April 28, 2017
Today was my last day of full takeover. It was definitely an experience that had many learning opportunities. As a student teacher in early field placements, you never truly experience a “full takeover” because you’re only there half the day. Something I hadn’t realized was how much time a teacher actually needs to do the “little” things you never think about.
In my math class, it is imperative that I do the homework assignments with the students so that if they had questions, I was ready to explain it to them rather than just give them the correct answer. It’s about showing them the step-by-step process of how to do it and why it’s done. I hadn’t realized how many copies teachers need to make for their classes and how time consuming that task is. When I first started, I thought I could come in early to make copies, but there are always other teachers there and you don’t want to be the teacher making 120 copies at once. It’s so important to get that stuff done in advance, especially in case the printer/copier breaks down.
Another thing is to have the answer keys done for the assignments/assessments you give. If you have that done in advance, you can get assessments graded and passed back earlier to help drive your future instruction.
Overall, full takeover was a great experience for you before you have your own classroom. The responsibilities of a teacher is not something that can be taught by sitting in a classroom. It’s something you experience and you don’t realize how much your co-op actually helps you until you’re left to do it all on your own!