Thursday, March 19, 2009

Student Teaching

So I am having a dilemma:
For the past four years I have been volunteering, observing and recently substitute teaching in the classroom of MaryAnn Evans at Dillard Elementary in Wilton, Ca. Working in MaryAnn's classroom has been wonderful and I have learned SO much from her. It has always been my plan that I would do my student teaching with MaryAnn and she has happily agreed to this. However, last month I moved to Arbuckle, CA. So I am now struggling with where I should do my student teaching. I know I would learn so much from MaryAnn but I don't know if the hour plus commute everyday would be too much while doing student teaching. However being that student teaching isn't that long I don't know if it might be worth it to make the commute in return for the valuable things I could learn from MaryAnn that I will be able to take with me wherever I ultimately end up? Also being that I do not think I want to work in Wilton once I become a full time teacher, should I student teach where I would like to work? It would be wonderful to student teach in Arbuckle because it is so close to home, but I do not have any relationships with the teachers there?

2 comments:

Scott said...

If I could offer my two cents? You know the program I'm in often switches me into different rotations every 4 months. All of them are in different locations. For the last 8 months, I commuted 45 minutes up North to Everett, and I just recently switched into a position that shortened my commute to about 20-25 minutes. Still long, but for Seattle it is great. However, the reason I was OK with this commute is because I knew I would gain the knowledge and the connections I would need to move onto the next phase of my career. The commute was just a small obstacle for me to face. (Although I am very glad I'm not traveling up to Everett anymore for a variety of reasons!)

So as to your dilemma, go to where you think will help you in the long-term. I would think that the knowledge and experience you would gain from a trusted mentor such as MaryAnn would give you a great foundation as a teacher, wherever you go. While you may not have any connections or relationships with teachers in Arbuckle, you can certainly begin to make those connections even if you aren't doing your student teaching there. Meet with some of the teachers, ask to sit in on some of their classes, and pick their brains to gain insight into their experience. That way, you'll have the benefit of still learning from a trusted mentor, but give yourself the ability to find a position in Arbuckle when your student teaching is over.

That is my two cents! I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right decision. Miss you cuz, and good luck!

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