Notes for Student Teachers

Familiarize yourself with the edTPA

• Make sure you can access, and have read, the Handbook (for Math) on WesternOnline
• Start looking over the prompts and rubrics.
• Near the beginning of student teaching you'll want to plan in which course, and in which teaching segment, you will do the edTPA.

Contact Your Cooperating Teacher

• At least 1 month prior to starting. Earlier is better.
• Get to know them.
• Find out what courses you will teach.
  • Get copies of the textbooks if possible.
• Discuss policies such as school-wide discipline plans.
• Give your cooperating teaching information about the edTPA.

Discipline

Start thinking about your classroom management (discipline) plan. While you have probably discussed discipline in courses here at Western, getting good at classroom management only really comes with experience (just like it's hard to learn how to play basketball well by watching videos). A few things to keep in mind

• Your students will probably test you (if they don't, something's wrong!).
• It is typical that during student teaching classroom control may go down hill, then you correct the issue, and things improve.
• You are not in it alone. Discuss these issues with your cooperating teacher, others, or those of us in the Math Department.
• You learn by doing.
• Ultimately, you need a classroom management plan that fits your personality and that works.

WEPPAS

• Use WEPPAS (Western Education & Professional Program Assessment System) (weppas.wiu.edu) to monitor progress toward meeting requirements for clearance to student teach and certification. Report any irregularities (to your advisor, me, or the appropriate person).

Career Services

• You should be "registered" at WIU's Center for Career Preparation and Employer Engagement (you enter your name, major, when you'll graduate, what you will be certified to teach, etc.). This is important because superintendents have a password and can search the database to find teachers.
• Periodically, check their Job Listings.
• Prepare your résumé before student teaching starts.
  • Show your resumé to a number of people, to get various opinions and suggestions - including Career Services.

Getting a Job

• Realize that you may be searching for a job during your student teaching semester.
• Start compiling places where you can find job postings, such as
  • Illinois Education Job Bank
  • Illinois Education Association
  • ROE pages (link below).
• NIU (Northern Illinois Univ.) has a Education Job Fair - In the past, this has been very good for people looking to teach in the Chicago area. (As of spring 2020, this still is going on.)
• Use word-of-mouth.
• Résumé - *I recommend you get your résumé typed up before you start student teaching. Show it to WIU's Center for Career Preparation and Employer Engagement and some other people to get feedback and then improve/edit your résumé. You may also want to type up a mock letter of application.
• References/Letters of recommendation - *Contact people you want to use as a reference and who you'd like to write a letter of recommendation before the semester starts. (*By having these things done before student teaching starts, your student teaching and your job search will go more smoothly--and you may actually be able to get some sleep from time to time.)
• If you student teach in the fall, and are seeking a full-time position starting in January or a long-term substitute position, start looking for that early (and use word-of-mouth).
• Let your cooperating teacher know that you may need to be gone to go for a job interview. This is usually not a problem. This is especially true if you are student teaching in spring.

Meetings (student teachers come back to campus)

1. There is usually a meeting near the beginning of the semester. We answer questions about the edTPA.
2. I believe, starting 2014-2015, you only return to campus for meetings once.

Coaching

If you plan to be a coach, you might want to consider helping coach during student teaching. This can be great experience. Consider your options and discuss this with school personnel--preferably before the semester starts. Consider the amount of time and don't spread yourself too thin.

Turn In

1. edTPA.

Realize We are Here to Help You

While you have a student teaching supervisor and a cooperating teacher (and student teaching is administered out the the CPEP Office) we, in the Math Department, are also here to help. Feel free to call any of us if you have questions or want to discuss issues.

ROE's - Regional Office of Education (usually serve 1 to 3 counties)

• Full list of ROE's or visit IARSS
  • Fulton, Hancock, McDonough, & Schuyler Counties - 130 South LaFayette, Suite 200, Macomb.
    
    
• Contact the ROE regarding the coaching endorsement.
• Contact the ROE (in your area) to get on the list to substitute teach in the area (after you complete student teaching).

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