I'm currently in my first semester of my student teaching where I go to my classroom once a week. When I met my first CT, we seemed to get along really well. However, once the school year started, I noticed that she seems to be really frustrated with me. When I walk in the classroom, she says good morning and then immediately says something negative about a project I completed for her. One week, I didn't put the butcher paper on the bulletin board correctly. When I fixed the mistake she pointed out, it still didn't meet her standard. The next week, parts of the poster I made weren't cut perfectly straight. Even though everything was laminated and ready for the wall, she wanted me to redo the entire poster. After that, she was frustrated that there were left over bins from when I organized her library. When I explained that some of the books had to be condensed so everything could fit, she said that this should have been thought of when I first organized the books (which was over a month beforehand). ll of these comments have made me feel that I am not good enough, and that no matter how hard I work to make things perfect in her eyes, it won't happen. If I can't make a bulletin board right, how on earth can I teach to her standards? :unsure: I taught my first lesson this week, and it absolutely flopped. Granted, I know that I should have prepared more than I did. That is completely my fault. However, it didn't help that she made comments during my lesson such as "You should have gotten that laminated" in front of the students. Halfway through the lesson, I took the class to specials. She asked me how I thought my lesson was going and I told her it was awful. Right then, I broke down in front of her, which was completely unprofessional of me. Honestly, it was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. She told me she was going to take over the lesson when the students got back. After school, we were reflecting on the day and I mentioned how we're polar opposites, as in she is super structured and firm, and I'm more easy going. She wondered if I thought that we weren't a good fit, and if I needed a new CT. I don't know what she meant by that. It seems that when I'm there, I have to walk on eggshells to make sure that I'm not going to do something wrong, and when I'm not there, I worry if I can handle becoming a teacher. This is the first time I have ever struggled or felt anxious in a classroom setting. I know that I have the passion to become a great teacher, but is passion alone enough? So I guess my question is whether or not I should contact my univ. supervisor about this. Student teaching was something that I've been looking forward to for a really long time, and now that it's here, it's one of the most stressful things I've been though and I'm not even there full time! :help: Any advice, ideas, etc will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I totally feel for you on this...as a current ST who has had struggles in the field. Given that your relationship with the CT has gotten to this point, I think it is worth your while to contact your university program supervisor and explain the situation before it is too late. You would not have anything to lose here. I'd couch it in terms that you would like some feedback or some recommendations from the supervisor so that it will best help you succeed. Hope that helps...and good luck! Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Well, here is the other side guys... The CT has been doing this a while. She appreciates the help, but she wants the standard of everything that is posted and up in her classroom to be the same standard that she holds herself accountable to every single day. She wants you to think ahead - like she does. She wants you to plan ahead in your lessons - like she does. She wants her classroom to run like it always has without you. She wants you to basically work as hard as she does because she feels that is what the best teachers do. She has every right to want that because it is her classroom. Now, you have the right to feel beat down. You have the right to stay late and do things the ways she wants them done the first time or leave and hope that what you did was good enough. You have the right to choose to plan and be ready for lessons. So, what do you do? Do you try to make this controlling person happy? Or do you try to find a new teacher that is laid back and allows you to do things your way? I think you have pretty much made up your mind to leave the situation. Is it your fault? No, I just think the standard that this teacher has is not your standard. And if you are not willing to do the planning, laminate things that she would have laminated, and try to think like her Type A personality thinks... then I would definitely think about another placement. It sounds like things could go terribly wrong if you are both so different. Me, personally, I would NEVER stop your lesson to tell you a poster wasn't laminated or for ANY reason. That was not helpful to you. Me, personally, might say something about a poster that was not up to my standard because I have to look at it everyday. Me, personally, would be thrilled to have you come organize my classroom library and would store the bins until I got some new books. Me, personally, would have been not thrilled with the first attempt bulletin board, but grateful that you redid the bulletin board and tried to make it what I wanted. Tough call... but I think in your heart... you know, your styles are way different. And if you are not able to put in the extra time that this high maintenance teacher expects, I would be calling my supervisor sooner rather than later.
I was with you, right up until that point. If the lesson flopped because you were unprepared, then she has every right in the world to be unhappy with you. In the final analysis, those are HER students. SHE is the name on the schedule, SHE is the one who will be seen as a poor teacher if she lets those kids out of the class next year without the background they need. Family emergencies aside, there's simply no excuse for a lack of preparation. Once you broke down enroute to specials, I would have taken over too. I would think you were too rattled to continue, and allowing you to do so would only set you up for failure. I understand about having a passion for teaching, and it's great first step. But that's all it is. Great teaching, even moderately acceptable teaching, is about so much more than WANTING to do a good job. It's about the preparation necessary to make it happen. It sounds to me as though your CT has high standards. That's the kind of teacher I want my own children to have. So that's the kind of teacher you want teaching YOU how to teach. Is it easy?? Of course not! Nothing of value ever is. But stop for a second, and think of how you'll approach those same situations next year when it's YOUR classroom. You'll get the butcher paper right the first time, right? And you'll give some thought to the library organization,right?? If a hard semester of student teaching makes you into a better, stronger teacher, then it will have been well worth it. Compliments about your passion won't make you a better teacher. Letting you continue to teach a lesson that had been underplanned won't get the material across to any of those kids in the desks. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. But I wouldn't complain. I would ask the CT for suggestions. I would step up the planning and preparation. This is your one and only chance to work with a net. So talk to your CT. Ask questions about the details-- "Are there any tricks or routines you follow as to how to set up the library?" And have a notebook with you when you ask; you'll want the answers both this semester and next year. Of course you're allowed to have a different style than your CT. But right now your job is to learn as much as possible from her. Later, you can go through what you've learned, and keep some and discard the rest.
When you have your own classroom, things will be the way you want them to be. In the meantime, I agree with Alice, take notes, be better prepared, and go with her standards. This will be a valuable time for you, take advantage of this teachers knowledge and run with it. Take a deep breath and get going on those lessons. You can do this. You will succeed.
Alice and SCTeach, I am so glad that you responded and I completely see where both of you are coming from. Alice, I know that it might not come across in this post but I hold myself to incredibly high standards for pretty much everything. Does she push me hard? Absolutely, and I appreciate that. I spend more time reflecting and preparing for my internship than I do my other classes. However, when I'm in her classroom I have to worry if every little thing I do is wrong. Honestly, two days before my lesson I felt prepared and comfortable with my lesson. I sent her a very detailed e-mail with what I was going to cover and in what order, and asked plenty of questions to make it better. More than anything I wanted to blow her away, but I was so worried about making things to her standard that I found myself absolutely terrified to get up in front of the class. When is it too much? I don't want to just leave the situation. When it comes to the planning, I spend quite a bit of time making sure that the materials I create for her are to her standard. Even then, it doesn't feel like it's enough. I honestly thought about buying a paper cutter so I could make sure my materials for my lesson were cut straight. It would be one less thing for her to find fault with.
I am GLAD you don't want to leave. You just have to rise to meet the standards that this teacher expects. Be prepared to stay late, plan extra, ask detailed questions, and let her know that you want to learn from her. Her name is on that class roster and the bottom line is that you are teaching in a manner that meets her standards, so that her kids are getting the same quality education that every class she has ever taught gets... I am very meticulous about certain things. I am overly meticulous about instruction and on some things I am laid back. I want my charts straight. But they don't have to be cookie cutter perfect; I want my materials neat, but sometimes my desk is a mess. I want my kids to learn 100% of the day and for me to be the facilitator in this process. If I am concerned that my ST is not living up to my standards, or has what I deem to be a negative attitude about the work that it takes to get my kids where they want to be, I am going to push that person that much harder to get them to their personal best. Just saying, this won't be easy. This may be the toughest experience you ever have. But it also maybe the most valuable training you will ever have.
...And by the way, I know you can do this. I can already tell that you are no quitter. Go for it! And decide to be great and not just good. You can do it!
I have a question to ask. You say you could have prepared more for the lesson. How much did you prepare? Did you spend a few minutes throwing stuff together, or did you spend some time thoughtfully preparing lessons, but, because it flopped, you're saying you should have prepared more? The answer to that question is very important. The rest of the post made me feel like the CT is being unreasonable. If the atmosphere has gotten that bad, you might have felt that way in spite of hours of preparation. I'll withhold my thoughts for now, depending on that answer. I have to go to work, so I won't be back till late. Until then, many hugs.
I spent quite a bit of time researching, planning and preparing for the lesson. Two weeks ago, she mentioned that I would be covering topic A. I used that time to get familiar with that topic, and the ways I could present it. Last week, she said that I would be covering topic B. I spent the weekend researching, and everything came together earlier this week. However, as the week progressed I found myself feeling more anxious about the entire thing. Would my materials be acceptable? Would it be alright if I tried to make the kids laugh a little bit? Would it be okay if I tried to make my ind practice have a theme rather than just giving them straight problems? How am I going to make sure that I don't run over my time? What happens if it doesn't click? Suddenly, I found myself scared stiff. I used other textbooks for resources, bounced ideas off of my family and classmates. With the exception of the two days I was subbing, my lesson plan was my biggest priority, even over the certification test I have in a week. I even had dreams about the topic I was teaching. My poor fiance and sister were my guinea pigs for my ind practice worksheet. They gave me some great feedback and helped me create what I thought was a pretty strong assessment piece. What I should have prepared is exact problems to model. I had problems for guided practice, but didn't think of modeling. That is something I know for next time. What I should have done is find a way to get students involved. Right when my CT took over the lesson, I realized what I could have done differently. Even now, two days later I'm still realizing what should have been different. :unsure:
IMHO, I found it odd that your CT automatically questioned whether you wanted to be with a different CT. That seems like an odd conclusion for her to come to when you stated that the two of you are polar opposites. Perhaps she is being a little difficult. Some teachers have a very difficult time letting someone else take over their classroom. When I was a ST, my CT only let me teach when my supervisor came to observe. As far as your lessons, remember that you are just learning right now. Of course you are going to have some lessons that flop. But, take it as a learning experience and reflect on what you can do better. You will have lessons flop even when you have been teaching for years and years. There is no teacher who is perfect, including your CT. Right now you are at her mercy though because it is her classroom and her students, so you pretty much do need to do things the way she asks. Right now you should just worry about learning what you can as a ST, and if she is upset because something isn't straight, perhaps you can just say sorry and you'll try to do it better in the future, but know that that is all secondary to what you are really needing to focus on, which is planning and teaching. Good luck!
After reading al the posts, I wish I had you as my student teacher, I think you are motivated, enthusiastic, hard working, and conscientious. Student teaching is supposed to be an opportunity for you to learn the ins and outs of an actual classroom. It is an opportunity for you to practice skills you have been learning about for years. It is a time for you to practice classroom management and people skills. It is a time for you to refine all that you know in preparation for your own classroom. It is a time of excitement, stress, and uncertainties. What it is NOT is a time for another adult (the CT) to take out their own frustrations, and practice being a tyrant. The CT should be guiding you with words and actions to help you become a better teacher. Of course you are not going to be perfect right out the gate. However, if you continue with this CT, I'm afraid that she will beat you down so much that you will begin to question your expertise as a teacher. That would be SO WRONG! Perhaps my own experiences as a CT and my own style of teaching is coloring my views. I tend to be more relaxed and I let my student teachers make mistakes so we can use them as learning experiences. I am always aware of what the children are learning and it is easy to step in for a lesson here and there to keep the kids on the right track until the student teacher gets more secure with their abilities. I'm kind of rambling now because I hate reading posts where the CT borders on being abusive instead of helpful.
Me too, except I have only had 1 ST. But, I let her have freedom in the classroom to do things her way. I wanted her to develop her own style and find herself as a teacher, because every teacher is so different. The ST gets to learn the ways of the CT during the observation period, but it seems that when it is the ST's turn, the ST should be allowed to grow and find their teacher self at that time. I respect, however, that some CTs will not have that same view, but even then, they should respect their ST and give them words of encouragement. You know, it's just like what we do with our own students on a regular basis. We know that if we praise what our students are doing correctly and what worked, we will get better results from them. We also know that if we kindly and respectfully work with them in areas of improvement, we can truly help them to grow and learn. But, if we are constantly demeaning our students and telling them what they did wrong, they will soon lose even the desire to do better. This same idea should be applied for STs because they are still students learning, and the CT is, in a way, the teacher for the ST.
hmm, the part where you say you are "walking on eggshells" is not healthy nor is it desired. If you can't please this teacher with the way you put up butcher paper, how in the world are you going to get appropriate and constructive feedback from your lessons? You definitely want a positive experience with student teaching. That's my concern with you. I'm afraid if you stay she will beat you down and you won't get better, you will get worse (through NO fault of your own). I would mention it to your head supervisor of student teaching but focus on comparing the little details (butcher paper, bulletin board, etc) with the big picture of student teaching. I hope things go better.
Okay, I think it's time to contact your supervisor. I think that what happened is something that could have happened to anybody. You DID prepare. The lesson didn't work. It's your CT's job to show you what you could have done differently or better in order to make the lesson go more smoothly. I also think that the CT should have reviewed your plans, but that's just me. It seems to me like you're beaten down, and NOBODY deserves that. I think, in beating you down like she has been, she's devastated your confidence, so that NO amount of preparation would have made you stand up and say "I DID prepare. I'm a novice, and it didn't work well, and now I know what to do differently in the future." In your shoes, I would bring this to your university supervisor. Do NOT say that you should have prepared more. You prepared enough, but needed guidance...which you did not get. That, on top of the nitpicking, is an emotional minefield that you do not need, and you should not be forced to endure.
gutterball-why are you only in your placement once a week? Seems like that would make it more difficult for you to get a good handle on the class, your CT's routines and expectations, the school climate.
Sometimes lesson just flop, period. I have been teaching for 14 years and once in a while it still happens... Usually with a topic that I am unfamiliar with... or a brand new activity I have never tried before. With more experience you will learn how to fix a flop, lol! Sometimes if a lesson/activity is not effective, I may even stop it altogether, do something else with the kids and do a new lesson the next day. It does not happen often, but it does happen. Don't feel bad about a lesson that does not turn out the way you thought it would, and it sure sounds to me that were prepared. This is your time to learn, grow, and experiment. If your CT gave you approval for the lesson, you need to feel confident that it meets her standards. It seems as though her behavior towards you has made you anxious and that is not going to help the performance part of your teaching. The best advice I can give for that is that you need to develop the air of confidence (even if it's not totally there right now...)
For the fall semester, I am in my placement once a week. In the spring, I'm there every day. Personally, I wish that I was there more than once a week. It is very difficult to get used to the procedures and culture of the school, but that's the way my program is set up. I sent her an e-mail detailing what I was going to cover, and asked a lot of questions about how to handle passing out supplies, how would you word this, etc. She e-mailed me back saying my plans looked good. However, on Thursday she asked why she never saw any plans. At that point, I was so upset that I completely forgot that I sent her anything in the first place. I went ahead and e-mailed my supervisor about this, and we're meeting on Tuesday. I plan to bring notes that document when things were said, as well as any e-mails that relate to this. My supervisor sent me a very encouraging e-mail in response to my reflection this week. It's good to know that I have his support. Thank you all for the support. :wub: It has really meant a lot to me, and has really made me feel so much better about everything. Seriously, you guys are the best!
I'm so glad that your supervisor is so supportive. Sometimes I think teachers just want a student teacher for their own self centered reasons.
It sounds to me like you are doing what you are supposed to. Unfortunately, some teachers are rigid and unbendable and almost enjoy finding fault with others. Yes, of course your CT should have high expectations, but you are both going to have your individual styles of teaching. Sometimes lessons bomb no matter how much planning we put into them. It sounds as if you worked hard on the lesson and in hindsight think that you could have done more. There is always more we could do as teachers, honestly, but there has to be a point where we stop and say 'I have worked hard on this lesson and I am stopping here'. I can almost always look back and see things that could have been improved on. I hope that you are able to work things out one way or another. It sounds as though you are doing your part and she is not really helping to develop you as a teacher but to criticize and beat you down. I'm sorry!!!!!
I haven't read the whole post, so if I duplicate what someone else has already said, I apologize in advance. My first reaction when I read your post was that the CT needs to relax. Yes, it's her classroom. Yes, it's her name on the schedule. Yes, all of the responsibility falls upon her to make sure these chilrdren are where they need to be for next year. HOWEVER, it sounds like she needs to be a bit kinder to you. I have student teachers in my classroom every single day, and even though you guys are a lot of work, I love having you. You bring such excitement and enthusiasm to what you do that it's contagious. There really is a way to keep the standards high and enable student teachers to meet expectations and be successful without making you guys feel like failures. And, it sounds from your original post that you feel like a failure. If this teacher is going to have student teachers in her classroom, she needs to work on her communication with you so that there's nothing left to chance and everything is extremely clear to the student teachers in her space. If I were you, I'd stick it out, but be sure to preview everything with her first. Take it upon yourself to talk to her before you laminate or present the lesson and talk to her about what you're doing, and if she doesn't have the time to do it with you or is unwilling, then press on. I've read your posts before and I know you're passionate about what you're doing. There really is a way to have student teachers in the classroom and allow them (you) to develop your own style while maintaining quality and standards. You'll get there. If nothing else, you'll know from this experience how NOT to treat a student teacher you may have in your own classroom in the future. Hang in there!
My ST experience was terrible. I didn't speak up to my supervisor; I thought I could tough out a semester of anything. By the time I realized how bad my situation was, it was too late for them to get me a new placement. If those alarm "this is not right" bells are going off, don't wait until it is too late! I now am in my second year of teaching, in the most amazing school ever, and my team has told me "We are SO glad that we ignored the terrible reference your CT gave!" (because they had to call her... even though I listed several others that could give glowing references... and it almost cost me the perfect teaching job)
I have a student teacher beginning in October. She is the sweetest! I hope that I can provide her with a learning experience that helps her on her path to becoming a great teacher in the future. I have had student teachers in the past and have always had good experiences. I wish for you all the best and I will keep you in mind when offering suggestions as well as encouragement. I want this to be a good experience for her as well as the children. I really do. The kids are my primary concern, but her (my ST) needs and her enthusiasm ranks right up there on my list of priorities.
It could be that the CT really did not want a ST, but didn't want to seem like she wasn't a team player and therefore feels resentful towards the ST. Who knows though, that's just a hypothetical, of course. It could be something else entirely.
Your CT is wrong, rude, unprofessional, and disrespectful of you. I had one of the toughest CT and toughest University Supervisors known for kicking people out of ST. My CT was a former Middle School Assistant Principal and did NOT want to be back in the classroom. (Budget cuts) We were both perfectionist, so that was crazy. Her discipline was more military style (she was an assistant middle school P) and I am more nurturing and calm, so we clashed there. I had to learn to toughen up with the students, but as the leader, you need to remain professional about how you approach me. That's one of the issues we had. And what I did is documented everything from day 1. And when things got heated I contacted the Univ. Supervisor IMMEDIATELY with a CC to the other Supervisor. I was covered completely. The supervisors took my side, I had my evidence, remained professional, the CT respected me more, and I received Superior ratings and evaluations. The CT was usually very impressed with all of my lessons and couldn't really offer me any major suggestions though she had been teaching 20 years. She was impressed with me often, but let me make the slightest mistake, like not shutting the classroom door, and all of a sudden she'd blow way up. I knew I needed to be stricter on the kids, and now I'm known as one of the strictest inner city school subs in this area, CT's should be patient enough to remember that they didn't have all the answers in the beginning, nor will they ever. But that's one thing that's seriously wrong with ST and teacher training. Bulletin boards? Lamination? Cutting paper? Seriously....ST's should be in data meetings, talking with parents, talking with the district officials, meeting with the principal, studying the state standards, education law etc so they can be better prepared for what's to come when they enter the classroom. And no passion is not enough. Even though you are a ST you do not have to be disrespected by anyone. Document and contact the supervisors. ETA: My CT And Univ. Supervisor were both women in powerful positions so they ended up clashing with each other and not getting along and criticizing each other, and I was caught in the middle. LOL. I have certainly had some colorful experiences. My CT would make a statement to me saying, "Well, she is a doctor right. She's not in the classroom like the real teachers are. My job is harder than hers." My UnivSuper would say, "Well she's a former Middle School Assist. Principal so she is just being cold towards you. It's her nature. I am way more nurturing (though she was tougher than nails too).
I had a ST experience like this. I lived with three other student teachers, and they could not believe the amount of time I spent planning and at school. She expected me to be there before 7am everyday and stay until about 6pm. As you said, I always felt like I was walking on eggshells, and I felt like I could never please her. In the end, I stuck it out and did things her way. It gave me a good idea of why things that she did would not work for me. I think a lot of it is just different teaching styles, and different personalities. I think I could coteach with several members of my team, but not all of them. A lot of it sounds like it's just her personality... she's a bit of a control freak. I always try to warn people up front that it's nothing to do with them, I'm just a control freak and like things done a certain way.
Are you going to have to be in her classroom next semester also? If so, definitely get switched now. She sounds like a bully. There are kind ways to say things and to act around people. Hope she's not as mean to her students.
I just got out of the meeting with my supervisor. He seemed concerned, but I really think he was trying to remain as neutral as possible. Told him pretty much everything I said here. Tried to focus on my concern about the current situation and how this is going to impact next semester. Showed him all of the e-mails that were related to the situation, showed him the lesson plan that I sent her, etc. I told him that I have nothing against my mentor. She's an amazing person and teacher that I would love to work with, but may not be the best mentor for me. I have nothing against her. She is an asset to her school. Apparently my mentor called my univ and had some frustrations of her own about me. It seems she might have the came concerns about fit as I do... My supervisor said he was going to contact the field placement director as well as my mentor to see what the best option would be. I just hope that we can get everything resolved as soon as possible.
It's really too bad that your mentor didn't discuss it with you before calling the university! She might just not be prepared to give up her room. I hope everything works out for you Hopefully you will wind up in a room where you can let your enthusiasm shine through! And if not, I know you will make the best of the current situation.
