Walking into a school on the first day of student teaching, be it an elementary or secondary school, is an interesting experience. Anywhere from 20-30 sets of eyes follow you wherever you go. This lasts for about eight weeks in the elementary school, and two weeks at a secondary school. Besides being under the microscope by your students, college professor, master teacher, other teachers in the building and possible the principal, student teaching is an awesome experience. The scrutiny is appropriate, because we are planning on devoting our careers, energy and anywhere from 20-40 years of our lives to kids. When people say that it takes a special person to teach and that not everyone can teach, is right! To teach, you need to be compassionate, understanding, focused, organized, personable and energetic among other things to be able to get through to the youth of America. Those are just a few traits we learn as we progress through our own lives. We do not gain these traits through a college teacher preparation, or a textbook. Don't get me wrong, college teacher preparation programs can be nationally ranked among academia, but there are some things that you will not find in a textbook.

The biggest thing I learned from student teaching was classroom management. Even with the best lesson plans and unit plans, a gymnasium can become a zoo without proper classroom management techniques. The techniques that we learn in college classes are useful, but they do not tell you that each class, each day will be different. That means that a management technique that you use in 2nd period on Monday may not work on the same group of kids the next time. Imagine being in a gymnasium with 20-40 students with different learning styles and trying to organize an activity? Without proper management skills, chaos could erupt! But if you spell out what you expect from your class, from proper and improper behavior, to how they will be graded, they will (hopefully) follow directions and participate appropriately in the given activity.

Student teaching, in one word, is definitely an "experience." Especially when you are able to work with an age group that you have no experience with. Working with elementary kids was extremely different from the secondary kids. It was stressful, but in a fun way. The little kids thrive off of the energy from you and love activities like "Car Lot" and "Snake in the Grass." The secondary kids are happier playing "sports oriented activities."

I was lucky to have two excellent master teachers and I learned more at my student teaching placements, than in any college classroom.