DearPreserviceTeacher-SanJoseStateUniversity.docVIP

Dear Preservice Teacher: For nearly 25 years now, by mid-August, I fall asleep and wake up with gnawing little anxieties about the school year to come. Will my plans fall into place? Will a workable, energized classroom climate emerge? Can I juggle what I know to be a staggering load of preparation, papers, extracurricular responsibilities and professional duties? Why havent I completed all the preparation and planning for the new units I have committed to teach? Will this be the year when I finally encounter the intractable student whose will and wiles are stronger than mine? Frankly, the only teaching seasons I didnt have these feelings were my semester of student teaching and my first year on the job. Armed with that transcript of As, a student resume of successes, and tons of experiences as camp counselor, youth group leader, and chaperone, I was prepared. I knew what teaching was all about. I had no reason to be anxious. Yeah, right! If you, however, feel inadequate, unprepared, a bit intimidated, or even actually scared as you approach student teaching, good for you! Youll be teachable, impressionable, open, adrenaline-charged, eager to discover what works and what doesnt, determined to learn more than you need to know. Youll watch not only your mentor teacher, but also every other teacher as you continually build that repertoire of teaching skills. And if you go on to be a truly fine teacher, youll experience that little twinge of anxiety every August throughout your career. Please dont approach student teaching to show what you know; approach student teaching to learn whatever you can. How have you prepared to be a language arts teacher? Do you read, read, read as personal choice? Do you write, write, write as a way of processing, reflecting, organizing, and communicating. Do you watch and listen with depth and intensity? Do you speak clearly, vibrantly, purposefully? Have you mastered the basics of grammar and usage to the point that you can eva