Learn to Teach

Learn+to+Teach

Student teaching is a rite of passage for all aspiring teachers. Future teachers learn to teach under the guidance of an experienced teacher. They are challenged, put in new situations and are learning in the classroom as well.

“I know that I am learning the same as they [students] are,” ELA student teacher Vernon Sameck said.

For most education majors student teaching is their first experience working in a real-world classroom.

“I think when I’m going to school… everything is really safe and predictable,” band student teacher Tristan Bartley said. “When you’re out here… you want to look good, you want to do all those kinds of things, you want to look like you know what you’re doing, but anything could happen.”

College students help teach the class, give assignments and grade papers, among other responsibilities, all without being paid. They do it for the experience.

“It’s definitely a lot of work, because at the beginning of the semester I wasn’t doing very much, but now that we’re starting to pick up, it’s definitely been eye-opening for me,” Sameck said.

Welcoming student teachers into the school is an important part of the BV West family cornerstone. They contribute countless unique perspectives to the school.

“This is a very good school,” Sameck said. “Everyone who I mentioned that I was going to be student teaching here had nothing but positive things to say.”

The student teachers at BV West have had positive experiences thus far, and are excited to finish                 the semester.

“It’s been great getting to know [the students]… they do a lot of things really well,” Bartley said “I feel like I’m learning from them.”

Student teachers are still students; they are still learning. Nonetheless, they are still teachers and carry similar authority and responsibility of BV West’s teachers.

“The title of student teacher, I don’t feel like carries a lot of weight to it so I think some of the students don’t quite understand that they’re supposed to treat me like a teacher,” Vernon said. “If I had to let them know anything, it would be that student teachers are still students, even though we’re in the teacher role, we’re still learning.”