the end, was never in the room. So I was teaching 100% by myself from day 1. My supervising teacher was let go at the end of the semester, that was another hot mess. Thankfully the principal wrote me a letter of recommendation.
I just finished my student teaching and I'm going to start my 1st year of teaching this fall. I totally agree that no amount of student teaching is going to prepare you for your first year of teaching. I had a whole year of student teaching and I was in four different classrooms. I'm a double major between elementary and special education. I have always wanted to be an elementary teacher, but I fell in love with special education through my student teaching. My last mentor teacher in high school special education was my favorite. I didn't enjoy the grade level, but she was a great mentor teacher. I really enjoyed my experience in kindergarten general education and 5/6 special education. I'm going to be teaching elementary special education this fall. I'm so excited for this upcoming year. I had a great student teaching experience.
During my student teaching, I was in a high school and my mentor teacher tested me many times by sitting in the back of her classroom on her computer and not jumping in at all. Even if I was failing (which was all the time), she just let it happen.
In some ways, I understand why she was doing that, but it was A LOT to handle- especially since I had very little experience with classroom management at that point. Needless to say, there was hardly any co-teaching that went on, and it was extremely discouraging without that support.
I am currently working as a parapro and I’m still deciding if I want to teach, but it is great to hear that I wasn’t the only one who had a somewhat tough student teaching experience. Thanks for sharing!!
In norway, as a teacher student, we must have 3 weeks of student teaching each semester. so basically you are just thrown into it like 5 weeks into the program it self haha. it was soo hard omg, because by then we had not learnt much. Being a teacher student is actually really hard!
I always go to your videos when I'm in need for some inspiration, or motivation to continue my studies, because to be honest there have been a few times where I´ve asked my self if this is what I want to do. But you always make me realize why I want to do this, so thank you! your videos are so helpful. Hugs from Norway
I was in the same boat. When I student taught, the teacher was going to school for her masters, so I did everything while she just did school work. It was frustrating as I didn’t really know how I was doing, where I was going with the lessons, etc. She just had me reuse her lessons from the prior years, so I didn’t really learn how to create lesson plans.
She didn’t tell me how I was doing throughout the year and when I asked, she said “great” and left it at that.
I have my English education degree, and it was such a small school that I taught a different grade level each period. I was working each night until 11 or 12. It turned me off to teaching so much so that now I am working in a corporate job and going for my masters in business administration.
Michelle I love your videos! I studied education and ended up working in higher ed but I love watching all your videos! I totally wish I had had these videos when I was a student! Thanks for your honest telling of your story!
I can totally agree. I feel like my experience with student teaching was similar to your experience.
I love your videos so very much! Seeing how hard you work just motivates me to do even more in my life :) Thank you for sharing a piece of your life with all of us here on RUclips!! I can't thank you enough :)
I love these, I'm starting college this August with a major in elementary education, I'm excited but scared to death 😂 Your channel is such a big help and motivator, so thanks so much for filming these even though you have so much on your plate already. I hope to have your work ethic 🙂
Did you finish?
I havent even watched the full video, only saw the first little clip about your long lesson plans, and GIRL I can relate!! I'm in the thick of teachers college. Looking forward to the rest of the video :P
Michelle,
I found your channel a few weeks ago and have since watched ALL of your videos. Now I don't even know what to do with myself. lol! I was so glad to see this long video this morning, so I could sit down with a cup of coffee and watch you. Thanks for all you do! I can't believe how much you take on, but you are such a blessing!
P.S. Your eyebrows look awesome 😀
Definitely going to watch this at my first time student teaching. Thanks!
How did you feel comfortable making a fully transparent and honest video about your student teaching experience, knowing that your Partnership Teacher could come across it?! I want to make a video about mine, but worry about being “toooo” honest if you catch my drift. And omg the flash drive story has me dying
Could you do a video on your first year and tips on how to thrive!!!!!??
Catherine Crockett aah
Michelle! Your student teaching experience is so much like mine. In Canada, we do 2 years of student teaching, I am on my second year now. However, last year I was with a teacher that was really involved with the school, which was great, but also meant there were a lot of substitute teachers. I also have to make full lesson plans for my University and submit them to my faculty adviser. Next school year, I will be teaching 50 to 100 % of the time and will have to make full lesson plans (5-8 pages) for EACH lesson I teach. Ahh!
You are seriously my favorite!! Thanks for sharing your experiences and keeping it real. I can't wait to start my teaching program in the Fall! Sending you love from GA! ❤️❤️❤️
I loved this video! I need to start preparing for my student teaching now! I'd love to hear more about your math morning meetings.
Thanks for sharing your teacher training/student teacher experience
I'm 17 and I really wanna be a teacher and right now I'm taking an educating and training class. We go to elementary schools for like 2 blocks during school and we basically are helping out the teacher. Currently I'm in a 5th grade class and I'm working on my lesson plan. I love your videos they are helping me a lot and getting me more excited to become a teacher.
this is extremely helpful and insightful, thanks Michelle!
i love, love, LOVE your videos soooo much 💖💖💖 i’m graduating high school in a month and starting my elementary ed degree in the fall and you make me so excited for my future!!!
Where I live, teachers do some observation in classrooms during their college coursework, then their student teaching is a full year (August - May basically) when they're done with all classes.
Is your weekly video going include a house tour
My first day student teacher my partner teacher said "you are well below my expectations for a first year student teacher" That sentence combined with my professor's "you've got great ideas, however at the moment you are just not fit for it. You're not ready, yet" led to me leaving the field. I didn't even get to teach. It's been three years, I'm thinking of going back, but I left with horrible memories, and a lot of doubt of whether I can teach...So I can't decide what to do.
I’m so glad that you made this video. I’ll be starting school to become a teacher soon and I’m so excited and nervous.
Thanks for this! I just applied to a teaching credential program for American Sign Language
My mentor teacher had a stroke during my first fall block, my last year. I graduated in June. There was a sub; however, I had to teach. It was a challenge; however I think it made me a better teacher. It allowed me to think about what I would do in my own classroom with students who may take advantage of a situation like this. For example, some of my students thought that because my mentor teacher was out on a medical leave, they could control the classroom because I was just the "student teacher". It wasn't until three days in that they realized that, yes, I am the classroom teacher. They still have to treat me with the respect that they would show my mentor teacher. It was a great time. I don't wish this on anyone else, but for me it made me a stronger teacher. I learned how to solve problems without the help of anyone else. I had to think if I had my own classroom; what would I do? There would be nobody to help me.
This will be my first year teaching and I went the route of alternative certification therefore my student teaching is my actual job in the fall! Im doing an Under the Sea theme this year and I have decided to document my first year so I can remember it all! Love your channel btw
Amber TheNaturalJewel I'm doing the same theme this year in my PreK!
Virshone Brinkley Sproles yay! Great minds!
Amber TheNaturalJewel I'm doing something similar to alternative certification. It's like an internship where you're actually a teacher instead of student teaching. Where I am in CA it's called the impact program.
Chelsye Hoerth oh wow, I didnt know it went under a different name in other states! Good luck this year!
Amber TheNaturalJewel thanks for your explanation i am a teacher as well as i need more tecniques to teach
If you have wood floors you need a rug it will help with the echo
Will you make a video on how you skipped a year in college?
yes pls
I had a similar experience, too. I did my student teaching in the Spring and so I missed those critical beginning of the year procedures that are SO SO important. My mentor teacher gave me 100% control of ALL of his classes on my THIRD day. I had no clue what I was doing. And literally, I would stay up grading his work, my work, etc., and writing lesson plans and I would get up at 5 AM to finish. When I would get to campus, he wouldn't even show up. If he did, he was late. There were days were he just wouldn't come at all. And on those days, I could have been earning money as a sub, and he knew this, but having me earn money as a sub would take away his days that the county/state were giving him. Like you, he would contact me asking me for lesson plans after ST was over. It was HORRIBLE. I learned nothing and my first year of teaching was a disaster. I definitely learned the hard way. ST did not prepare me in the slightest for being in the classroom, because I had no guidance. None.
You look so pretty. And the lighting is on fleek
Though I am Korean student teacher, I totally agree with you espcially on making plan😣
You were most definitely taken advantage of by your mentor teacher. My mentor allows me to be as creative as I want and I don't have to submit anything to her. I am taking over Science currently and will be taking over math in the next couple weeks, taking over the full day for both subjects. We have two semesters, internship and residency. In my internship, I had two formal observations and recorded myself three times. In residency, I have three formal observations and two mentor observations- on top of getting my credential exams passed. It's very tough to keep up, but I am grateful that my mentor understands that I am a student, and a mother. I don't have time to create these elaborate lesson plans and run everything by her. We co-planned but never co-taught together (which I'm hoping we'll be able to do at some point just to see our students faces lol!). Schools should really look into the people that they're allowing to be mentors because pushing student teachers like yours is not beneficial. You can be an amazing student teacher even with less restrictions and expectations. I really hope schools are watching and listening because we don't need burnt out student teachers before they even land into the profession offically.
Loved this video, so helpful! Can you do a video of how you create some of the templates you sell on your tpt store, such as the programs you use and how you create it?
I am so impressed by your energy!! I'm currently in a credential program and this was very informative. I was struck when you mentioned you are an introvert. I would love to hear about how that has affected your teaching style. As an introvert who is easily drained by a lot of collaboration and being around a lot of people I want to know how to conserve my energy in a classroom. Do you think an introverted teacher can be as effective a teacher as one who is an extrovert. Also, how do you accommodate your introverted students?
I’m about to start my first student teaching practicum and we are going to be teaching 40% of the lessons within 3 weeks!!!
I'm going into my senior year of high school and I'm very conflicted on what I want to do. For the past few years, I've been set on nursing but I took the early childhood class at my school this year (You help teach the pre-school program in our high school, make up all the lesson plans, teach them out, set behavior standards) and i loved it so much. Everyone keeps telling me to go with nursing because it has better pay and job stability. But I feel like my heart is telling me to go with teaching. Any advice?
I totally agree that student teaching doesn't really prepare you for your own classroom! I remember the first day I actually had to teach my own class and I was like "Am I actually qualified to do this?!" because I felt like I had no idea what I was doing! i definitely had a cooperating teacher in my second experience like you did that gave me such constructive feedback, it actually made me upset one day but it really showed me he was looking at my teaching versus my other cooperating teacher who sat and played angry birds while i taught.
Being a 17 year old, I have less than a half year to decide what I am going to do after school. I have 2 interest: Teaching and event planning. They kind of go together but don't at the same time. Everyone keeps telling me to go with event planning (parties, weddings etc.) because of the money. I do love both but I get stuck when comments like this come up. How do you suggest I handles these comments?? Congratulations on the move by the way😁😁😁
Tanzin Boyle Flip a coin - when it's up in the air you'll know what you want. Once you know just own it man
I don't know what country you are in, but event planning can take you in many different directions career wise. I would recommend finding a way to study both. Have your interest, and a good backup career option. (Not a teacher or an American.)
If you think you want to be a teacher, get involved in any kind of children's program NOW. I can't stress that enough, try to work with the age group you'd think you'd land on for teaching. Volunteer for afterschool programs in your town, at the library, summer camps, it gives you a taste of working with children so you can know if you actually enjoy it or not.
I have to disagree with substituting, plus she's 17. If you don't know you want to be a teacher, throwing yourself into a classroom with no guidance or help and no prior training would leave anyone running for the hills. The lack of classroom management skills alone would be a disaster.
I know the feeling, I had to decide between education and fashion merch. I love teaching and working with children so much more. What I suggest is find a way to work with both and see what you love more
Could you do a video on advice for college students? Time management, study tips, organizations to be in, etc? I would really appreciate it! :) I absolutely love your videos, you are so inspiring and make me so excited to be a teacher!
I know this video is 6 years old, but was very helpful to me as I am completing my second student teaching experience in learning support. I am a preschool assistant teacher and decided to go back for my bachelor's in 2021. I was able to request not only a grade level, but also a teacher. I also had a former "Teacher of the Year" for my first mentor. She used a hot glue gun to attach most things to the block walls. I have been observing in this school since late February of 2023 and reconnected with teachers that my own sons had when they were in school. We have one large elementary with approximately 1,200 students, grades K-6 and a brand new principal and vice-principal. I loved the first grade class and continued my SPED portion in the same grade level with the same students. I will be sitting in on my first IEP meeting in a week or so. While I love teaching preschool, I also really enjoy the first grade and the teachers are all very supportive of each other. I have also worked through the summer with reading tutoring and Kinder Camp and will likely get on the sub list so I can teach through the summer if I choose. Being an adult learner and a parent, has definitely helped me along this journey and I am grateful for the growth that I have seen through my last 8 years of preschool teaching and now finishing my degree! I am also not as burnt out as other teachers. Who knows where I will end up, but I do have options and everyone keeps encouraging me to come work with them!
I loved hearing about your experience! I did a video on my student teaching experience as well! I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to co-teach with your mentor teacher. My partnership teacher co-taught with me the first few weeks, but then let me take over. You might think that your mentor teacher is ignoring you, but they are listening and thinking of ways to help you as they multi-task their responsibilities. At least, that's how it turned out for me! I feel like the more freedom and independence you have, the better the experience.
Very informative thank you so much for sharing, nervous but excited to experience student teaching.
I start my year of student teaching this fall and I'm so nervous and excited about it. I'll be in the classroom four days a week for teacher contract hours and in college classes one day a week. It's going to be so tough to juggle 15 hours of classes and four days of student teaching!
I am addicted to your videos!!!
Oh my goodness I just found your channel and love it! I’m a second year 6th grade teacher and I went to Salisbury University as well!
Im in Australia doing a Master of teaching in secondary education (I had already done an undergrad degree in science and decided to change to teaching after) . The MTeach is 2 years and at my uni we had 2x 6 week placements. In these placements we would observe for the first week and then went straight into teaching on our own for the remaining 5 weeks (5 weeks straight). We obviously have a reduced load (8-11 hours of teaching per week(. It was a lot to get used to and was full on!
14:36 I'm the same way! I'm the mooooost productive when I'm at home in my bed with my MacBook than at any library or anywhere ahaha!
My sister went to Salisbury!! Go gulls! ❤️💛
My college did the same types of things yours did.... the experience was wonderful. But I agree didn't completely prepare me for my first year of teaching .
u excite me to teach! im about to go into highschool and for college imma copy **exactly** what you did expect for the running
Great video! My student teaching was in a high school so it was very different. Lol However, I should make a vlog about my experiences with student teachers! I have had three full time student teachers in my career. Two were amazing and one, I can only say wow (sarcastically). I always love your videos in how honest and open you are!
Do you have a video on how you handle confrontation with parents and between children? I work extended day now to gain confidence and behavior management skills. I have one child that cries almost every day and seems to have confrontation with all the other girls. I also have some children that have teachers in the school as their parents and I find it very intimidating.
Great video! Brings back memories! (ps I never watched my videos when they recorded my lessons! I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was there I know what happened haha!) PS where did you get your top? It's so cute!
Here we only do student teaching where you are in a classroom all day, everyday for only a semester. I had a wonderful experience. Great mentor, great school. My other experiences where you are in a classroom for a minimum of I think 40-60 hours per semester for 2 years wasn't as great. One semester I didn't mesh with the teacher that well. She was not too helpful and I never did feel welcomed in her class. One time she even had me waiting out in the hallway for an hour because testing had gone over and by the time it was over I couldn't stay because I had to go to work and it was lunch time. Everything those few months stressed me out so much that I was constantly getting sick that semester. Luckily it was only a semester and I ended having way better experiences.
I feel like you were narrating my student teaching story. I also had a fifth grade class. Oh and one other great thing about teaching middle school is you get to teach only one subject area for the most part 😀
This video is great! I am starting my student teaching this August :)