Making the Most of Your Preservice Teaching Experience

Overwhelm. Confusion. Anticipatory embarrassment. These were some of my feelings when I first started in my role as a teacher. As a career changer who had worked primarily behind a computer in my previous job, I found the classroom environment to be an alien world. Thanks to my preservice teaching experience, however, I learned how to navigate this new, exciting realm and found success and joy. How can you make sure your preservice teaching experience is worthwhile? Consider these six tips, a culmination of professional guidance, evidence-based practices, personal successes, and teachable moments.

Choose Your Placement Wisely

It’s important to consider where you do your preservice teaching. While you may not have full control over this decision, you can contact your preservice program directors or administrators to share placement preferences. You can also email school principals to see if they work with your program. 

Consider your area of focus. If you’re working toward certification in secondary science and know of a school with a great STEM program, reach out. Or, if you have a passion for language and know of a school with a bilingual program, seek placement there. You will benefit from a placement that aligns with your goals. 

Talk to teachers at the placement site or within the district about the school culture and administrators. Are the administrators supportive? Does the school culture support professional growth? The overall environment greatly impacts your preservice teaching experience and how supported your mentor teacher feels.

Consider the location of the school as well. If your commute has you traveling hours between work, school, teaching, and familial obligations, the quality of your work will reflect how stretched you are. 

Build Relationships

Mentors provide essential instructional feedback and emotional support, and preservice teaching is a great way to find one. Quality mentor-mentee relationships help preservice teachers develop their identities and teaching practices.

Take simple steps to meet experienced educators within and beyond your school walls. Take advantage of your professors’ office hours, attend school professional development sessions, and get to know your grade team. Every experienced educator has at one point been a preservice educator; being vulnerable about your desire for mentorship shows a drive to strengthen your practice.

Preservice teaching also presents a time to try various strategies for building authentic relationships with your students. Authentic relationships are the foundation of a safe, inclusive classroom culture. Inquire about students’ interests, ask your mentor teacher about the students, and learn about students’ cultures and identities. 

Take Risks

Practicum is the proverbial sandbox within which to build your teaching practice; make the most of it by stepping out of your comfort zone to build confidence. Veteran educators also need to take risks and try new techniques to strengthen their practice; getting comfortable with discomfort for the sake of reaching goals will make you a stronger educator. 

Remember: Your mentor teacher went through practicum just like you. They understand the fear. As my mentor teacher said, “Student teaching can be scary. Be brave enough to teach lessons in front of the students and take control of the classroom. Try out a lesson that you have a passion for, and try topics you aren’t confident in.” 

Ask Questions

Ask questions of your mentor teacher, colleagues, and professors. It’s a sign of critical thinking and care for your practice, not of ineptitude. One recent preservice teacher advised, “I suggest keeping a list of questions to ask your lead teacher during one-on-one meetings. This helps a lot, as questions will come into your mind throughout the day.”

Ask questions of yourself, too. Self-reflection is a practice that all skilled educators engage in, from preservice to veterans. Video-record your lessons to rewatch, keep a journal, and of course review and assess student progress. Don’t be afraid to question why your lessons worked or didn’t work. 

Asking your students questions is also an important skill to work on. Questioning strategies to prompt student thinking is a skill that all educators continuously work on. Solicit student feedback on lessons to improve future planning, or try out an end-of-semester survey or focus group. While it can be nerve-racking to request student feedback, their honest feedback will make you a better teacher. 

Be Professional

Preservice teachers are teachers, and it’s important to remember that. It will hinder your growth to show up prepared only to teach observed lessons and disengage the rest of the time. Student teaching is like a semester-long interview—a fantastic networking opportunity. 

Be proactive in your classroom. Observe when your mentor teacher needs assistance, step in to help with daily tasks, and teach as much as possible. As my mentor teacher said, “Strong student teachers should avail themselves to perform these tasks alongside their cooperating teachers.”

Be communicative with your mentor teacher. If you’re running late, need to miss a day, or have any concerns about a lesson, be sure to say so. A lack of communication can be interpreted as a lack of care, even if that isn’t the case. 

Be prepared. Prep not only for your observed lessons but also for daily activities and classroom management. Is there a school dress code? How does the technology work in the classroom? What are the daily routines? How does the teacher manage transitions? Ask your mentor teacher these questions at the start of the term to be prepared for the rest of the semester.

Have Fun

I saved the best tip for last: Enjoy every moment of your preservice experience, and have fun. When practicum is a time of playful exploration and learning, you’ll enter your career with excitement and passion. Teaching is incredibly serious business, but if you remember not to take yourself too seriously, it can be serious fun too. 

Having fun also makes you a better teacher. As my mentor teacher said, “If teachers are joyful, the kids will be, too.” Standards, curriculum, and assessments are all essential tools to learn about as a preservice teacher—but what your students will remember is the joy.